My Unforgettable Visit with Elephants at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
- Sarah Brooks
- Aug 5
- 10 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Have you ever dreamed of getting up close with elephants? It's been on my bucket list for a long time - and during my visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, my dream came true!
It was the Best. Day. Ever! My face hurt from smiling so much and more than one tear was shed!
This is the story of how I came to learn about Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, how I planned my visit and what you need to know if you want to book your own trip!
My Connection to Sheldrick:
For years, I've had an 'adopted' foster elephant named Shujaa at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. It was a birthday gift I received and the first time I'd heard about the organization.
Shujaa's name means "hero" in Swahili. He was rescued from a mud pit after his mother abandoned him. Her fate is unknown, but it's very likely she was killed by poachers - as is the case with so many elephants in the orphanage.
Unlike many other 'adoption' programs, Sheldrick doesn't send plush toys or perfunctory 'adoption' certificates. Instead, you get a monthly email update about the orphan unit and a detailed 'keeper's diary' about your foster. I very quickly grew attached to all of these babies!
Once I realized what wonderful work Sheldrick does, I also adopted an elephant named Mzinga for my mother as a Christmas gift. Of course, she also fell in love!
Little did I know at the time, these gifts would morph into a life-altering experience on the other side of the world that we would one day be able to share as a family.
About Sheldrick Wildlife Trust:
Sheldrick rescues and rehabilitates orphaned elephants from dire situations in the wild, initially raising them at a nursery as part of the Orphan Project. Here, the elephants are welcomed into their temporary, surrogate family. The keepers feed them, love them and even bunk overnight in their quarters to mimic the family units they live with in the wild.
The keepers rotate among the orphans, so none of the elephants form too tight a bond with any one caregiver. This gives them a better chance to thrive once they're released into the wild.
When the orphans are old enough, they graduate to reintegration units in protected wilderness areas, where they start adapting to wild conditions.
I learned about a month after I visited, my elephant Shujaa graduated and to the Ithumba Reintegration Unit, where he'll continue his journey back to the wild. SWT sent me this video the very same day to keep me updated!
Many of the most touching stories involve former Sheldrick orphans returning with their wild-born calves to visit the people who raised them. I think this is so beautiful. It's as though they want to say 'thanks' for all the love and care they received and want introduce their new families to their old caretakers.
How Did My Visit Come About?
So now that you know all of that background - here's how I found myself immersed with these beautiful creatures!
I was planning a family safari trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya, which meant we'd be flying into Nairobi.
Lightbulb moment! I knew Sheldrick is located in Kenya, but I wasn't sure exactly where. You can't imagine how excited I was to realize it's an easy day trip from Nairobi!
And so began some very complicated itinerary juggling to make this bucket-list visit happen.
It's wasn't easy to find details about private SWT visits online, so I contacted Sheldrick, directly via email.
As you might imagine, there is very limited space for these visits and they book extremely far in advance. After a lot of back and forth correspondence, we were able to find a date we could fit into our broader plans. We ended up organizing our entire trip around the availability!
Now the Best Part - Playing with Elephants!
We were greeted by head-keeper, Edwin Lusichi, who you'll recognize immediately if you follow Sheldrick on Instagram (which if you don't, you should!)
As we walked down to the feeding area, Edwin gave us a brief overview of the amazing work done at the Nairobi Nursery - everything from rescuing the orphans to how they're cared for and the re-integration process.
We got settled on some stone benches and the next thing we knew, a parade of babies were thundering down the hill for feeding time!
For this part, you watch from benches nearby - the public isn't allowed to take part in the bottle feeding to help keep the elephants as wild as possible.
Once the elephants finished eating, we were invited to join the fun! You can get up close to the elephants, interact with them and pet them. We were allowed to wander among the little family, pet the babies and take all the photos and videos we wanted.
I do want to pause to take a moment to send some love to the incredibly amazing Sheldrick staff. I cannot emphasize enough how inspiring their work is.
Their dedication and compassion for the elephants are so evident when you get to see them interact with the orphans firsthand. And to know that they literally sleep outside with the orphans just gives such insight into the lengths they go to nurture these babies.
The keepers are also incredible photographers and videographers and captured so many of the
images you're seeing, here.
We got very lucky and it just so happened on the day we visited, a brand new baby was introduced to the public for the first time!
This is Kipekee! She's just a couple months old and she's obviously adorable! It was love at first sight! She was rescued from the Masai Mara and had just arrived a couple weeks before our visit.
She's still a little bit fuzzy and was so playful and curious! She kept trying to steal our phones and would sneak up on us and wrap her little trunk around our arms. It was amazing to watch the older orphans take her under their wings.
I took an outrageous number of photos of the adorable new baby - but the other elephants were amazing, too!
They are all very playful, and we had the chance to watch two of them frolicking together for a while. It's amazing how each elephant has its own distinct personality!
The Nitty Gritty about Planning your Visit
For clarity's sake - I'm not writing here about the public visits that happen daily from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Those visits do not allow for any interaction with the elephants and are very crowded.
Booking Your Visit:
Private visits cannot be booked online. You'll need to reach out directly to Sheldrick to reserve a date and time. I did everything via email (which you can find here) and corresponded with an incredibly helpful woman named Shirley.
If this is on your bucket list, I would start planning as soon as possible. I emailed in June 2024 to inquire about a July 2025 visit, and most dates were already booked. Shirley at SWT was very responsive and helpful—when wait-list spots became available, she would let me know right away!
As I mentioned, these aren't the much less expensive visits that are available to the general public. While I didn't personally experience the large group feeding - it is my understanding they can be quite crowded.
You are kept very far away from the elephants and do not get to participate in any of the interactions you're seeing here.
The Cost:
A private visit requires a $1,500 donation for a group of up to 10 people. That's the total cost for the entire group, and it's worth every penny! Of course, the more people you have in your group, the lower the per-person price will be.
There's no deposit required. When you arrive, you will head into the small office on-site and pay there. Cash, credit card, and personal checks are all accepted forms of payment.
What Time of Day is Best to Visit?:
When I booked our private experience in July, 2025, there were 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. feeding times available.
My contact at Sheldrick recommended the afternoon feeding, as the elephants tend to be more active later in the day. She didn't steer us wrong - the elephants were so frisky and playful!
Getting There:
We booked a private driver to take us from our hotel in Nairobi to Sheldrick. (We also visited the Giraffe Center on our way, which is a fun, quick stop if you're in the neighborhood.)
I had read that Sheldrick was only half an hour from Nairobi, but traffic in the city can be atrocious, and it took us about an hour - so make sure to give yourself plenty of time.
Paying the KWS Park Fees:
You'll need to pay the KWS Park fee at the Mbagathi gate, if you haven't already prepaid online. This is separate from the Sheldrick donation and the money goes directly to the park.
I ran into a bit of a snag with pre-paying the fee because I didn't have our driver's vehicle registration number when I filled out the form. That meant we had to do some extra paperwork upon arrival. The lesson here: you'll need to pay for the vehicle as well as the individual entrance fees for each passenger.
Since you've already paid the KWS national park entrance fee, you may also want to a short game drive if your schedule allows it.
Other FAQs
Will there be other groups there?
No!
When Sheldrick promises a private visit, they really mean a private visit. We thought we might be grouped with other visitors or another small group, but that was not the case.
Our family of four had the whole place (and all of the elephant attention!) to ourselves. It made it even more special and well worth the money.
What should I wear?
The short answer - something you don't mind getting dirty!
We were in Kenya for a safari later in our trip, so I just wore one of my safari outfits and it was perfect.
The area is very muddy and the elephants like to slosh around in the big puddle.
Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty since you'll be walking in mud. The elephants will also rub against you and some of the more playful ones like to wrap their trunks around your arms and legs.
Not everyone in our party left filthy - but the new baby took a particular liking to the mud and to me, so I wound up caked in dirt! On our way out, a staff member did volunteer to buff off our mud caked shoes, which was such a nice touch!
Can I meet my specific adopted orphan?
Most likely, yes!
Some of the babies don't have a great understanding of personal space and are too energetic to hang out with the public.
That was the case with my adopted orphan, Shujaa. He was known as the resident rascal! However, Edwin made sure to call him over and make sure I got to meet him up close and say hi.
Shujaa had to go to "time out" with the other bold babies! It wasn't much of a disappointment, though, since all of the babies are special and we got plenty of quality time!
I also got to visit Shujaa's quarters to see where he and his keeper sleep. It was such a cool behind the scenes glimpse into how well cared for the animals all are.
Do I get to meet the other animals on the property?
Yes!
We got to meet the two orphaned black rhinos - Maxwell and Raha.
Maxwell was born blind has been at the nursery for 18 years since his rescue in 2007. He's a permanent resident, since he can't survive in the wild.
Due to his condition, he's kept in an enclosure and the public isn't allowed to interact with him - but you can get very close and say hello. He seems to really appreciate the attention!
We also were fortunate enough to meet Raha, a baby black rhino who was mauled by predators in the wild when she was just one week old.
At the time of our visit, the keepers explained that her injuries were so severe she would likely never be able to survive on her own in the wild.
Heartbreakingly, we learned Raha passed away just three days after we got to meet her. Her health took a turn for the worst and she was surrounded by her loving keepers when she passed.
She was such a lovable little rhino and I'm so grateful we got to give her some love in her final days.
Is Sheldrick accessible for people with mobility concerns?
I can't speak specifically to wheelchairs, but I imagine it would be a bit challenging to access the feeding area. You do have to walk down a rugged path to get there.
My mother was using a cane during our visit and she was able to make the walk with little difficulty so long as she moved slowly and watched her step. Our guides were also very mindful of her limitations and were incredibly accommodating.
A small word of caution: The elephants will lean into you and step side-ways and bump you with their bodies when you're not looking. I recommend you are just extra vigilant if you have an balance issues as it would be quite easy to be knocked off your feet.
Elephants are curious creatures and some of them took a particular interest in mom's cane. The scene was hilarious to watch - but also a good example of things to watch out for if you aren't too steady on your feet.
How do I adopt my own elephant or rhino?
You can adopt your own orphan right on Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's website, here. It costs $50 a year per animal and you'll get a detailed monthly newsletter, filled with amazing updates and photos!
Want to plan your own visit?
I wanted to write this very comprehensive guide since I had so much trouble finding detailed information about this private visit, so I hope you find this helpful!
As you've probably gathered by the length of this post, there are a lot of logistics that go into planning this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Let me do all the hard work for you!
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