The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a rescue and rehabilitation center for orphaned elephants, located within the grounds of Nairobi National Park. A pioneer in protecting young elephants orphaned by poaching and drought, the organization welcomes a limited number of visitors each day to witness the bottle-feeding hour.

Why visit Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

The sanctuary is one of the world's most accomplished elephant rehabilitation programs. Unlike a zoo, the young elephants are raised with a single objective: their return to the wild, primarily in Tsavo East National Park.

The visit, brief and supervised, allows you to observe the young elephants receiving their bottles in a marshy area, and to understand the work of the rangers through a direct presentation. With some luck, you may also spot baby rhinos cared for by the center. The experience remains aligned with responsible tourism: no direct contact with animals, no spectacle, and all donations finance field operations.

History and origins of the Trust

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was founded by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick DBE in memory of her husband, David Leslie William Sheldrick, a pioneering figure among East African rangers and founder of Tsavo East National Park. After David's death in 1977, Daphne continued his work from Nairobi National Park.

She was the first zoologist to develop a milk formula capable of raising young elephants orphaned from their mothers—a major breakthrough: previously, orphaned elephants could not survive in captivity. This discovery enabled the creation of a genuine orphanage program, the embryo of today's Trust.

Since 2008, Angela Sheldrick, daughter of Daphne and David, has led the organization. She is supported by her husband Robert Carr-Hartley and their sons Taru and Roan. Over more than four decades of activity, the center has cared for hundreds of young elephants, a figure regularly updated on the Trust's official website.

What to see and do on-site

The visit follows a simple and structured schedule:

• Arrival and setup at the edge of the care area, near the marsh.
• Bottle-feeding hour: young elephants arrive as a group, accompanied by their keepers, and receive their ration of reconstituted milk.
• Presentation by a team member: the history of each resident, rescue context, program operations, and anti-poaching efforts.
• Mud bath and play: a prime moment for photos, with no human intervention with the animals.

Young elephants stay at the center for approximately 2 months to 2.5 years before being transferred to an intermediate unit in Tsavo Park, where progressive reintegration into the wild takes place.

An on-site shop offers children's books, notepads, badges, jewelry, and elephant-themed clothing. Sales revenue funds Trust programs, as does a distance-sponsorship system for individual elephant calves.

Practical information

• Public access: 1 hour per day only, around 11 a.m., during bottle-feeding in the marshy area.
• Capacity: maximum 100 visitors per time slot.
• Reservation: mandatory online on the official Sheldrick Wildlife Trust website, between 90 days and 2 days before your visit date.
• Fee: modest entrance fee (adult / child), payable at booking or on-site. Check the current amount on the official website, as rates change.
• Closure: Christmas Day.
• What to bring: closed-toe shoes, lightweight rain jacket during wet season, camera without flash.

Plan for approximately one hour on-site, plus travel time to and from central Nairobi.

When to visit

The center is open year-round except December 25. Viewing conditions are best during Kenya's dry seasons: January–February and June–October, when tracks are passable and skies generally clear. December to February also coincides with peak tourist season: book your slot as soon as registration opens, 90 days in advance.

How to get there

The sanctuary is located approximately 15 km from central Nairobi, within the national park grounds.

• By taxi or ride-hailing: the simplest option, allow 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Ask the driver to wait; organizing returns from the site is difficult.
• By public bus: from Moi Avenue, local lines (numbers 125 or 126 depending on the period) serve the central KWS workshop, from which you can reach the sanctuary on foot. Matatu routes change frequently; verify locally.
• On an organized tour: most agencies combine the visit with other capital-area sites.

What to combine nearby

The unique 11 a.m. time slot lends itself well to a combined day around Nairobi:

• Nairobi National Park: early morning safari before the Trust visit, featuring lions, rhinos, and abundant birdlife close to the city.
• Nairobi Safari Walk: a walking trail designed to experience Kenyan wildlife, ideal as a complement early or late in the day.
• Giraffe Centre: just a few kilometers away, to observe and feed Rothschild giraffes.
• Crescent Island Sanctuary: a day trip from Nairobi, on the shores of Lake Naivasha, for a walk among wildlife without predators.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your trip

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust integrates easily into a few-day itinerary around Nairobi, at the beginning or end of your journey. To build a custom trip including this visit and the country's major parks, explore our Kenya voyages.