Up Close with Giraffes at the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi
- Sarah Brooks
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
Imagine standing eye to eye with the world's tallest animals and having them eat right out of your hand!
The Giraffe Centre is located just outside of Nairobi and is very close to The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. We stopped in on our way to our private visit with the elephants at the Nairobi Nursery. (Check out my detailed post about that amazing experience, here!)
About the Giraffe Centre
The Giraffe Center is a nature sanctuary dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Rothschild's giraffe, which is native to East Africa's grasslands.
It was founded in 1979 with the rescue and breeding of two baby giraffes to help repopulate the dwindling species. To this day, there still fewer than 2,000 Rothschild giraffes left in the wild.
Note: Giraffe Manor, located next door is an exclusive resort where giraffes pop their heads right into your room!
We tried to stay there for a night while we were in Kenya, but there are only 12 guest rooms and it books up so far in advance we missed our chance. If you have the opportunity (and the budget), it is known to be an amazing experience!
Feeding the Giraffes
You'll be given a small bowl of food to feed the giraffes. They reach out their long scratchy tongues and eat right out of your hand! They're very gentle, but the feel of their tongues is extremely strange and there is some slobber involved.
Watch out, if you're not paying attention, they'll steal the entire bowl if they get the opportunity!
Pro tip: The giraffes and the tourists often drop pellets onto the boardwalk, so you can pick them off off the ground once you run out of the food provided!
What to Know Before You Visit
Is it worth the trip?
Getting this close to giraffes and having them eat right out of your hand is an incredible
experience, but I wouldn't make a special trip just to visit. We were already going to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, so it made perfect sense to stop on our way!
How long should I plan to spend at the Centre?
We spent about 45 minutes hanging out with the giraffes - but honestly we really only needed about half an hour.
What are the hours and what does it cost:
The Giraffe Centre is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Entrance fees for non-resident adults are around $15 and 90% of the fee goes directly to the conservation efforts. Credit cards are accepted here.
When is the best time to visit?
Try to arrive right when it opens to avoid the crowds. Since we timed our visit with our scheduled time at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, we were there around 12 p.m. and it was quite crowded.
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