Saleha has always been a huge fan of giraffes. A love from childhood, and she was lucky to get married to Aliasgher, who still aspires to be as tall as a giraffe. When Saleha was younger, one of her favourite places to visit was the Nairobi Giraffe Centre. So when we visited again in 2025, we went back again to rekindle memories.
Where to Book
The Giraffe Centre is located in Lang’ata, a quieter and greener part of Nairobi, and remains one of the city’s more well-known tourist attractions. Established in 1979 by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, the centre was originally created to support the conservation of the endangered Rothschild giraffe population in Kenya. You can book a standalone experience here, or in combination with a safari.
Unlike many wildlife experiences that involve long drives and hours of waiting, the Giraffe Centre is surprisingly simple. You walk in, climb onto a raised wooden platform, and within a few minutes you are standing eye-to-eye with giraffes. And they are enormous.
Photographs do not fully communicate the scale of a giraffe until one leans directly toward you looking for food pellets. Their tongues are also much longer than expected, which becomes immediately apparent once feeding starts.
One thing that stood out to us during the visit was how many different types of people were there. Families with small children, international tourists, school groups, older visitors, and locals all seemed equally fascinated by the experience. It is one of those attractions that feels accessible to almost anyone visiting Nairobi.
At the same time, the Giraffe Centre is not simply a tourist attraction. Conservation and environmental education remain central to its work. The Rothschild giraffe population had declined significantly by the late 1970s, and the centre played an important role in breeding and reintroducing giraffes into protected areas across Kenya.
There is also a broader educational component aimed at schools and environmental awareness. This perhaps explains why the centre feels more grounded than some commercial wildlife attractions. The focus is not only on entertainment, but also on conservation and sustainability.
The experience itself is relatively short. Most people probably spend between 45 minutes and 2 hours there depending on how many photographs they take and how busy it is. However, its location makes it easy to combine with other attractions nearby, such as the Karen Blixen Museum or Nairobi National Park.
One thing we appreciated was that the centre has not dramatically changed from what Saleha remembered growing up. In many cities, older attractions either become heavily commercialised or lose the character that made them memorable in the first place. The Giraffe Centre still feels relatively calm and straightforward. That familiarity was perhaps what made the visit meaningful.
For Saleha, it was revisiting a place attached to childhood memories. For me, it was my first proper opportunity to be this close to giraffes without a vehicle separating us from them.
I am still not giraffe height yet, but there is still time.
Things to know before visiting the Giraffe Centre
- The Giraffe Centre is located in Lang’ata, Nairobi.
- It is best visited earlier in the day before larger crowds arrive.
- The main activity is feeding Rothschild giraffes from the raised platform.
- Visits are relatively short, so it works well when combined with nearby attractions.
- Bring a camera because you will inevitably take more photographs than expected.
- You can book a standalone experience here, or in combination with a safari.
Is the Giraffe Centre worth visiting?
We think so. Not because it is the biggest attraction in Nairobi or the most adventurous, but because it offers something relatively rare: a simple and accessible wildlife experience connected to a meaningful conservation story. And sometimes those are the experiences that remain memorable years later.
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