Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre Tour

Recommended by 90% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Nairobi, Kenya

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

6 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6

· Faten_A ·

Dec 2025

A wonderful experience and excellent service provided by our guide, John. Pick up on time, small group, not pushy like most tourist experiences allowing travellers to truly enjoy the experience. Lunch location had great food. Highly recommended.

· Hillarie_B ·

Dec 2025

Fantastic experience! The giraffes and the elephants were both amazing. Stephen was a phenomenal guide, so smart, so helpful, and so reliable. He went above and beyond. The company itself was truly amazing. I contacted them at least 20 times b/c we had many logistical challenges. They VERY responsive and accommodating!

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Overview

Learn about two of Kenya's most famous animals on this tour to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Centre. See the animals in a safe, contained environment focused on rehabilitation and conservation. This tour includes all entrance fees and private transportation for a hassle-free experience.

Visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi
Observe baby elephants during an allotted viewing time and learn about the dangers they face
Participate in a supervised feeding of the endangered Rothschild giraffes and learn about conservation efforts
Transport in private vehicle included
Hotel pickup and drop-off included

What's Included

Professional guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Elephant Orphanage Entrance fee
Giraffe Center Entrance fee
Small Group Tour

Food and drinks
Entrance fee - Nairobi National Park which is mandatory to access Elephant Orphanage

$85.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pick up available from Airbnb and private Apartments

Operating hours
.8:00 am

Itinerary

Your Nairobi wildlife conservation tour begins with pickup at your hotel or accommodation—this flexible tour accommodates Airbnbs and private homes, too. The first stop of the day is the Giraffe Centre, where conservation work supports endangered Rothschild’s giraffes that visitors can feed.

Then, head to the elephant orphanage at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. You’ll have an hour to observe rescued elephants in the care of conservationists who bottle feed the smallest elephants. (An additional conservation fee is required to visit the elephant orphanage, which is located within Nairobi National Park.)

Unlike some big-bus wildlife tours of Nairobi, this experience is limited to 15 people for more personal experiences with the conservation centers. After the two conservation stops, make a bonus visit to the Kazuri Beads Factory; it’s a great place to pick up handicrafts that support local livelihoods. The day ends with drop-off at your accommodations in Nairobi.

Giraffe Centre

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

KOBE TOUGH beads & leather

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
Pay Extra $85 per person for Nairobi national park since it’s under KWS and it’s located inside the park. Its conservancy fee
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Katie_K

This was a great tour that covered the must see and do adventures in Nairobi. The driver and guide, Stephen, was very knowledgeable, shared lots of information the whole journey and was incredibly helpful. He made sure we had the best spot for viewing the elephants and was great at taking photos for us! It is a requirement to buy the National Park ticket seperately and I think a link to the site should have been sent out in advance to ensure everyone had the opportunity to buy the ticket before arrival. I would recommend this tour to others

Reviews

4.6

based on 300 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Unbelievable experience

Kelvin_A, Apr 2026

Such a great experience we managed to get to the giraffe centre before it got busy and fed the giraffes without fighting for them. The elephant orphanage was also great we got so close to the elephants, getting to touch them and take selfies next to them.

If you like giraffes and elephants then a must to visit

Kenneth_D, Mar 2026

Enjoying feeding the giraffes and learning about them. Not too busy when we were there, so got great photos and did not feel rushed or pushed along. Elephants were brilliant and learnt a lot about them at the sanctuary which was very interesting. It was quite hot and busy compared to the giraffes but great to see them play. Felt it was quite expensive getting into the reserve (for the elephants), especially, as we were only entering it for the elephant sanctuary.

Great experience, very helpful guide!

Katie_K, Mar 2026

Feeding Giraffes

Rebecca_S, Feb 2026

Feeding the giraffes was so awesome! And after following Sheldrick Wildlife on social media for years, it was so amazing to visit in person and see the orphaned elephants. It was a great day and I would do it again!

Unnecessary Park Fees

Robert_H, Feb 2026

Peter was great my issue is that these two items (Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Center should never be combined because the Elephant Orphanage is now located inside the Nairobi Safari Park and they want to charge you the park fees at $85 USD per person to get into the park just to go to the Elephant Orphanage in addition to the Elephant Orphanage entrance fee, You should try and do the Elephant Orphanage and NAirobi Park together as you would save having to pay the Park fees twice. It appears about 1 year ago because the park needed additional money and the majority of people were not doing the Nairobi Park Safari and only going to the Elephant Orphanage they made the change. So once again only book the Elephant Orphanage with the Nairobi Park Safari and book the Giraffe Center as just seperate tour not combine with anything. Other wise you are going to pay the Nairobi Park fees twice. I will say the Nairobi Park is the place where we saw the White and Black Rhinos as we did not see any Rhinos down in Masai Mara

An excellent guide and a perfect experience

Kara_B, Feb 2026

Stephen was a wonderful guide and made the day feel easy and enjoyable. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly loves what he does. Everything was well organized and unhurried, and he made sure we were comfortable the entire time. He shared great insights that really added to the experience at both the Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Centre. We’re so glad we had him and would happily recommend Stephen to anyone.

Our guide Peter was...

Bonnie_B, Jan 2026

Our guide Peter was great! He pointed out various sites, guided us through the giraffe and elephant experiences! Highly recommend

Great experience, excellent service

Faten_A, Dec 2025

Fantastic experience! The...

Hillarie_B, Dec 2025

Great Day!

Christine_G, Dec 2025

Wonderful experience, very well organized and safe. The elephant orphanage is a very special place where the animals’ well-being comes first. My driver (Matt) was flexible, helpful, professional amd considerate.

Short but amazing

Nikheel_T, Dec 2025

Not a long trip but a worthwhile one. The animals are amazing. Seeing how gentle the elephants can be is humbling.

This tour was excellent....

Jessica_H, Nov 2025

This tour was excellent. The guide, Stephen, was very knowledgeable and made sure we had best views and experience at each location. Would 10/10 recommend!

Amazing Experience

Minnie_K, Nov 2025

My co-worker and I were anxious to see some of the beauty and nature of Nairobi at the end of the work trip. Our driver, Sam, was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. Most importantly, it was evident that he shared a love of wildlife and genuinely was proud of work of the two rescues. Both places were beautiful and well done. It was great to see the work of both centers in rehabbing and caring for these majestic animals.

Lovely Day Out with a Few Challenges

Aniko_K, Oct 2025

Our driver John was great — relaxed, friendly, and very knowledgeable. He shared a lot of interesting information about the country, the park, and everything along the way. A well-informed and kind tour guide, and also an excellent driver. The Giraffe Centre was lovely — not too crowded, and getting in was fast and easy. The Elephant Orphanage, on the other hand, was super crowded. Although the animals were adorable, it was quite hard to get close because there were just too many people. Getting into the park was a bit complicated too — we needed park passes, but the payment system didn’t go through at first, so it took some time to sort it out. Overall though, it was a memorable experience, and John really made the day enjoyable.

Our guide was awesome only problem was other person wanted to head back early so I didn't get to have lunch

susan_b, Oct 2025

To make sure others are going to do full tour ------------------------------------------------------

For a good cause

David_B, Oct 2025

This was a pretty cool experience. I’d say give it a shot if you’ve got the time and the money. It’s for a good cause. Kind of hoped to be able to touch the elephants. They do get pretty close though.

We had a great day out...

Becky, Oct 2025

We had a great day out seeing the sanctuaries with Stephen M, very knowledgeable and helpful!! 11/10

Great Day!

Mary_V, Oct 2025

This was a great tour. The driver was Peter and he messaged ahead to coordinate pick up and arrived on time. He was very knowledgeable and shared some of his funnier antidotes. He was always sure to steer us against the crowds and keep us on schedule. You can tell he enjoys his job and we were grateful to share this day with him! Thank you!

Great experience

Joanne_Y, Oct 2025

Up close and feeding giraffes were so enjoyable. Seeing baby elephants drinking milk and petting them were wonderful.

Not worth the money!

Lauren_G, Oct 2025

We did this tour yesterday and were very disappointed. The giraffe centre is very touristy and you only visit for a short time. The bead factory was very enjoyable. We unfortunately didn’t make it to the elephants as they wanted to charge an additional 83USD each for entrance to the park for an hour experience so we elected not to do it. The entrance fee had doubled since we booked the tour and were not notified of the change. There are better tours if you want to see the animals up close.

Giraffe and elephant orphanage

David_P, Oct 2025

The tour was good, the only negative is the additional cost for entry to the national park, about $85 USD, just to seek the elephants. This is out of the operators control but definitely need to be aware of when booking.

Very informative...

willfried_g, Oct 2025

Very informative information from staff narators at both adventures. Being up close and being able to touch the animals.

Loved the venues, not the transport or guide

Wendy_E, Oct 2025

Both venues were great! We enjoyed them. The driver/guide did not impart any information like others do. It was not a tour. He was just a driver. Also, the vehicle was dirty and old.

Great organization and the elephants are very cute and active

Sally_M, Sep 2025

it gets crowded so get there early and when you walk to the area go around to the right for good viewing and away from the mud pond.

Great information from guide.

Anita_D, Sep 2025

Well informed guide. Great advice about getting to the front of the line. He also gave us options. He was late picking ups up but due to road closures. Excellent English.

Arrive early so you can...

Rebecca_G, Sep 2025

Arrive early so you can get a front row view. Very up close views of baby elephants drinking milk and playing in the mud hole. Fun activity for the whole family.

A bit touristy but still fun!

Andrew_L, Sep 2025

My guide Benjamin was very professional and informative. Feeding the giraffes was cool, as was seeing the baby elephants. The bead factory was more interesting than I expected. I found a few reasonably priced things for souvenirs.

An educational experience

Nichole_P, Sep 2025

What a great experience! Absolutely loved feeding the giraffes and learning about the orphaned elephants. It’s a very crowded experience at the elephants so you don’t really get close unless you are really early and those who get the close spots don’t share… I think our group could have done without the stop to the bead shop it’s a total tourist trap and if you want to buy anything the lines are incredibly long. Still enjoyed the animals the most of the trip

We had an awesome time...

Renay_D, Sep 2025

We had an awesome time with Stephan as our guide to the Giraffe Center and Elephant Orphanage. He was super friendly and easy to talk to, and he made sure we had a great spot to see the baby elephants up close — such a cool experience! He also picked a really nice place for lunch with great food. Overall, Stephan made the whole day fun and stress-free. Would definitely recommend this tour.

Great tour guide & visit!

Jen_R, Aug 2025

Stephen, our tour guide, was awesome! Extremely punctual, professional and helpful. He made sure we had enough time with the giraffes and elephants, even with the crowds. So glad he was our guide!