Want a giraffe kiss and a baby elephant mud bath before lunch, without being turned away at the gate?
The Giraffe Centre entrance fee is KES 400 per adult for Kenyan and East African residents and KES 1,500 for non residents. Children aged 3 to 12 pay half. The Sheldrick elephant nursery asks USD 20 per adult or KES 2,000 for residents. You must book ahead and also pay the Nairobi National Park fee.
Title sponsorAlumni Golf Challenge
We are the title sponsor this year.
Golf is part of who we are, so we put our name behind the Alumni Golf Challenge. Want more golf after the day? Tell us when you are free. We book your tee time at Karen, Muthaiga or Vipingo Ridge and sort the transfers and the stay.
- Giraffe Centre, resident adultKES 400child KES 200
- Giraffe Centre, non resident adultKES 1,500child KES 750
- Sheldrick, resident adultKES 2,000plus KWS park fee
- Sheldrick, non resident adultUSD 20plus KWS park fee
- Sheldrick visit time11am to 12 noonbooking only
Rated 4.9 on Google from 47 reviews. Price confirmed in writing before you pay.
This guide covers the Giraffe Centre entrance fee and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery fees in one place, because most people visit both on the same morning. Figures come from each centre's own website and the KWS fee schedule. The big change many blogs miss is that Sheldrick visitors now also pay the full Nairobi National Park fee.
We run the Giraffe Centre and elephant orphanage tour from Nairobi most days. So we book the nursery, pay the park fee and plan the timing for you. Prices are confirmed when you book.
Highlights
- Giraffe Centre: KES 400 for residents, KES 1,500 for non residents
- Children under 3 enter the Giraffe Centre free
- Giraffe Centre is open daily from 9am to 5pm, holidays too
- Sheldrick nursery opens to the public for one hour, 11am to noon
- Sheldrick needs an email booking, no walk ins
- Sheldrick visitors must also pay the KWS Nairobi park fee
- Both sites sit on the Langata and Karen side of Nairobi
Giraffe Centre and Sheldrick nursery fees per person, checked November 2026
| Ticket | Kenyan and EAC residents | Non residents |
|---|---|---|
| Giraffe Centre adult | KES 400 | KES 1,500 |
| Giraffe Centre child (3 to 12) | KES 200 | KES 750 |
| Giraffe Centre child under 3 | Free | Free |
| Sheldrick nursery adult (12 and over) | KES 2,000 | USD 20 |
| Sheldrick nursery child (under 12) | KES 500 | USD 5 |
| KWS Nairobi park fee for Sheldrick visitors, adult | KES 1,000 citizen, KES 1,350 resident | USD 80 |
| KWS Nairobi park fee, child | KES 500 citizen, KES 675 resident | USD 40 |
- Giraffe Centre resident rates apply to citizens of East African Community countries and holders of an EAC work permit. Bring ID.
- The Sheldrick donation is paid in cash on arrival. The KWS fee is paid online on eCitizen before you arrive. Children 5 and under do not pay the KWS fee.
- Your car also pays a KWS vehicle fee at the Sheldrick gate, from KES 600. Prices are confirmed when you book.
Get my exact price on WhatsApp
What is the Giraffe Centre entrance fee in 2026?
A resident adult pays KES 400 and a resident child pays KES 200. A non resident adult pays KES 1,500 and a non resident child pays KES 750. Children under 3 enter free.
The resident rate covers citizens of East African Community countries and people who hold an EAC work permit. Show your ID, passport or alien card at the ticket desk.
Students under 23 with a valid student ID from a recognised school, college or university pay the child rate. School groups enter free if they book at least one week ahead.
How do you pay the Giraffe Centre entrance fee?
You pay at the ticket desk with Mpesa, Visa or Mastercard. The centre has gone cashless, so do not rely on notes. No advance booking is needed for normal visits.
The centre is run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Kenya. Your ticket money supports its work with the Rothschild giraffe and its free conservation lessons for Kenyan schools.
What do you get for the Giraffe Centre entrance fee?
Your ticket covers the feeding platform, a short talk on giraffes and the nature trail in the sanctuary. Staff give you pellets to feed the giraffes by hand. Most visits take one and a half to two hours.
There is a tea house for a snack and a gift shop. The guides are often environmental studies students on placement. Tips are welcome.
Giraffe Manor next door is a private hotel for its own guests. Your Giraffe Centre ticket does not let you in there.
Giraffe Centre opening hours and the best time to visit
The centre is open from 9am to 5pm every day, including weekends and public holidays. On weekdays the busiest time is 11am to 1pm. Weekends and holidays are busy all day.
Come at 9am for space on the platform, or after 2pm on a weekday. Do Sheldrick first at 11am, then the giraffes after lunch. That order works because Sheldrick has a fixed hour and the Giraffe Centre does not.
How much does the Sheldrick elephant nursery cost?
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust asks for an entry donation of USD 20 per adult aged 12 and over and USD 5 per child under 12. Kenya residents with proof pay KES 2,000 per adult and KES 500 per child. You pay this in cash to Trust staff on arrival.
On top of that, KWS now requires every nursery visitor to pay the Nairobi National Park fee. That is KES 1,000 for an adult citizen, KES 1,350 for a resident and USD 80 for a non resident. The Trust cannot sell you this ticket. You buy it on KWSPay through eCitizen. Our Nairobi National Park entrance fee guide explains how.
How do you book the Sheldrick public visit?
You must book by email with the Trust's Nairobi office. Same day bookings are not possible and you can only book up to three months ahead. Allow at least two business days for a reply.
The visit runs daily from 11am to 12 noon, except on 25 December. Arrive by 10:30am. Late arrivals do not get extra time.
- Email the date and the number of adult and child tickets
- Give the full name of each adult and the name and age of each child
- Pay for every confirmed ticket, even if someone does not come
- Bookings through Viator, GetYourGuide or similar sites are not accepted
- Pay the KWS park fee on eCitizen before the day
Where is the Sheldrick nursery and how do you get in?
The nursery is inside Nairobi National Park. You enter through the KWS Mbagathi Gate, also called the Workshop Gate, on Magadi Road. A Trust shuttle runs from 10:15am to 11:30am.
Your car pays a KWS vehicle fee too. A car with under 6 seats is KES 600 a day. If you come with us, the vehicle fee and park tickets are part of your tour price.
What does a morning with both cost in total?
A Kenyan citizen adult pays about KES 3,400 for both, before transport. That is KES 400 at the Giraffe Centre, KES 2,000 at Sheldrick and KES 1,000 for the KWS park fee.
A non resident adult pays KES 1,500 at the Giraffe Centre plus USD 20 at Sheldrick and USD 80 to KWS. That comes to about KES 14,400 at KES 129 per USD.
Can you adopt an orphan elephant while there? Yes. Adoption on the day starts from a contribution of USD 50 a year.
What else can you add on the same day?
The Karen and Langata side has several stops close together. The Karen Blixen Museum is a short drive away. Our Karen Blixen day tour links them all with lunch.
Prefer a game drive too? Our Nairobi full day tour combines the park in the morning with Sheldrick and the giraffes. Flying out tonight? The Nairobi layover tour fits these stops between flights.
Questions people ask
How much are Giraffe Centre charges for Kenyans?
Kenyan citizens and other East African residents pay KES 400 per adult and KES 200 per child aged 3 to 12. Children under 3 enter free. Students under 23 with a valid student ID pay the child rate. Public and private school groups enter free when they book at least one week ahead.
Can I visit the Sheldrick elephant orphanage without booking?
No. The Trust only admits visitors with an advance booking made by email to its Nairobi office. Same day bookings are not possible and third party booking sites are not accepted. Book at least two business days ahead and up to three months before your date. Booking through a tour operator also works.
Why do I pay KWS fees to visit Sheldrick?
The nursery sits inside Nairobi National Park, so KWS now requires every nursery visitor to pay the park fee. This is true even if you only visit the nursery. Pay on KWSPay through eCitizen before your visit. The Trust cannot collect it and its donation does not cover it.
Can I feed the giraffes myself?
Yes. Staff hand out pellets at the raised platform and you feed the giraffes by hand. Follow the guide's instructions and keep fingers flat. Children love it, but small kids need an adult close by. The giraffes come to the platform most of the day, so any visiting hour works.
How long should I spend at each place?
Plan one and a half to two hours at the Giraffe Centre with the nature trail and tea house. The Sheldrick public visit is a fixed hour from 11am to noon. Add travel and the two fit into one morning with time for lunch in Karen afterwards.
Is the Giraffe Centre open on public holidays?
Yes. The Giraffe Centre opens from 9am to 5pm every day, including weekends and public holidays. It can close for special events, so check its social pages before a holiday visit. The Sheldrick nursery is open daily except Christmas Day, 25 December.
Sources we checked: Giraffe Centre official rates and FAQ (AFEW Kenya); Giraffe Centre homepage rates; Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: Nairobi Nursery visiting; Sheldrick Wildlife Trust FAQ; Kenya Wildlife Service conservation fees, October 2025 (official PDF); KWSPay Nairobi National Park single entry. Rules and fees change, so we confirm them again when you book.
Ready when you are. Send your dates and group size. We reply with a clear price and a plan you can change.
Chat on WhatsAppYou may also like
Giraffe Centre and Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage TourSee the detailsRead moreNairobi Giraffe Centre TourSee the detailsRead moreNairobi National Park Entrance Fee 2026See the detailsRead moreKaren Blixen Museum and Nairobi Day TourSee the detailsRead moreNairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre Day TourSee the detailsRead more
3 Day Masai MaraFrom USD 850
Mara group joiningFrom USD 395
3 Day AmboseliFrom USD 850
5 Day Kenya SafariFrom USD 1,180
Uganda gorilla trekFrom USD 1,260