A sunrise game drive through Nairobi National Park

Having just completed a fantastic trek up the spectacular Mount Kenya, my brother James and I found ourselves with a free day in Nairobi. Rather than sit around nursing our blistered feet, we decided to head off on a mini-adventure. As soon as I read about Nairobi National Park, I knew we had to check it out. There are few other cities, if any, where you can take a game drive at sunrise, and be back in time for lunch!

Arranging the Game Drive

We decided to arrange our morning game drive in Nairobi National Park via GoToMountKenya. This excellent local company had just guided us to the top of Mount Kenya, and were super helpful in organising our trip to the park.

We were picked up at 6am on the dot, as agreed. After knocking back a strong coffee, we dragged ourselves down to the front door. From our homestay, the wonderful Cozy Room JKIA, it was a short drive to the entrance gate.

Entering Nairobi National Park – Lions!

The sun was beginning to cast a golden glow across the sky as we arrived at the gate. We’d be entering via the East Gate, just off the main road to the airport.

Our guide took care of the fees, and it wasn’t long before we were bouncing along the dusty track and into the park. Neither myself nor James had ever been on a game drive before – the closest we’d got were childhood trips to Woburn Safari Park. Needless to say, this was worlds away from the rolling hills of rural Bedfordshire.

Sure, it wasn’t the traditional multi-day Safari adventure for which Kenya is famous. Nonetheless, it was a good way to spend our only full day in Nairobi before we caught our flight back home.

Entering the park with our back to the city, it was easy to forget that you were within walking distance of an international airport. Stretched in front of us, almost as far as the eye could see, was typical bushland; dusty, flat, and rich in flora and fauna.

Early excitement

For a while, it felt like we had the park to ourselves. We hadn’t seen any other vehicles, and the tracks near the entrance were empty of any wildlife.

However, it wasn’t long before we caught our first glimpse of activity. Prompted by our guide, we turned our heads to the right and spotted the impressive bulk of half-a-dozen ostriches meandering through the grass. These flightless birds are great fun, reaching heights of well over two metres, and able to sprint at up to 70 km/h.

Their size and bulk would certainly come in handy if they came up against our next spot. The radio begin to crackle, and – after a short conversation – our driver swung the jeep around, and we sped off deeper into the park.

After five minutes or so, we slowed to a halt. Fifty metres from us, a pair of lionesses were making their way slowly towards us. We had struck gold, barely thirty minutes into our trip.

Watching the lions

It was amazing to see a lion in the wild. Even from a distance, you could see the bulging muscles which give them their immense power. Before long, we were joined by a second vehicle, whose four passengers ended up practically dangling out of the windows to try and get a good view. We were grateful for our open top.

Incredibly, the lions began to make their way towards us. The ended up walking directly in between ourselves and the other car, meaning we were a matter of inches away. Whilst we were excitedly scrambling to take it all in, the lions were decidedly nonplussed. They had better things to do with their morning than bother with us humans.

We happened to have got in the way of their chosen morning snack – a small herd of impala who were grazing a few hundred metres away. Both lions positioned themselves among the tall undergrowth, waiting patiently for a chance to make a move.

The chance never came. The lions were spotted almost straight away, with the spooked herd on full alert. Both sides were locked in a long-distance face off, waiting to see who would make the first move.

The lions eventually accepted defeat, knowing that they had to cover far too much ground to reach the impala. They plodded off, and we parted ways, counting ourselves very fortunate to have found these amazing animals so soon into our drive.

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Enjoying the immense variety of wildlife

The park has an impressive variety of wildlife considering its relatively modest size. We were lucky enough to see the likes of hippopotamus, giraffe, zebra, crocodile and rhinoceros – among plenty of others.

We would hop around in our jeep, looking for new species to spot each time we stopped. It was a whirlwind adventure, and there was always something to see at every turn. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

The crazy contrasts in Nairobi National Park

The park’s proximity to the city of Nairobi is perhaps its defining feature. As you whizz along the grassy plains, the looming shapes of skyscrapers are ever-present. Smog, that grey scourge of city living, hangs conspicuously over the skyline.

Seeing the shape of a giraffe, rhinoceros, or lion superimposed against this industrial backdrop is – at the very least – surreal. At one point, we were admiring a small herd of zebra when a commercial airliner flew impossibly low over our heads.

In recent years, a new rail connection between Nairobi and Mombasa has seen a monolithic railway viaduct built, which cuts straight through the heart of the park. The route has been designed to allow animals to wander freely underneath the track. Nevertheless, this huge structure was an imposing and unsubtle addition to the scenery.

It doesn’t take too long before you start to notice these bizarre contrasts everywhere you drive inside the park.

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Nairobi National Park: Final Thoughts

Truth be told, the research I carried out evoked mixed feelings. A quick Google search for “lions in Nairobi National Park” brought a deluge of stories about animals being shot after straying into the Nairobi suburbs.

There can be few places on the planet where the unspoken conflict between man and nature is put into such sharp focus. On the one hand, Nairobi is a rapidly growing city, and people need space to live. However, wildlife almost always pays a price.

There can be no easy answers. In some ways, the fact that the National Park exists so close to the city should be celebrated. It’s clear, however, that it’ll take a huge effort to ensure that the park – and its wildlife – remains protected from the ever-expanding city.