Nairobi Park Budget Tour Review: Early Bird Gets the Safari

Looking at doing a Nairobi National Park tour without spending too much? A 6am start might just be what you are looking for. It’s a pretty wallet-friendly way to peep some great wildlife, all with the city skyline as your backdrop. That said, is it really worth getting up so early for, and is this safari option really right for someone like you? I hope to give some real talk, to help anyone weighing their options here.

Why Go So Early? Sunrise Wildlife Spotting

The 6am start for a Nairobi National Park tour really exists for a reason: that golden hour after sunrise? It’s absolutely prime time for animal activity, apparently. Lots of animals are most active then, so you stand a slightly better chance of spotting, perhaps, lions, giraffes, or maybe even a rhino or two before it gets too warm and they all decide to take a midday nap, right? It is almost as if this particular time frame works really nicely for folks, who want to snap amazing photos with soft, gentle morning light too, I guess. So that’s a nice little bonus.

I think there’s really something special about seeing the park wake up, anyway. The air is sort of cooler, the light is really amazing, and everything just feels incredibly fresh. That being said, getting up that early can be a little difficult, or challenging I guess. You are going to have to really want to see those lions!

What to Expect on a Budget Tour

OK, so what are you actually signing up for on a “budget” tour? It usually comes down to cost, right? You’re often looking at a shared safari van with other people, which, personally, I found perfectly acceptable. Think a bus type van to transport tourists and guests, it’s something like that. Most of these vans have pop-up roofs, you know, for easy wildlife viewing? But do keep in mind that you are sharing the space with other people. That sometimes leads to compromised photo angles and a bit of patience when everyone wants to see that lion, so very nearby.

I believe it’s important to temper expectations regarding the vehicle. Don’t anticipate a super-deluxe, super fancy, open-top Jeep; you know? This is something more straightforward, designed to get you around the park in a fairly reasonable fashion. Tour guides on these budget tours are typically fairly knowledgeable, and can easily point out the different animal species and tell you some neat facts, in most cases. They’ve seemingly done the tour like your is many times. Just prepare for possibly not the absolute most luxurious ride out there, but one that’s good, cost-wise.

Animal Sightings: What You Might See

Animal sightings, of course, will actually depend on your day, a bit of luck, and, as has been noted, the time of the year you’re visiting, honestly. It appears giraffes and zebras are fairly common sights, so you have those good-looking guys to view! You really have a very solid chance of seeing herds of antelope, too, right? The park’s pretty densely populated with them. The Big Five? It really takes luck, as you can imagine. I think rhinos are pretty regularly spotted, in a way, but seeing a leopard or a lion could prove challenging, in some respects, although obviously not impossible, it seems.

I noticed the landscape itself is fairly gorgeous, just, very grassy plains, areas of thick woodland, and rocky gorges, so the setting does have great picture opportunities on its own! Remember to bring your camera, anyway! And some decent zoom. Seriously, those animals won’t pose very close to the vans every time.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

OK, here’s some seriously helpful items I would certainly consider: number one has to be binoculars, arguably. Seriously, if you actually want to peep a bird in the distance or, in the same way, try to make out if that thing over there actually is a rhino, then binoculars are your new best friends! You should bring water too; just loads of it. Then there is sunscreen and a hat; the equatorial sun does not really mess around!

I almost suggest wearing layers, just as a small tip. It is really pretty cool in the early morning, anyway, but as the sun rises, the temperature seems to ramp up fast. Also, very key, really charge your camera or phone the night before and make sure you have sufficient memory cards or some method to manage file uploads and dumps. I find you would really not want to be the kind of person who spots a leopard but can’t snap a pic because of tech fails!

Is a Budget 6am Tour Right for You?

Let’s look at this carefully, the heart of this whole thing, that is. This kind of tour, I noticed, works amazingly for budget-conscious travelers who, really, are fairly willing to trade some comfort for lower cost. You get great animal-spotting opportunities on a shared, fairly decent tour, very cheaply. Also, early risers seem to fare best with the 6am start! No issues there, alright? And really, it also will seemingly appeal greatly to those who have a tight schedule. It’s possible to get a pretty intense safari fix before returning to the city and doing the usual stuff for a day, after all.

That being said, if you happen to seriously value a level of comfort and total flexibility, I really believe that a budget tour in a shared van won’t actually quite meet the expectations, really. In the same way, folks who have a seriously hard time waking up super early will certainly want to consider maybe a mid-morning or late afternoon tour, instead, so it’s far better to wait than try to go on a rushed safari! All said, for many visitors a Nairobi National Park budget 6am tour is a terrific option that offers pretty unreal value, frankly, but understanding these particular trade-offs does certainly allow you to determine if it is right for your kind of travelling plans.