Located just 45 minutes from Ngong, Kajiado, Nairobi National Park's Safari Walk offers an exciting adventure right in the heart of the city.
As I entered the park along Langata Road, the warden at the entry gate told me that the nearest I could get to the wild was to do a safari walk – the boardwalk. With two hours enough to complete the entire boardwalk, I was eager to learn more about the animals and their natural environments.
With three ecosystems to explore – wetlands, savannah, and woodlands – I was in for a treat. The boardwalks meander through different enclosures, with built signboards providing useful information on species of plants and animals found within the three ecosystems.
Strategically located viewpoints offer a close-up look at the occupants, and information has been engraved in strategically placed plaques, making it easy to navigate the boardwalk without a guide.
My first encounter was with the Rhino, a massive animal that has been brought back from the brink of extinction through a conservation programme established by KWS in 1980. I also spotted the king of the jungle, two lions, a male, and a female, as well as a leopard up a tree, which is the most elusive and shrewdest of the large carnivores.
Other animals I encountered included pygmy hippos grazing majestically at their wetlands habitation, which they share with a Nile crocodile. By the time I came to the end of my walk, I felt like I had been to a game park after sampling the country's rich animal life.
