Giraffe Centre and Elephant Orphanage Tours in Nairobi Compared
Seven Nairobi tours that pair the Giraffe Centre with the Sheldrick elephant nursery, US$50 to US$160 per person: what each includes, the fees and the 11am rule.
Nov 1, 2026 8 min read
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The cheapest way to see both is a US$55 to US$85 half-day tour built around the Sheldrick nursery's fixed 11am to noon visit, and the only one of the seven tours here that lists both entry fees as included is the US$85 Nairobi Elephant and Giraffe Conservation Visit. Add a Nairobi National Park game drive and you are at US$50 plus fees with Happy Tribe, or US$160 with Carnivore lunch from Wango Trail Safaris. The number that catches people out is the park gate: Kenya Wildlife Service charges every nursery visitor Nairobi National Park entry, US$80 for a non-resident adult, on top of the nursery's own US$20 donation.
If you are still deciding whether you want the giraffes, the elephants or a proper game drive, read which Nairobi wildlife visit to choose first. This guide assumes you want both and need to pick a tour.
Every tour is built around the 11am elephant visit
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust opens its Nairobi Nursery to the public for one hour, 11am to noon, every day except 25 December, and only to people with a booking confirmed by the Trust itself. Bookings are made by email up to three months ahead, there are no same-day bookings, and the Trust says it does not accept bookings made through Viator, GetYourGuide or Tripadvisor. A tour operator therefore has to send you the Trust's own confirmation email. Arrive at the KWS Mbagathi Gate on Magadi Road by 10:30am, because the visit is not delayed or extended for late arrivals.
The entry donation is US$20 per adult aged 12 and over and US$5 per child, paid in cash at the nursery, or KES 2,000 and KES 500 for Kenya residents with proof of residency. Since September 2023 KWS has also required every nursery visitor to pay Nairobi National Park entry, whether or not they go further into the park. The KWS park page lists US$80 for a non-resident adult and US$40 per child, KES 1,000 and KES 500 for East African citizens, and KES 1,350 and KES 675 for Kenya residents. Pay it on eCitizen before you go to avoid queueing at the gate.
The Giraffe Centre in Lang'ata is the flexible half of the day. Entry is KES 1,500 for a non-resident adult and KES 750 for a child aged 3 to 12, or KES 400 and KES 200 at resident rates, which apply to citizens and work-permit holders from any East African Community country. Children under 3 go free. The centre puts itself 40 minutes from the city centre. So a tour either does the giraffes first and the elephants at 11, or the elephants at 11 and the giraffes afterwards.
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Feeding from the platform at the Giraffe Centre in Lang'ata. Entry is KES 1,500 for a non-resident adult and the hours are flexible, unlike the nursery.
Photo credit: Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0
What the seven tours cost and include
| Tour | Price per person | Sheldrick donation | Giraffe Centre entry | KWS park gate fee | Also in the day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi Elephant and Giraffe Conservation Visit | US$85 | Included | Included | Not included | Private transfers, water, nursery booking handled |
| Mamis Giraffe Centre & Elephant Orphanage Tour | US$65 | Ask us | Ask us | Ask us | Meeting point confirmed after booking |
| Wango Day Tour To Giraffe and Elephants Orphanage | US$55 | Ask us | Ask us | Ask us | Hotel pickup and drop-off |
| Wango Giraffe Center, Elephant Trust and Nairobi Safari Walk | US$70 | Ask us | Ask us | Ask us | Hotel pickup; adds the KWS Safari Walk |
| Wango Giraffe Center, Elephant Project and Lunch At Carnivore | US$110 | Ask us | Ask us | Ask us | Hotel pickup; lunch at Carnivore |
| Happy Tribe Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre | US$50 | Not included unless confirmed | Not included unless confirmed | Not included unless confirmed | Early game drive, driver-guide, water |
| Wango Nairobi National Park, Elephant Project, Giraffe Center and Carnivore | US$160 | Ask us | Ask us | Ask us | Game drive, hotel pickup, lunch at Carnivore |
Wango's prices are published starting prices; group size and season can move the final quote. "Ask us" means the listing publishes nothing on that point, so we confirm it with the host before you pay.
The US$85 visit is the only one that prices in both entry fees
The Nairobi Elephant and Giraffe Conservation Visit is US$85 per person and includes private transfers between the two stops, the Sheldrick entry donation, the Giraffe Centre entrance fee, the official nursery booking, bottled water and a driver-host. What it leaves out is the KWS park gate fee, pickup beyond the host's standard ten-kilometre zone, and meals. The order is fixed by the nursery: pickup early enough for traffic and gate processing, the nursery at 11, then through Lang'ata to the giraffes. The host's own advice is to get the Trust's official confirmation sent to you before the day. It is set up for solo travellers, families and work groups.
Nairobi Elephant and Giraffe Conservation Visit
Spend a meaningful Nairobi morning with two of the city's best-known conservation projects. Watch rescued young elephants during the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's timed public visit, then meet Rothschild's giraffes and the educators protecting them in leafy Lang'ata.
per person
$85
View experienceMamis and Wango are cheaper, so ask what the price covers
Mamis Tours and Travel runs the same two stops as a Giraffe Centre & Elephant Orphanage Tour at US$65 per person, with the meeting point and pickup details confirmed after booking. Wango Trail Safaris' Day Tour To Giraffe and Elephants Orphanage is the cheapest of the lot at US$55 per person, with pickup and drop-off at your hotel. Neither publishes what sits inside the fare, so before you pay ask us for three things in writing: whether the Sheldrick donation and Giraffe Centre entry are in the price, who pays the KWS gate fee, and that the Trust's own booking confirmation exists for your date. On a US$55 tour the unlisted fees can add US$100 for a non-resident adult, which changes which tour is actually cheapest.
Giraffe Centre & Elephant Orphanage Tour
A focused Nairobi wildlife excursion combining eye-level giraffe encounters with a visit to see orphaned elephants and their keepers.
per person · 1 day
$65
View experience
Day Tour To Giraffe and Elephants Orphanage
Day Tour To Giraffe and Elephants Orphanage. Book this safari or tour with Wango Trail Safaris on an on-demand basis. The published website price starts at USD 55 per person; group size, season, accommodation, and optional extras may affect the final quote. Pickup and drop-off are provided from the hotel or accommodation where the guest is staying. Confirm the exact property and pickup time after booking.
per person
$55
View experienceWango's US$70 version adds the Nairobi Safari Walk, the KWS boardwalk at the park's main gate, which is a different thing from a game drive. Our guide to the Safari Walk, Animal Orphanage and game drive explains the difference and the tickets.
Add lunch at Carnivore for US$110
Wango's Day Tour To Giraffe Center, Elephant Project And Lunch At Carnivore is US$110 per person with hotel pickup and drop-off, and the lunch is the difference from its US$55 tour. The nursery sells no refreshments and asks you to bring only water, so a booked lunch after the noon finish is a sensible shape for the day. Ask us whether drinks are included and what the vegetarian option is, since the listing publishes neither.
Day Tour To Giraffe Center, Elephant Project And Lunch At Carnivore
Day Tour To Giraffe Center, Elephant Project And Lunch At Carnivore. Book this safari or tour with Wango Trail Safaris on an on-demand basis. The published website price starts at USD 110 per person; group size, season, accommodation, and optional extras may affect the final quote. Pickup and drop-off are provided from the hotel or accommodation where the guest is staying. Confirm the exact property and pickup time after booking.
per person
$110
View experienceAdd a game drive: US$50 plus fees, or US$160 all in
Happy Tribe Travel's Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre day starts with an early game drive, then the nursery at 11 and the giraffes after. US$50 per person covers the guided circuit, transport in the confirmed vehicle, a driver-guide and bottled water. Park and conservation fees are excluded unless Happy Tribe confirms them in your option, and meals are extra. For a non-resident adult that means adding US$80 park entry, US$20 at the nursery and KES 1,500 at the Giraffe Centre, so budget around US$160 all told. Expect an early pickup, carry your passport or ID, and note that KWS gates open at 6am. The Trust itself suggests pairing the nursery with a game drive, since the park fee has to be paid either way.
Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre
Experience Nairobi’s remarkable wildlife circuit in one day. Start with an early game drive in Nairobi National Park, where open grassland and city skyline meet, then continue to conservation-focused visits with rescued young elephants and endangered Rothschild’s giraffes. A Happy Tribe guide coordinates the route, timing and transfers so guests can focus on wildlife, photography and the stories behind each conservation project. Exact access depends on park rules, timed-entry availability and the option confirmed after booking.
per person
$50
View experienceWango's US$160 Day Tour to Nairobi National Park, Elephant Project, Giraffe Center and Lunch Carnivore Restaurant does the same loop with lunch added and hotel pickup. It is the tour we embedded in the which-visit guide, and the same caution applies there: a long title is not an inclusions list, so get the fees and the elephant booking in writing.
Doing it yourself costs about US$112 before transport
For one non-resident adult the fixed costs are US$80 at the park gate, US$20 at the nursery and KES 1,500 at the Giraffe Centre, before you have found a car. If you arrive by taxi or ride-hailing app, the driver must drop you at the KWS gate unless you have also paid park fees for the driver and vehicle; the Trust runs its own vehicle from the gate to the nursery between 10:15 and 11:30am for visitors on foot. What a tour buys you is a vehicle that is allowed in, someone else handling the Trust's email booking, and a day that is timed to the 11am slot. At resident rates the sums are much smaller: KES 1,350 at the gate, KES 2,000 at the nursery and KES 400 at the giraffes.
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The nursery herd at the Sheldrick orphanage inside Nairobi National Park. Whichever tour you pick, the visit is 11am to noon and the park gate fee is paid separately.
Photo credit: U.S. Department of State, public domain
What to bring, and what the visit is not
- Cash for the nursery donation; it is not prepaid. Your ID or passport for whichever fee category you claim, and your eCitizen park ticket.
- A hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. There are no refreshments and no public Wi-Fi at the nursery, and the mud bath is hot and sunny.
- Shoes you do not mind getting muddy in the rainy seasons, March to April and October to December.
- Phones on silent, no smoking or vaping, and photos for personal use only.
- Only the keepers feed and touch the elephants; visitors watch from the cordon. Maxwell the blind rhino is not part of the public visit. At the Giraffe Centre you feed the giraffes with pellets from the platform under the educators' instructions.
More on Nairobi: Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre or elephant visit? · Nairobi National Park entry fees and opening times · A Nairobi National Park game drive in a morning · Nairobi National Park with kids · Nairobi National Park on a layover
Prices checked 30 October 2026.
Good to know
Yes. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust only admits visitors with its own confirmed booking, made by email up to three months ahead, and it accepts no same-day bookings and no bookings made through Viator, GetYourGuide or Tripadvisor. If a tour operator books for you, ask for a copy of the Trust's confirmation email.
The public visit runs from 11am to noon every day except 25 December. It is not delayed or extended for late arrivals, so plan to be at the KWS Mbagathi Gate on Magadi Road by 10:30am.
Yes. Since September 2023 KWS has required every nursery visitor to pay park entry, US$80 for a non-resident adult and US$40 per child, or KES 1,000 and KES 500 for East African citizens, on top of the nursery's US$20 adult and US$5 child donation. Pay the park fee on eCitizen before you go.
KES 1,500 for a non-resident adult and KES 750 for a child aged 3 to 12. Resident rates are KES 400 and KES 200 for citizens and work-permit holders from East African Community countries, and children under 3 go free.
Of the seven tours compared, only the US$85 Nairobi Elephant and Giraffe Conservation Visit lists the Sheldrick donation and Giraffe Centre entry as included; the KWS park gate fee is still extra. Happy Tribe's US$50 day excludes park and conservation fees unless confirmed, and the Mamis and Wango listings do not publish their inclusions, so ask us before you pay.
Yes. Happy Tribe's US$50 day and Wango's US$160 day both start with an early Nairobi National Park game drive before the 11am nursery visit, and the Trust itself suggests adding a game drive because the park fee has to be paid anyway. Expect an early pickup, since KWS gates open at 6am.