Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust runs the world's best-known elephant orphanage, rescuing and hand-rearing orphaned calves before returning them to the wild. During the one-hour public visit, keepers bring the babies out to feed on giant milk bottles and roll in the mud while explaining each one's story. It's a moving, hands-on lesson in conservation that children remember for years.
Good to know: The public viewing is a single hour at 11am — arrive early and book ahead.
How a family visit works
- 1Book the public viewing ahead. It is one hour, 11am to 12pm, and it does sell out in school holidays.
- 2Arrive at the nursery gate inside Nairobi National Park well before 11 so you are through the queue when keepers bring the calves out. Do not be late; they mean 11.
- 3Watch the feeding: giant milk bottles, then a roll in the mud, while keepers tell each orphan's story. Stay on the public viewing line — this is not a petting zoo.
- 4Leave at noon. Public access ends there. Do not plan lunch on the grounds; sort food after you exit.
What kids actually do here
- Watch orphaned elephant calves take milk from bottles bigger than a toddler
- See them pile into the mud wallow once feeding slows down
- Hear each calf's rescue story from the keepers during that single hour
- Spot the keepers' routines — this is a working nursery, not a show farm
- Leave with a conservation lesson that actually sticks, because they saw the babies
Before you go
Let your child save up for Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Entry here is roughly KES 500–1,500 a child (our estimate). In Tija, kids earn coins for chores you set and put them toward a goal they pick, like this outing, then watch it fill up as the chores get done.
Free to download on Android. On a computer, Google Play can send it straight to your phone.
What to pack
- Hats and sunscreen — you are standing outside for the full hour
- A small snack and water for the wait before 11am; the queue is part of the visit
- Closed shoes; the viewing area is dirt, not a boardwalk
- Your booking confirmation on your phone
Parent questions
- Can we just turn up at 11?
- Do not count on it. Book ahead, arrive early, and treat 11am–12pm as the whole visit. Check sheldrickwildlifetrust.org for how to book and for the current mid-range (KES 500–1,500) public-visit fee.
- Is this inside the national park — do we also pay KWS?
- The nursery sits in Nairobi National Park. Follow the Trust's own access instructions when you book rather than assuming a park game-drive ticket covers it. You will not stay after noon.
Hours, tickets and activity rules change. Confirm the current details on the official site or at the gate before you travel.
Next outing, let them chip in
Set a few chores in Tija, your kids earn coins, and the coins go into a savings goal for the next day out. Built for Kenyan families, priced in shillings.
More for families: Holiday outing planner · Savings Challenge · Parent guides · Tija for Schools
