Can anyone tell me when the orphanage is open and when the animals are available for interaction with? I will be in kenya in about a month and would love to visit. Also, which would provide a better experience...the elephant orphanage or the giraffe experience in Nairobi? (p.s. what are the hours for the giraffe center?) Thanks for the help!

Sheldrick is open to the public from 11:00am to noon. If you adopt/foster an elephant, you can also visit in the late afternoon (this needs to be pre-arranged). I've enjoyed my Sheldrick visits more than the Giraffe Centre. I also enjoyed the more private late afternoon visit at Sheldrick more than the mid-day visit. I think the Giraffe Centre is open morning to late afternoon.

Just curious, about a year, maybe two, or so ago the Kenya National Park people were going to add a big fee ($50?) for entering that National Park area. Even if the only thing you were going to visit was Sheldrick. Anybody recall this, and, what became of it all?

regards - tom

Not sure what happened to the fee issue, but in August we went with a driver straight from Giraffe Manor/Center to Sheldrick for the sponsors' late afternoon viewing -- no fees paid or requested.

That National Park fee didn't fly for long at the Sheldrick Orphanage. Now there's a 300 shilling fee per vehicle, per safari vehicle that is for the 11 o'clock entrance; if you come in a taxi and walk in from the road there's no such fee. There's also a USD 5.00 per person suggested entrance fee. For the evening sponsor's entrance, there's no such fee.

At the Giraffe Centre there's a fee of 700 shillings per person for non residents. This fee is included if you stay at the Giraffe Manor.

I compiled a short description of the orphanage experience here: http://www.go-safari.com/Nairobi/Tourism.htm

Sheldrick is a great experience well worth a visit.

The giraffe thing is not worth it in my opinion because one can do the same thing at hundreds of safari parks across the USA - stand on a platform to meet a giraffe at eye-level.

A visit to Kenya Wildlife Services and/or the National Park is better.

See NAIROBI MAP here: http://www.go-safari.com/Nairobi/Nairobi1.jpg