Nairobi Giraffe Centre: Complete Visitor Guide 2025

The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife's Giraffe Centre in Nairobi has been rescuing and breeding Rothschild's giraffes — one of the most endangered giraffe subspecies with fewer than 800 remaining in the wild — since 1979, and in the process has created one of Africa's most beloved wildlife encounters. At a specially designed elevated platform, visitors can feed the giraffes at eye level, stroke their velvet-soft heads, and receive the extraordinary experience of a giraffe tongue (remarkably long and dark purple) taking a pellet from your palm.

The encounter is tactile and intimate in a way that few wildlife experiences anywhere in Africa can match — the giraffes are habituated to human presence, healthy, and visibly enjoying the interaction, making it one of the most ethically uncomplicated animal encounters available in East Africa. Children are particularly enchanted, but adults find it equally affecting. The breeding programme has successfully returned Rothschild's giraffes to protected areas in Uganda and Kenya, making the experience part of a genuine conservation achievement.

The centre is located in the Langata suburb, 10 minutes from the Karen Blixen Museum and 20 minutes from the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage — the three wildlife experiences together make for an ideal half-day wildlife morning from Nairobi. Arrive at opening (9am) to avoid the school group crowds that arrive mid-morning. Photography is excellent at the elevated platform, where the giraffes are at lens height for standard cameras.