Sunday, the 28th of June 2020, was in many respects one of my best days in Nairobi in 2020. Firstly, it was my mum’s 53rd birthday and secondly because as much as we have been locked down in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in our respective counties, I finally got to do some local tourism at the Nairobi National Park which was really a breath of fresh air since I have not taken a break this year after Covid-19 jetted into the country the same week I was to jet out. But it also gave me a real appreciation of Kenya my land. I mean, which capital city in the world actually enables you to see wild animals in their natural habitat just 3 minutes away from your house? The highlight was of course getting up close and personal with my all time favorite beast.
For everyone out there looking to do go for a game drive at the only National Park within a City in the entire world, then look no further than contacting me to book you for the most affordable deals for the Nairobi National Park. Again, stick to the end for contact details.
So as you plan for your next trip to the park, let me give you a sneak peak of what you might get to see.
10. Monkey
Credit: Mark Bowler/Science Source
Well of course, nothing much to write home about as I get to see monkeys in my estate all the time. Monkeys fascinate me as being very intelligent and closest to human beings in the animal kingdom.
9. Crane
Credit: The Star Newspaper
A beautiful bird indeed. We saw a group of 3 cranes just strolling peacefully without a care in the world like Corona doesn’t even exist. Shame!
8. Rhino
Credit: National Geographic/Ami Vitale
The Rhino is one of the Big 5 African Animals. They tend to have very poor eyesight but a very good sense of smell. A moment of silence for the West African Black Rhino. So sad that we humans can cause a species to disappear from the face of the planet. Humans, we need to talk.
7. Giraffe
Credit: Africa Odyssey
I think one of the most monotonous and character-less animals in the wild according to me. I have really fallen out of love with giraffes. It could be due to my many trips to the Giraffe Center or partly due to the fact that the first time I kissed a giraffe, I got a GTD (Giraffe Transmitted Disease) around my lips. But seriously, I got a crazy rash together with of of my travel buddies. Or maybe it’s the fact that a baby giraffe is taller than me, I don’t know. I know it’s a thing to kiss them while feeding them but I would like to hear if anyone has had the same reaction or I should just wait to kiss my soulmate at the alter during our wedding.
6. Ostrich
Credit: ctgn.com via VCG
Another creature I have no interest in whatsoever. I guess I had enough of them growing up and visiting Ostrich Farm in Kiserian. I hear that you can actually keep them at home but you would need a license for that. I would do that just to sound sophisticated when I have friends from all over the world visiting me like, hey guys let’s go see some of my ostriches. Bragging Rights!
5. Antelopes
Today was quite a learning experience for me. The driver schooled me regarding a couple of things including antelopes. I never knew that antelopes refer to a family of other antelope like looking animals because for the longest time, I never knew that The Eland, Thompson’s Gazelle, Heart Beast, Waterbuck and Impala are all species of antelopes. We saw all 5 antelopes.
4. Rock Hyrax
Credit: Flickr User cetp
This adorable animal would have been my top 3 just because I dug up some information about it and got some very interesting findings. One of them notably being a mention in the Holy Book, Proverbs 30:26 “Hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the rocks.” We saw two of them basking under the sun between some rocks. Again, I wouldn’t mind adopting these cute fellas.
MY TOP 3
3. Buffalo
Credit: awf.org
One of my earliest memories and introduction to these animals was through Bob Marley’s buffalo soldier in the 90’s. In my mind I always pictures a herd of buffalos marching towards America at night in a forest setting with a dominant red color in the vicinity. Anyway I was a child. Fast forward to 2016 when I left the park at 8.00pm after our 4WD was unable to make it up a hill after our curiosity led us to a hotel that was situated at the bottom of the valley. Luckily a land cruiser coming to deliver some supplies to the hotel pulled us out otherwise I would have been writing a blog about a night in the wild. As we were approaching the gate to finally leave the park on the tarmac, a herd of buffalos just happened to be crossing right in front of us. It was dark outside but the experience was like nothing I’d experienced before. I was so caught up in the moment I forgot to capture it on video.
2. Zebra
Credit: Ehrman Photographic/Shutterstock
If you’re a fan of Kevin Hart then you’ve definitely heard of this joke of how he saw a half deer and half zebra and called it a Deerbra! I think that Zebras with their black and white stripes are undoubtedly one of the most notably beautiful animals found in Africa.
- Lion
Credit: discoverwildlife.com
I hope this wasn’t too obvious but I think that lions fascinate everyone much more than any other animal found in the African Wild does. Almost everyone’s bucket list item before visiting the park is to get up close and personal with a lion and for the first time I got extremely close to the king of the jungle. I got to see two of the older male lions found in the Nairobi National Park, Sam and Sirikoi. We were able to stalk Sam for much longer as he walked on the main road for quite a while looking for his nemesis Sirikoi. Sirikoi seemed to have wanted to sneak up on him and attack him but it was such an anti climax when both didn’t seem to want to attack. Sam in many ways reminded me of Scar from the Lion King with his dark mane and lean frame. Also – The drivers refer to lions as kalasinga so next time you’re in the park and you hear them say kalasinga, don’t look around for any bearded Bollywood Actor.
If you are sick and tired of being on lock down then look no further than The Nairobi National Park for a day of adventure in Kenya’s capital. If you are interested in the day trip, email me as zelanisafaris@gmail.com and just say “Hello I want a discount to the park” to qualify for a discounted trip courtesy of Zelani Afrika and Zelani Safaris.
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