Arriving in Kenya: Flights, Nairobi National Park, and Our First Safari Game Drive
- Anna Orr
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Traveling to Kenya: Raleigh to Atlanta to Doha
Our official tour began on September 16, but we left on September 14 due to a combination of travel time and our arrival time in Nairobi. Our first flight was on Delta from Raleigh to Atlanta—super short and pain-free. We did have to collect our bags in Atlanta, take the shuttle to the international terminal, and recheck them, but with access to the Qatar Airways Business Class check-in counter, that all went very quickly. We were able to access the Delta SkyClub thanks to my American Express SkyMiles card (15 free visits for you and a guest per year—totally worth it!) and have a nice snack before boarding our flight.
Flying Qatar Qsuite Business Class to Africa
Then it was time for the long-haul journey: Atlanta to Doha (14 hours) and Doha to Nairobi (5 hours) on Qatar Airways. With significant pre-planning (a constant theme for me) and extensive research, I was able to book us round-trip Qsuite business class seats using credit card points. This was…a process, and actually involved booking the tickets one-way on different days when the award seats became available. Using my points, a flight schedule that would have easily cost upwards of $10,000 for two people ended up costing 340,000 Avios and around $2,400, including the legs between Raleigh and Atlanta.
Qsuites are one of the premier business class products in the world, and our experience really lived up to the hype. We were plied with drinks and snacks to our hearts’ content, along with two full meals between Atlanta and Doha and another between Doha and Nairobi. Although sleeping on an airplane is never truly comfortable, the ability to lie flat on a somewhat cushioned seat was amazing, and we were able to get a few hours of sleep.
Layover at the Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Doha
During our layover in Doha, we were also able to experience the Al Mourjan Business Lounge—and yes, experience is the right word. It is enormous, with a full sit-down restaurant, grab-and-go snack bar, business center, showers, and much more. We didn’t have a ton of time there, but it was nice to have a quiet place to rest between flights before continuing on to Nairobi.
Our First Night in Nairobi: Sarova Panafric Hotel
Since we had booked our hotel for the night of the 15th through Globus, they had arranged transportation to our hotel in Nairobi, the Sarova Panafric. Because we didn’t arrive until after midnight local time and had managed only limited sleep during our 27-hour travel day, we absolutely crashed as soon as we got to the room.
This is the other reason I booked us to arrive a day early—had we arrived that late on the 16th, we would have had to hit the ground running on the tour the morning of the 17th with no buffer for travel fatigue or potential delays.
Nairobi National Park: Our First Safari Game Drive
Since we arrived a day early, we slept in on the 16th and then arranged for a driver to pick us up around 1:30 p.m. for an afternoon game drive in Nairobi National Park. Our driver picked us up in a traditional safari “jeep,” which is really a modified Land Cruiser with three rows of passenger seats and a pop-top roof for game viewing. We jumped in and headed out for our first Nairobi National Park safari!
Nairobi National Park is unique in that it is a protected wildlife area bordering the city, with a railway viaduct running across part of the park and the Nairobi skyline visible in the distance. It’s home to all of the large mammals you’d expect to encounter on safari in Africa—except elephants. And encounter them, we did!
We got our first looks at Maasai giraffe, common ostrich, impala, both black and white rhinoceros, vervet monkeys, plains zebra, common eland, and much more.
Although several species of big cat live in Nairobi National Park, their low density can make them difficult to see there. Imagine our surprise when, on our way out of the park, we rounded a corner and found a lone lioness walking down the road in our direction.
We followed her for several minutes as she wandered along, occasionally stopping to call out—possibly trying to locate the rest of her pride. She passed within reaching distance of our jeep multiple times; being that close to such a majestic animal was incredible.
Day Two in Nairobi: Meeting Our Safari Group
Our second day began bright and early at the Sarova Panafric with a quick cup of coffee before heading out for a full day in Nairobi. We met our jeep companions for the remainder of the trip—Cathie and Paolo from Canada, Cathy Jo and Ellen from Michigan—and our driver, Tom. This additional day in Nairobi was an extension to the main tour, and our itinerary included Nairobi National Park, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Karen Blixen Museum, and the Giraffe Centre.
Our second game drive in Nairobi National Park certainly delivered. We started with a large troop of vervet monkeys right inside the park gates. My jeep companions also got their first taste of my bird obsession when I asked to stop for a beautiful Tawny Eagle perched atop a tree. Unfortunately for them, this would be the first of many, many times I would shout to our driver, “What bird is that?! Can we stop real quick?!”
Kenya’s Ivory Burn Monument
In 2016, Kenya conducted the world’s largest ivory burn at Nairobi National Park. In total, 105 tons of elephant tusks and 1.35 tons of rhino horn—representing roughly 5% of the global stockpile—were incinerated in an effort to send a strong anti-poaching message. he remains of the burn piles were left in place, and a monument was erected to commemorate the event and subsequent burns. It’s a powerful testament to Kenya’s commitment to protecting wildlife.
Olive Baboon Encounter in Nairobi National Park
Though we didn’t encounter any big cats that morning, our game drive was still spectacular. We saw our first common hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, Nile monitor, Coke’s hartebeest, and Cape buffalo.
We also had an incredible encounter with a troop of olive baboons. As we approached a viewing area, we noticed a very large male baboon sitting on top of another group’s jeep! As we slowly drove through, he jumped down and came over to investigate us. Imagine our surprise when he suddenly leapt onto the side of our jeep and tried to come in through Pat’s window! Thankfully, Tom reacted quickly—hitting the gas and brake in quick succession, which scared off our furry intruder. I’m not sure how long it took for Pat’s heart rate to return to normal.
Being close to wildlife is amazing—but that was a little too close.
Visiting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage
We also visited the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, located within Nairobi National Park. The Trust raises orphaned baby elephants with the goal of releasing them back into the wild and works closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service on anti-poaching efforts. They also operate mobile veterinary units across several wildlife areas in Kenya to treat injured wild animals. If you’re interested in their work, I highly recommend visiting their website—you can even virtually adopt one of the rescued elephants and help support their care. Our other stops that day included the Karen Blixen Museum and the Giraffe Centre.
Resting Up Before the Safari Begins
After a very full day, we returned to the hotel for some downtime, dinner, and rest before meeting the rest of our tour group and leaving Nairobi the following morning.
All wildlife photographs in this post were taken by me during our Kenya safari.
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