Wildlife circuit · orphaned elephants
Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Nairobi
The daily 11 a.m. visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nairobi Nursery — orphaned baby elephants at their mud bath and milk feed, with the keepers telling each one’s story. We arrange your private transfer and guide around your confirmed slot, and handle the park fee at the gate.
Quick facts
Everything you need at a glance
What this is
Where a rescued elephant’s story begins
In one sentenceA visit to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s one-hour public viewing — 11 a.m. to noon, every day — at its Nairobi Nursery inside Nairobi National Park, where orphaned elephants come out for a mud bath and milk feed while their keepers tell each one’s story, and we handle the private transfer and guide around your confirmed booking.
Nairobi National Park has no wild elephants — it is too small for elephant range — so this is where you meet them: not in a zoo, but at a working nursery that rescues orphaned calves and raises them for a return to the wild.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is one of the world’s most respected conservation charities, known for pioneering the rescue and hand-rearing of orphaned elephants. Its Nairobi Nursery is the first chapter of a long journey: calves orphaned by poaching, drought or human-wildlife conflict are cared for here by keepers around the clock, then reintegrated to the wild years later through the Trust’s units in Tsavo. For one hour each day the public is invited in to meet the current orphans — and every visit, through the entry donation, helps fund the work.
It is one of the most moving things you can do in Nairobi, and one of the easiest to add to a safari day. Because the Nursery sits inside the national park, a visit pairs naturally with a morning game drive; because it is close to Langata, it also pairs with the Giraffe Centre. We put the day together around the fixed 11 a.m. hour.
What happens at the visit
One hour with the Nursery herd
The public visit runs strictly from 11 a.m. to noon. It is unscripted and genuine — the day’s routine, not a show — and it is over in an hour, so arriving early matters.
One by one the calves come in from the forest, trunks swinging, for their bottles of specially formulated milk.
They splash, roll and shove each other in playful pushing games — front-row spots can get sprayed with red mud, so dress for it.
A senior keeper introduces each orphan — how it was found, what led to its rescue, how it’s progressing. These backstories are the heart of the visit.
You stand behind a rope around the feeding and mud-bath area, and it’s easy to move for a different angle. Sometimes an orphaned rhino is in residence too.
A small shop after the visit sells souvenirs whose proceeds, like your entry donation, fund the orphans’ care.
Fact: the visit is exactly one hour and cannot be delayed or extended for latecomers. Mechanism: the orphans keep to a strict daily routine, and the gate procedures into the park take time. Consequence: arriving by about 10:30 a.m. is the difference between a relaxed visit and a missed one. Advice: let us handle the timing — we build the pick-up around being early at the gate.
The elephants & the work
A nursery, not a zoo
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was founded in 1977 by Dame Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her husband David Sheldrick, the founding warden of Tsavo East National Park. Daphne was the first person to perfect a milk formula and the care regime that allow an orphaned milk-dependent elephant to survive — a breakthrough that made everything here possible.
The orphans arrive having lost their mothers to poaching, drought, falls or conflict with people. At the Nairobi Nursery they are raised by keepers who stay with them around the clock and rotate so no calf bonds too tightly to one person. It is a years-long commitment: as they grow, the elephants move to the Trust’s reintegration units in the Greater Tsavo area — Voi and Ithumba in Tsavo East, and Umani Springs in the Kibwezi Forest — where, over time and at their own pace, they rejoin the wild herds. The Trust rescues orphaned rhinos too, and its work reaches far beyond the nursery into anti-poaching, veterinary and habitat protection across Kenya.
That is what your visit supports, and why it feels different from a wildlife attraction: you are watching the first stage of a rescue, not a captive display.
The park itself is a leading rhino sanctuary. See the rhino sanctuary and the park’s conservation challenges for the wider picture.
Prices & fees
What a visit costs — three separate parts
This is the part most pages get wrong. A Sheldrick visit now involves three separate things: our transfer and guide, the Trust’s entry donation, and — new since 2023 — the national park entry fee. We keep them clearly apart.
Our price — the transfer & guide
We provide the private vehicle, the driver-guide and the door-to-door transfer, timed around the 11 a.m. hour and around any game drive or other stop you add. It’s priced per person by group size, on request — tell us your numbers and your date and we’ll send a firm quote, usually within hours.
Because the Nursery sits inside Nairobi National Park and you enter through the KWS Mbagathi Gate, the Kenya Wildlife Service requires every nursery visitor to pay the park entry fee — even if you are only seeing the elephants and not doing a game drive. This is separate from the Trust’s donation. We handle it for you at the gate and itemise it in your quote.
1. The Trust’s entry donation
A minimum donation per person, with separate adult and child rates, paid in cash — US dollars or Kenyan shillings — directly to the Trust on the day of your visit. It is not prepaid, and it goes straight to the orphans’ care. We confirm the current amount in your written quote.
2. The KWS park entry fee
The Nairobi National Park entry fee, charged per person for each 24 hours and differing by residency category, paid via the official eCitizen system. Required now to reach the Nursery. We add the correct fee for each guest and handle it at the gate.
The silver liningSince you’re paying the park entry fee anyway, adding a morning game drive before the 11 a.m. visit is superb value — you’re already inside the park, so you turn one fee into a full safari morning.
We never invent figures. The Trust’s donation and the KWS fee are both set by others and can change, so we itemise the current amount of each for every guest in your written quote — no surprises at the gate. For how a whole day’s cost is built, see the Nairobi safari cost guide.
Included & excluded
Exactly what our price covers
- A private vehicle and an English-speaking, KWS-licensed driver-guide
- Door-to-door transfer from your Nairobi hotel, residence, JKIA or Wilson
- Help securing your Trust booking, and the whole day timed around the 11 a.m. hour
- The gate formalities handled for you on arrival
- Fuel, all vehicle running costs, and bottled water on board
- The option to add a game drive, the Giraffe Centre or a city stop the same day
- The Trust’s entry donation — a minimum, per person, paid in cash on the day
- The KWS park entry fee — itemised at your tier, paid via eCitizen, never guessed
- Admission to any other attraction, such as the Giraffe Centre or the Safari Walk
- Meals and snacks, travel insurance, your eTA, flights and accommodation
- Tips (welcome but optional) and personal spending
Timing & booking
You must book ahead — here’s how it works
This is not an attraction you can turn up to. The visit is timed and capacity is limited, so the booking rules matter.
The hour is fixed. The public visit runs strictly from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, every day except 25 December. It can’t be delayed or extended for latecomers, so we aim to have you at the gate by about 10:30 a.m. to allow for entry formalities.
Booking is in advance, with the Trust. Spaces must be reserved ahead through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nairobi office, generally for a visit within the next three months — same-day bookings aren’t possible, and popular dates fill quickly. You’ll receive an official confirmation to bring with you, digital or printed.
The Trust accepts only bookings it has issued itself — reservations sold through third-party listing sites are not honoured at the gate. We don’t resell entry; instead we help you obtain a genuine Trust confirmation and build your private transfer and guide around it.
How we fit in. Tell us your preferred date and group and we’ll coordinate the timing, arrange your private transfer, guide and any game drive or giraffe stop, and help you secure a valid Trust booking for the hour. On the day, we get you there early, handle the park gate, and make sure the schedule holds together.
Pickup & logistics
We come to you
Because the visit is late morning, it fits neatly into an arrival day, a free morning, or the time before an evening flight.
Nairobi hotels & residences
We collect from anywhere in the city and time the pick-up to reach the gate early.
From JKIA & Wilson
We pick up from both airports, so the visit works well on an arrival day or before an evening departure — your luggage travels with you in the vehicle. Share your flight and terminal and we’ll build in time for immigration and traffic so you reach the gate before 11 a.m.
Getting to the Nursery
The Nairobi Nursery is inside Nairobi National Park, entered via the KWS Mbagathi Gate (also called the Workshop or Magadi Gate) on Magadi Road, in the Langata area a short drive from the city. Your guide knows the gate and the timing, and handles entry on arrival.
Make a morning of it
The visit pairs beautifully
On its own the visit is an hour; with a little planning around it, it becomes one of the best half-days or full days in Nairobi. Add one and we sequence the timing.
+ A morning game drive
Enter the park at 6 a.m. for a game drive, then arrive at the Nursery for the 11 a.m. feed — you’re already inside the park, so it’s the natural, best-value pairing.
The half-day drive →+ The Giraffe Centre
Hand-feed endangered Rothschild’s giraffe minutes away in Langata — the classic elephant-and-giraffe morning.
The Giraffe Centre →+ Both, in one outing
Our elephant-and-giraffe day rolls the orphanage and the giraffes into one seamless, family-loved outing.
Elephant & giraffe day →+ A city afternoon
Follow the visit with the Karen Blixen Museum, Bomas of Kenya or a city tour for a full, varied day.
Nairobi city tours →
Who it’s for
Who loves this visit
It has near-universal appeal, but it’s especially right for:
Families with children
Few things delight children more than baby elephants at play — and the conservation story lands gently.
First-time visitors
A moving, easy introduction to Kenya’s wildlife and the work of protecting it.
Elephant lovers
Anyone who cares about elephants, or wants to see the rescue-and-release work up close.
Short on time
An hour’s visit fits an arrival day, a free morning, or the time before an evening flight.
Park game-drive guests
The perfect complement to a park drive, where there are no wild elephants to see.
Supporters & foster parents
Those who foster an orphan, or want their visit to directly fund conservation.
Fostering & supporting the Trust
You can foster an orphan
Beyond the visit, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust runs a well-known fostering programme: for a modest sum you can foster one of the orphaned elephants and follow its progress towards the wild — a genuinely meaningful souvenir of your trip, and a favourite gift for children back home. Foster parents and all supporters are welcome at the daily visit by advance booking.
Every part of your visit — the entry donation, anything you buy in the little shop, a fostering — goes towards rescuing and raising the next orphan. It is one of the rare tourist experiences where the price of admission is, quite directly, the point.
Fostering is arranged directly through the Trust; we’re glad to point you to it when you book your visit.
Good to know
Small things that make the hour better
What to bring
A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen (it’s outdoors and can be hot), closed shoes for ground that turns muddy after rain, a camera, and cash in US dollars or Kenyan shillings for the entry donation. If you want a front-row spot at the rope, wear clothes you don’t mind getting sprayed with red mud.
Full packing list →What to expect
It’s hands-off — you watch from behind a rope while the keepers feed and mind the orphans; there’s no touching or riding, and that’s exactly right for a rehabilitation programme. It can get busy at the front, weekdays are usually quieter, and moving a few steps finds a clearer view.
More Nairobi wildlife →Why book with us
Local guides, honest fees, no invalid bookings
The visit is a fixed hour with a hard cut-off — we get you to the gate early, every time.
We help you secure a genuine confirmation from the Trust — not an invalid third-party listing.
We deal with the newly required KWS gate fee for you and itemise it up front — no gate surprises.
Add a game drive or the giraffes and we sequence the whole day around the 11 a.m. slot.
Guides who know the gates, the timing and the city — and the wider conservation story.
A licensed Kenyan operator with fast confirmation and direct WhatsApp support.
We publish only what we can stand behind — which is why you won’t find invented prices or star-ratings here, and why we keep the Trust’s fees and the park fees plainly separate from ours.
How to book
Booking your visit
Simple and personal — you deal directly with us, and nothing is confirmed until you have it in writing.
- Send your details.
Your preferred date, the number and ages of guests, your pick-up point, and whether you’d like to add a game drive or the giraffes.
- We confirm and coordinate.
We check availability, quote our transfer per person, and help secure a valid Trust booking for the 11 a.m. hour — usually within hours.
- Secure the booking.
A deposit confirms your transfer; we send a voucher, your guide’s contact and the plan for the day.
- Meet your guide.
We collect you, get you to the gate early, handle the park fee, and have you in place for the feed.
On the day
Bring your Trust confirmation (digital or printed), cash for the entry donation in US dollars or Kenyan shillings, and something for the sun. Your guide handles the park gate; you’ll be at the rope in good time for the orphans to arrive.
Payment & changes
We accept M-Pesa, card and secure payment links for our transfer; the Trust’s donation is paid in cash on the day and the KWS fee is handled at the gate. We keep fair, clearly-stated terms and will always try to move a date rather than lose your booking — though the visit hour itself remains subject to the Trust’s availability. Your exact terms are confirmed in writing with your quote.
Is this the right visit?
A quick gut-check
Book this if…
- You want to meet elephants near Nairobi
- You care about wildlife rescue and conservation
- You’re travelling with children
- You have a free morning or an arrival day
- You did a park drive and missed elephants
Combine it if…
- You’d like a game drive the same morning
- You want the giraffes as well
- You’re making a full day of Nairobi
- You’re already paying the park fee
- You want the best value from one trip
Consider elsewhere if…
- You want to see elephants in the wild
- You expect to touch or ride them
- You’re after a full-day safari experience
- You can’t make the fixed 11 a.m. hour
- You want a big-herd destination like Amboseli
Want wild elephants and big herds? Ask us about Amboseli or Tsavo from Nairobi — and we’ll point you the right way.
Frequently asked questions
Sheldrick orphanage FAQs
The visit
It’s the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nairobi Nursery, inside Nairobi National Park, where orphaned baby elephants are rescued and hand-reared before being reintegrated to the wild years later in Tsavo. The public is welcome for one hour a day to meet the current orphans and support the work.
The orphans come in for their milk feed and a mud bath while a senior keeper tells each one’s rescue story and how it’s progressing. You watch from behind a rope, and there’s a small shop afterwards whose proceeds support the Trust.
One hour, strictly from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, every day except 25 December. It can’t be delayed or extended for latecomers, so we aim to have you at the gate by about 10:30 a.m.
No — the visit is hands-off. The keepers feed and mind the orphans while you watch from behind a rope. There’s no touching or riding, which is exactly as it should be for animals being prepared to return to the wild.
Prices & fees
There are three separate parts: our private transfer and guide (priced per person, on request), the Trust’s entry donation (a minimum, per person, paid in cash on the day), and the KWS park entry fee (per person, by residency tier). We itemise the current amount of each in your written quote. Request your price →
Yes. Since 2023 the Kenya Wildlife Service requires everyone visiting the Nursery to pay the Nairobi National Park entry fee, because you enter through the park’s Mbagathi Gate to reach it — even if you’re only seeing the elephants. It’s separate from the Trust’s donation, and we handle it at the gate. Since you’re paying it anyway, adding a game drive that morning is great value.
Directly to the Trust, in cash — US dollars or Kenyan shillings — on the day of your visit, with separate adult and child rates. It isn’t prepaid. We’ll tell you the current amount when you book.
Booking & logistics
Yes — spaces must be reserved ahead through the Trust’s Nairobi office, usually within three months of your visit. Same-day bookings aren’t possible and popular dates fill quickly, so plan ahead.
We help you secure a valid confirmation from the Trust and build your private transfer, guide and any game drive around it. We don’t resell entry — the Trust only honours bookings it has issued itself, so beware of third-party listings that claim otherwise.
The Nursery is inside Nairobi National Park, entered via the KWS Mbagathi (Magadi) Gate on Magadi Road, in the Langata area a short drive from the city. We collect you from your hotel or the airport and take you there.
Yes — the late-morning hour suits an arrival day or the time before an evening departure. We pick up from JKIA and Wilson, your luggage travels with you, and we build in time to reach the gate before 11 a.m.
Combining & suitability
Absolutely, and it’s the best way to do it. A morning game drive before the 11 a.m. feed is superb value since you’re already inside the park; the Giraffe Centre is minutes away in Langata; and our elephant-and-giraffe day rolls it all together.
It’s one of the best things in Nairobi for children — baby elephants at play, and a gentle first lesson in conservation. It’s outdoors and can be muddy, so dress them for it.
Plan your Sheldrick orphanage visit
Send your date, your hotel or flight, and how many of you there are — and we’ll coordinate a valid Trust booking, quote our transfer, and itemise the donation and park fee so there are no surprises. No invented prices, ever.
Make a morning of it: add the half-day game drive or the Giraffe Centre. Back to the wildlife circuit.