Kenya is home to some of the most diverse groups of animals in the world. The capital city of Nairobi has a number of wildlife conservation projects that are open to visitors. When researching one to visit, please make sure that the agency is an ethical conservation site and not a place that drugs animals. The most well known is Nairobi’s elephant orphanage i- The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (formerly David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage). Here’s how to visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Be sure to check out my simple wildlife photography tips so you can get the perfect photo of these incredible elephants.
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The creation of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
About 30,000 elephants are poached every year in Africa. 900 rhinos were poached in 2018 alone. The ivory trade is a serious issue for African animals. Animal orphanages were established in response to animals being orphaned. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was created in 1977 and does more than just orphan work. They have numerous anti-poaching programs including aerial surveillance and a canine unit. They also work with local communities who live alongside wildlife and work to save habitats.
Fun Fact: Roughly 60% of baby elephants rescued under 2 years old survive, but those that do have a 98% chance of survival.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust cares for the animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provides veterinary services too.
Getting to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The easiest way to get to the elephant orphanage is by taxi. For about $25 (or 2000 Kenyan shillings) you can get a round trip taxi ride. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is well known, so most taxi drivers know where it is.
If your safari includes time in Nairobi, then you may be able to add it as an excursion to your safari. Sunworld Safaris, the company we used, organized our trip without issue & I cannot recommend them enough!
You can also try one of these tours through Viator:
When to visit & Admission information
The elephant orphanage is open every day of the year, except for December 25th. You can only visit for one hour though from 11 am-12 pm. This is when the elephants come out and the staff tell you about their procedures, the elephants’ stories, and the importance of conservation. Admission only costs $7 (or 500 Kenyan shillings). The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is cash only.
Read all about our Kenya safari here.
Fun Fact: Every baby elephant sleeps with a person every night!
The Elephants
The keepers bring out the elephants in groups based on age. The first group that comes out is the youngest elephants ranging in age from 2 months to 2 years, then the older elephants. The keepers discuss the stories of the elephants – how they came to be orphans – as well as the work being done to protect these beautiful animals.
Fun Fact: Once released, some of the animals come and visit! An ex-orphan, Wendi, brought her newborn baby to the orphanage to visit!
Throughout the visit, guests are roped off from the elephants. They would be enjoying a nice mud bath, playing with each other, or drinking their milk.
If the elephants come close to the humans, then you may reach out and pet them. Some of them intentionally walk around the ropes to get pats on their back!
For a closer look at how the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues these baby elephants, check out their YouTube page:
How can you help?
Proceeds from visitors go to the efforts to protect African wildlife, but there is more that you can do. You can adopt an orphan elephant, rhino or giraffe for only $50/year. You can check out their website for the animals currently in the rescue to read their stories and select one. If it’s too hard to choose, you can also have them help you decide. With your adoption, you get monthly updates, access to keeper’s notes, and if you do decide to visit there is a special time (5:00 pm) for adopters.
You can also purchase Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s Memoir, Love, Life, & Elephants for an inside glimpse into her amazing life!
Save “Visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust” for later!
Oh my gosh, the elephants drinking from bottles are just adorable! My nephew’s favorite animal is an elephant. We visited an elephant rescue in Florida but this looks so much better!
Elephants are the best!! These are wild elephants who will be released back in the wild when they’re old enough, so it’s definitely a unique experience to see up close! I hope you & your nephew get to visit!
I’m looking to go to Kenya in June so I’m definitely going to be saving this post for later. I loved reading how well these elephants are taken care of and how the baby elephants sleep with someone every night!
Have you been able to make the trip post pandemic travel shutdown?
Oh my gosh. Your photos are adorable! I love their blanket/sweaters to keep them warm. So cute!! I appreciate you letting the readers know that it is cash only. It would be quite unfortunate to show up and not be able to visit the orphanage because you didn’t have cash. I’m also surprised that the entrance fee is so affordable. I would have thought it would have been significantly more expensive to have an experience like this one. It seems like this orphanage is doing really good work and making a positive change in the world. I will definitely be visiting it when I go to Kenya.
Yes they want people to come visit because the goal is education! They do a lot of amazing work and I suggest following them on social media to see their rescue stories and updates on animals!
So special. It’s adorable to think someone sleeps with them each night and that photo with them wearing blankets is so precious. Thanks for sharing.
I also visited this place in September 2018. It’s so important to give back and make a difference. I absolutely love elephants! Thanks for sharing it.
Awesome! I hope you had a wonderful time!
This is so freaking adorable! The baby elephants get slumber parties at night with a human, that’s so sweet. I hope they are for real a sanctuary and are treated well.
They are a real sanctuary and take very good care of the animals. You’re not even allowed to pet them unless the elephants come to you. I also like that visitors are only allowed for 1 hour a day, so they’re not for show – it’s only during play and milk time! Once they’re old enough, they’re released back into the wild!
Great information. I like that gradually more awareness is being shed on elephant treatment, and that centers like this are able to use tourism to help raise money. Definitely seems like a great option while in Nairobi!
This looks like such an amazing thing to do! So sweet to see the elephants but also sad that there’s a need for orphanages.
I keep seeing so much about Kenya in the travel-sphere and I’m becoming more and more excited to go someday soon. This is ABSOLUTELY something that I would want to add to my bucket list. The older elephants are awesome and everything, but I don’t think I’d be able to get enough of the baby elephants! They are so adorable! What an amazing experience!
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