1

I easily did the elephant orphanage and giraffe centre on one Sunday. The elephant orphanage opens to the public just for an hour from 11:00 to 12:00. Afterwards it is not far to the giraffe centre. I did not spend long there at all. It was quite disappointing, you feed a giraffe and that’s it. If I was there 30 minutes that was long. That should give you plenty of time to do the Karen Blixen museum. All of this depends of course on traffic. I went on a Sunday so I had no issues. If you feel rushed for time I would skip the giraffe centre, other than the chance to feed them it is a glorifies zoo with just giraffes. The elephant orphanage was awesome. Get there early so you can get a place by the rope.

2

simple answer I agree with Kutus in answering your original question (can't emphasize "subject to traffic" enough). :)

a couple of extra thoughts....
look at the Sheldrick website and put a little thought into "sponsoring an elephant". The "sponsored visitor time" is still only one hour (4-5pm I think) but far fewer people during that hour. From what I understand the non-sponsored hour is more watching the elephants playtime behind the ropes (which is kinda cool) vs the sponsored hour is watching feeding time (5-10 minutes) followed by actual hands-on petting/playing with the elephants (they are in their pen and you reach over the doors. both have different benefits. I have only been to the sponsored visitor time so maybe Kutus can tell us more what the other visiting time is like? how many people are there? do you get to pet/play with the elephants? other info? lastly, on this topic..the cost of sponsorship is minimum $50 per year and they send you a monthly update on "your" elephant as well as a digital version of a watercolor painted by the owner's daughter (she is pretty talented). Sheldrick is REALLY good about not pestering you for more money.

we also went to the Giraffes and while I enjoyed it much more than Kutus, I agree that it is nothing more than feeding them and 30 minutes is more than enough time except if you want a few more minutes in the gift shop.

the other idea to share....on the day we went to see the Giraffes, we also went to see the African Bomas display and African dances {search "Bomas of Kenya Dancers" on youtube.com to see a couple videos}. While the Bomas (traditional houses) are kinda neat to see for 10-15 minutes it was the African dancers that I thought was well worth my time. They did approx 15-20 different dances from a variety of East African cultures. The dancers and Bomas display are at the same location and our family really enjoyed the dancers.

Hope the info is helpful.

cheers

3

easily doable within a day, you should just keep in mind that the elephant orphanage is open to the public for one hour daily. You can also add a visit to the Kazuri craftshop which is on your way to Karen Blixen museum or the marula workshop which recycles rubber animals and "jewellery" from old flip flops. Both projects help to create income for poor communities or, in the case of Kazuri, single mothers from local slums.

at the giraffe center you can also do the nature walk across the road from the visiting center.

4

Oh yes its very much do able

5

Cool, thanks for all of the info.
I am fostering an elephant, so would it be worth going in the morning, then to the giraffe centre and the Karen Blixen museum then back to the elephants for the evening? Is this advisable? Or would it be better to spread it over two days and add in some other activities? I'm not one for spending entire days at places that could be done quicker, but I also don't like to rush.

6

If you want to visit your fostered elephant in the evening, you first have to contact the Sheldrick people about an apointment and point out your preferred day. They would then email you an admission letter with the instructions where to meet. You cannot just show up and say "I foster an elephant".

If you have that, you might go to Sheldrick once in the morning and in the evening, however that might be a bit of an overkill, going there twice one day. Also keep in mind that when you leave at 6 in the evening, traffic between Langata and the city centre will be one big nightmare. Whatever you plan after meeting the elephant, keep a big time buffer.