Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage: Entry Fees, Feeding Times, and Visiting Tips

Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage: Quick Facts

The Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage sits inside Nairobi National Park, about 22 minutes from central Nairobi depending on traffic. Entry runs $20 / KES 2,000 (£16) for adults and $5 / KES 500 (£4) for kids under 12—prices went up this year. Visiting happens once daily from 11:00 AM to noon. Book through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust website—weekends sell out fast, weekdays are easier.

Around 10:50, the atmosphere gets electric. You’ll hear that distinct thwack-clink of the keepers prepping the 2-liter formula bottles. It’s funny—you’ve got 200 tourists who were just complaining about the heat, and suddenly everyone goes church-silent. They know the show is about to start.

Then the babies come thundering out of the bush. Zero dignity. Just a chaotic mess of flapping ears and trunks waving because they’ve caught the scent of that formula from a mile away.

I’ve stood in this exact spot maybe four hundred times since 2014. Still gets me.

The Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage started back in ’77. Daphne spent years watching calves die because cow’s milk just doesn’t work for elephants—heartbreaking trial and error until she finally hit the right formula. Her husband David was the founding warden of Tsavo. When he died, she turned their grief into this place.

Safari Packages That Include the Orphanage

We run Nairobi day tours and multi-day safaris that include the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. Prices per person sharing.

Which Experience Suits You?	Days on the Road	What to Budget (PP)
Nairobi Day Tour (Orphanage Included)	1 Day	£187
Nairobi Safari Explorer	2 Days	£312
3-Day Mara Fly-In (The “No-Dust” Option)	3 Days	£901 – £1,824
Classic Masai Mara Safari	4 Days	£1,209 – £2,615
5-Day Masai Mara Safari	5 Days	£1,548 – £3,476
7-Day Best of Kenya (Our Most Popular)	7 Days	£2,165 – £4,724
8-Day Signature Kenya Safari	8 Days	£2,053 – £4,200
10-Day Bush and Beach Escape	10 Days	£3,500 – £7,200
12-Day Deep Dive Kenya	12 Days	£4,178 – £8,886
14-Day Ultimate Honeymoon	14 Days	£3,887 – £6,233

Transport is in a 4×4 Land Cruiser with an English-speaking guide. Park fees, orphanage entry, and Giraffe Centre entry are covered for Nairobi tours. International flights, travel insurance, tips, and personal expenses aren’t included.

eTA Kenya requirements for tourists: You’ll need an electronic Travel Authorization before flying in. Apply at etakenya.go.ke—not evisa.go.ke, that’s the old system. Cost is $30, takes 3-5 business days. Upload a passport photo and return flight details. Immigration at JKIA checks it.

Plan Your Nairobi Day Tour

What Is the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage?

DSWT—David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust—runs the place. Been at it since 1977. Most of the elephants here lost their mothers to poachers. Some got hit by trucks on the Mombasa highway near Voi. A few fell into wells during droughts.

Think of the Nairobi nursery as elephant kindergarten, but with higher stakes. They stay here until they’re about three, then the real work begins at the reintegration units in Tsavo. It’s agonizingly slow. We’re talking years of specialized care just to get one calf back to a wild herd—most people don’t have that kind of patience, which is why I respect the hell out of these keepers. Some former orphans have come back to visit with their own wild-born calves—Wendi showed up in 2020, more than a decade after her release, baby in tow. The keepers still knew her name.

How Many Elephants Are at the Orphanage?

Depends when you go. Rescues come in all year, and elephants graduate out to Tsavo when ready. Most visits you’ll see 15-25 babies—youngest might be a few weeks old, oldest around 2-3 years and already developing attitude.

You’ll see them in these mismatched blankets with names embroidered on them—looks like a messy nursery school, but there’s a reason for the weight. June through August—Nairobi’s cold season—they’re bundled up like toddlers. One of the keepers, a guy who’s been there since the Moi era, told me the blankets do more than keep them warm. The weight mimics their mother’s body pressing against them. Weighted therapy for traumatised rescues.

The names matter. Trust policy is to use toponyms—place names from where they were found. Sirimon came from near Mt. Kenya. Meibai is Samburu for “something precious.” Names ending in “-a” or starting with “I-” usually mean Tsavo rescues.

What Happens During Your Visit

You get sixty minutes. That’s it. 11:00 AM to noon. Show up at 11:05 and you’re not getting in—I’ve watched tourists argue at the gate, wave their booking confirmation around, demand to speak to a manager. None of it works. Kenyan time doesn’t apply here; the gate closes on the dot.

Your driver needs to know: Mbagathi Gate. Also called Workshop Gate. On Magadi Road. Look for the guy selling roasted maize just before the turn-off; if you pass the big cement factory gates, you’ve gone 200 meters too far. The faded blue KWS sign is easy to miss. If you just say “take me to Sheldrick’s,” half the matatu drivers in Nairobi will head to the main Langata Gate instead. Wrong entrance. You’d have to loop 20 minutes through the park, and by then you’ve missed the cutoff.

Parking fills by 10:30 on weekends and school holidays. There’s a dead spot for phone signal right by the gate, which is annoying if you’re trying to WhatsApp your driver. Arrive later than 10:30 and you’re walking from whatever spot you can find along the road.

The Feeding Session

Skip the middle of the rope. Everyone bunches up there and all you’ll see is the back of a stranger’s sweat-stained shirt. Push to the far left corner—if you’re facing the mud wallow, you want to be near the acacia trees on your left. That’s where the elephants come out. You get the approach shot before they settle into the feeding scrum.

The babies come thundering out at 11:00 sharp. Each has a dedicated keeper who knows how they like to be fed. Some gulp the bottles down in seconds. Others take their sweet time. There’s always one troublemaker—I once saw a calf try to headbutt a keeper for a second bottle, and the crowd loved it, but the keepers don’t mess around. I’ve heard them give a firm “Hapana!” to a 200lb baby acting like a spoiled toddler. Reminder that as cute as they are, these are still wild animals learning boundaries. Ask the keepers who the current boss is. For years, a male named Chemi Chemi held the title. They rotate.

You’ll notice a sweet, nutty smell in the air during feeding. That’s the coconut oil and human infant formula blend Daphne developed. Has a bakery quality to it. Sticks to your clothes.

If you’re lucky, one of the older orphans might decide the rope is just a suggestion and lean right against your arm while it looks for a stray bottle. In that moment, the $80 park fee suddenly feels like a bargain. Almost.

If you’re shooting with a proper camera, bring a lens blower—the dust combined with that sticky milk spray gums up sensors fast.

Watch the younger calves. Some suck on their own trunks—same reason human toddlers suck their thumbs. You rarely see this in wild elephants because they have their mothers. Seeing it here is heart-wrenching.

Mud Bath Time

After feeding, the elephants move to the mud wallow. The mud smells like iron and old rain. Older orphans sometimes push younger ones toward the water and stand over them. The keepers let this happen—it’s how they learn herd behaviour.

The keepers answer questions during this time. If you’ve fostered an elephant, mention it.

The Exit

When the clock hits noon, it’s over. The keepers lead the “kids” back to school. Sudden end, but better for the animals.

Don’t rush to your car at 11:55. Stay until the last elephant disappears into the trees.

Entry Fees and How to Book

$20 / KES 2,000 (£16) for adults. $5 / KES 500 (£4) for kids under 12. Kenyan citizens pay less. Prices went up this year—used to be $15.

The booking site is a relic from the dial-up era that will test your patience. It hangs. It crashes. If it freezes, don’t just mash refresh—clear your cache or you’ll lose your window. Book on the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust website. No walk-ins since COVID.

Weekend slots? Gone within hours of release, usually about 3 months out. Weekdays are easier—often available 2-3 weeks ahead. Tuesday through Thursday is your best bet.

You pay online and get a confirmation email with a QR code. Screenshot it. Save it offline. Signal at the orphanage is rubbish.

Nairobi National Park Entry (Separate Fee)

The orphanage sits inside Nairobi National Park, so you pay the park entry fee separately. $80 (£64) for non-residents since the price hike this year, plus a 5% gateway fee when paying online.

The jump to $80 sparked a massive debate in the local guide WhatsApp groups—it’s steep, but the rhino surveillance it funds is the real deal. Think of it as a “rhino tax.”

KWS eCitizen booking tips: Pay via the KWS eCitizen portal before you arrive—not at the gate. The system asks for your passport number and travel dates. Use Chrome, not Safari. If the payment page times out, check your M-Pesa or card statement before retrying—double charges happen. Save the PDF receipt. The orphanage won’t let you in without it.

If you’re doing a game drive the same day, the $80 covers both. If you’re only visiting the orphanage, you’re paying $80 for one hour. Stings.

What to Wear

Closed-toe shoes—the viewing area is unpaved red earth, and after rain it turns to mud. I watched a guest lose a Birkenstock in it last year and had to hop back to the car on one foot.

Peter’s Pro-Tip: If it rained the night before, forget the nice shoes. The mud at the nursery is that sticky, red volcanic soil. It doesn’t wash out; it just becomes a permanent souvenir on your sneakers.

Leave the designer gear in the suitcase. A happy calf with a trunk full of mud doesn’t care about your dry-cleaning bill. I once watched a guy try to scrub red slurry off a white Gucci polo at the Hemingway’s bar. Total disaster—he just ended up with a pink shirt and a ruined evening. Wear khaki.

Hat and sunscreen. There’s a large fig tree near the viewing area but if it’s busy you won’t get near it. Phones work fine for photos, flash is prohibited, drones are banned.

Getting There

Mbagathi Gate. Workshop Gate. Same thing. On Magadi Road, past the cement works on your left. Say it exactly like that to your driver.

If the traffic gods are kind and Uhuru Highway isn’t a parking lot, it’s about 22 minutes from town. During rush hour? Budget 45 minutes to an hour. Leave early—grab a coffee at Java House in Karen if you’re too early.

Uber and Bolt work getting there. The problem is getting back. Agree on a pickup time before your driver leaves. Signal is patchy by the gate.

We include transport in all our Nairobi day tours.

Evening Visits (The 5:00 PM Loophole)

You’ll read online that the evening “bedtime” visit is cancelled. Not quite.

It’s restricted, not cancelled. The 5:00 PM tucking-in session is for foster parents staying at one of the Trust’s lodges—Ithumba Camp or Galdessa in Tsavo. Or for people with pre-arranged appointments linked to high-level adoptions. If you’re just a regular foster parent with the $50 certificate, you don’t qualify. But book one of those Tsavo lodges and suddenly the evening visit is yours—no crowds, just you, the keepers, and the babies going to bed.

When Things Go Wrong

Some elephants don’t make it. The youngest calves arrive dehydrated, traumatised, sometimes with serious injuries—they’re fragile, and not every rescue survives.

Doldol was a premature calf who arrived after her mother abandoned her—small, full of fight, constantly in trouble. Everyone at the nursery loved her. Just under two years after rescue, she died. The Trust publishes updates on every orphan, including losses. Reading those is difficult.

Then there’s the expectation problem. People show up thinking they’ll bottle-feed an elephant themselves, maybe get a trunk hug for the camera. That’s not what happens. It’s one hour, 200 other visitors, and a rope barrier. You might touch an elephant briefly as it walks past. You might not.

Supporting the Trust

The Trust runs on donations and adoption fees. Zero government funding.

Adopting an Elephant

Fostering costs $50 per year. You pick an orphan from the current nursery residents, pay online, and get monthly updates with photos and keeper notes. Kids love getting mail about “their” elephant, and the certificate looks good framed.

Is it expensive for what you get—paper and emails? Honestly, yes. But the Trust doesn’t get a cent from the government, so that $50 is what keeps the milk formula stocked. Raising a single elephant from rescue to wild release costs tens of thousands.

Fostering doesn’t get you special access during the public visit—same rope, same crowd.

The Gift Shop

Small shop near the car park selling t-shirts, children’s books about the orphans, stuffed elephants. The quality is decent—t-shirts hold up well and the artwork comes from local artists. Everything supports the Trust.

Fair warning: the card machine is notorious for failing right when you’re in a hurry to leave. Bring M-Pesa or cash.

Combine with Other Nairobi Attractions

You’re done by noon. Whole afternoon free.

Giraffe Centre

15 minutes away in Langata. You feed Rothschild’s giraffes from a raised platform—they stick their heads right over the railing and take pellets from your hand. The tongues are dark purple, about 45cm long. Feels weird the first time.

The Giraffe Centre is a zoo by 1:00 PM. If you hate crowds, grab a coffee and wait it out, or go early. The warthogs are the only ones there with a sense of humor—they’ll try to trip you if you’ve got pellets in your hand. Entry is KES 2,000 ($15 / £12) for non-residents.

Personally, I skip the gift shop here—the prices are “tourist-plus,” and you can get the same hand-carved stuff for half the price at the Maasai Market downtown.

Nairobi National Park

You’ve already paid the $80 park fee. Might as well use it. 2-3 hour game drive covers the main circuits. The park backs onto Nairobi’s skyline—zebras with the KICC tower behind them. Lions, rhinos, buffalo, over 400 bird species. Morning drives get better wildlife. Ask your guide about the hippo pools near the southern boundary—tourists skip it, but the light there around 3pm is worth the drive.

Karen Blixen Museum

20 minutes away in Karen. The farmhouse from “Out of Africa”—Meryl Streep, Robert Redford. Danish author Karen Blixen lived here in the early 1900s. Period furniture, coffee plantation, views toward the Ngong Hills. KES 1,200 ($10 / £8). Skip it if you haven’t seen the film.

Our Nairobi National Park Day Tour bundles the orphanage, Giraffe Centre, and game drive. £187 per person, transport and fees included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Same questions every time.

Do visitors actually get to touch the elephants at Sheldrick?

Depends. After feeding, some elephants walk close enough to the rope that you can touch them briefly. Let them come to you. Some elephants want nothing to do with the crowd. No guarantees.

How long does a Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage visit last?

One hour. 11:00 AM to noon. No exceptions. Arrive by 10:30 to park and position yourself at the far-left corner where the elephants come out.

Is the Sheldrick orphanage open every day of the week?

Every day except Christmas. Weekends draw 200+ people. Weekdays are better—Tuesday through Thursday you might only have 50-80 others.

Can I visit the elephant orphanage without booking ahead?

No. Book on the Trust website. Walk-ins stopped during COVID. Weekend slots vanish within hours—set a reminder for three months out. Weekdays are easier.

Is the Sheldrick orphanage suitable for young children?

Kids love it. But set expectations: one hour, no feeding elephants yourself, no hugs. Kids under 5 sometimes lose interest during the educational talk. Bring snacks for the car.

Can I see rhinos at the Sheldrick orphanage?

Not during the public visit. The Trust has orphan rhinos at their Tsavo facilities—only visible during private foster parent visits. The 11am session is elephants only.

Plan Your Visit

We book the orphanage as part of our Nairobi day tours. You don’t deal with the Trust website yourself. Tell us your dates—we’ll handle the booking, pay the park fees, pick you up from your hotel.

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