Giraffe Centre 1-day itinerary

Head to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) Giraffe Centre in the Lang'ata suburb of Nairobi — a 30-minute drive from the city centre. Arrive when gates open at 9am to avoid the tour bus crowds that arrive mid-morning. The centre was founded in 1979 to protect the endangered Rothschild's giraffe, and today houses a breeding herd. Climb the raised platform to feed the giraffes by hand — they take food pellets directly from your palm with their long, dark tongues. The experience of a giraffe gently wrapping its 45cm tongue around your hand is unforgettable. There are also warthogs wandering the grounds and a nature trail through an adjacent forest.

Walk or drive 10 minutes to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust — directly adjacent in the same Lang'ata area. The orphanage rescues baby elephants whose mothers have been killed by poaching or human-wildlife conflict, raises them, and eventually returns them to the wild in Tsavo National Park. The public visiting hour is 11am–12pm daily — the tiny elephants are brought out in groups, bottle-fed enormous quantities of milk formula, and play in a mud bath while keepers explain each elephant's rescue story. It is impossibly cute and deeply moving.

Visit the Karen Blixen Museum (KES 1,200, $10 USD) — the farmhouse where the Danish author of "Out of Africa" lived from 1917 to 1931. The house sits at the foot of the Ngong Hills with views across to the Rift Valley. Afterwards, head to the nearby Karen neighbourhood for dinner — The Talisman restaurant serves excellent pan-African cuisine in a garden setting (mains KES 1,200–2,500), or try Purdy Arms for classic Kenyan pub food and cold Tusker beers.