Nairobi was our first stop both on “The Great Expedition” as well as in Africa (first time in Africa for both of us!), and a gateway to that safari we’ve always wanted to do. It’s a big city with wildlife and nature reserves around the edges, so we got what felt like a teaser for the real safari to come.
Giraffe Center in Nairobi
Giraffe Center was started by the Leslie-Melville family in the late 70s to conserve the almost extinct Rothschild giraffe, found only in East Africa. Today it’s a chance for visitors to get close to giraffes!
The best part was getting to feed the giraffes with the pellets provided by the center. Giraffe tongues are antiseptic, so it’s possible to even go for a kiss! We settled for just feeding them with our hands.
Each giraffe had its own personality. Kelly, for example, was very well-behaved and took each pellet fed to her individually. Betty, on the hand, was picky and would only take a handful of pellets. Either way we were willing to give everything we had!
Besides giraffes, there were warthogs below, feeding on whatever pellets the giraffes missed. Pumbas in real life!
Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi
Part two of the safari teaser was seeing orphan elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. They take in baby elephants that have been orphaned – without their mom’s milk, the baby elephants will die. The orphanage makes sure they survive to adulthood, then releases them back into the wild.
First wave were the young ones, with a second wave of bigger babies. We saw them gulp down the milk containers so fast! Then some of them drank water from the troughs, ate leaves from branches, spread mud all over themselves… all of it was adorable.
A few came close to all the visitors so we could gently pet them. Their skin was very rough, covered in the dusty red dirt they like to spread on themselves.
It’s heart-warming there are conservation projects like these, but we desperately need more of them to combat human-wildlife conflict and raise awareness for issues like loss of habitat.
Getting Around Nairobi in Uber ChapChaps
We took Uber ChapChaps everywhere – an even more budget version of UberX. It was super convenient and very affordable – most short trips were less than $2-3, while longer trips to the outskirts of the city like the Giraffe Center were around $6-7. It’s amazing what technology is making possible! Think of all the hassle we saved not having to negotiate rates and avoid scams! The only thing to watch out for is the horrendous traffic, especially on the main roads during rush hour. Our first day in Nairobi was a holiday so we didn’t notice, but the other days got so bad at one point we left the car early and just walked the rest of the way because nothing was moving.
China in Nairobi… and Kenya… and Africa
There was a significant Chinese presence in Nairobi and Kenya as a whole. We saw this later on in the roads, many of which were sponsored by Chinese companies. When we flew Ethiopian Airlines to Nairobi via Addis Ababa, most of the plane was filled with Chinese tourists. Shops catered to Chinese shoppers, and some Kenyans even spoke Chinese – so cool but weird! Yet another development that was unimaginable many years ago.
The two and a half days in Nairobi allowed us to adjust to the time difference and get even more excited for the African safari to come.