It’s possible to learn from stupid… and survive. When in our Nairobi home, we regularly spend at least one day a week traversing Nairobi National Park. Always on the lookout for specific birds, we still get excited when seeing the many animals living here as well. It takes at least 1 ½ hours and several eco-zones driving the dirt roads from the main gate to the other end of the forty-five square miles park. It is not unusual to see zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and wildebeest along the way.
Although there are no elephants in this park, occasionally we will also see African Cape Buffalo, Black and Southern White Rhinoceros, and the majestic Masai Lion. We have been here so many times now that we have learned the roads, where the animals might be and how to avoid the tour vehicle traffic jams that occur wherever the lions are found. So many times, we have been blessed to find lions or cheetahs when no one else is around. At times, with quiet patience, they will come to us!
Our vehicle is well equipped to handle the bumpy roads and highways of Kenya; however, we must always be mindful of the hazards and conditions. In the park, the roads vary from well-maintained to not maintained at all. Black Cotton clay is found everywhere and after heavy rains, notorious for trapping vehicles with meter-thick mud. Vehicles have been washed off the road when crossing streams during high water.
Some roads are extremely steep and rocky with nowhere to pull over when another vehicle approaches. And of course, the animals must be respected, because of vulnerability in their wild home (we are intruding guests), and because they are dangerous…. We have often waited for herds of zebras, giraffes or buffalo to vacate the road before proceeding. When approaching a lone African Cape Buffalo, we need to take extra precaution because you never know what they may do. Often these bulls have been ostracized from the herd and can be very angry and easily spooked. Seeming docile, they can immediately turn and attack your car… No car is too big for them.
When they are standing their ground in the middle of the road or walking towards you… you capitulate and back up. Unless you are in designated areas, with armed rangers, you stay in the car. Lions are lazy and will not bother you in your car, but step out and they become extremely interested…
Learning about the conditions of the park over the last several years, Juliet keeps me honest with abundant caution when deciding which route to take… Sometimes I just take the chance… with her stare burning into my brain…. Over the years these journeys have resulted in spectacular experiences and serendipitous blessings… always with a new story to tell… and a few “that was not Necessary!!” along the way…
Nairobi National Park has several cat species. Lions, cheetahs, servals and leopards. All of them can be elusive… but for us… the greatest challenge is the leopard… During the early years of our safaris, I began to wonder if they existed here in the Kenyan wilderness… our unicorn of big cats. We would come to the park early or stay late to dusk in search of this cat, being told they normally only show themselves as the sun rises or sets. We would hear stories from our friends who would see them regularly as we always see the lions. Yet, I became skeptical… still Juliet persisted to continue our search.
One late afternoon, after a fun, but quiet day for birds and animals, we decided to try again to find the unicorn. Along one of the protected forest roads of the park, we decided to pull aside and rest for about half an hour before proceeding with our hunt through the forest. I was tired from the drive and wanted to rest my eyes… Juliet wanted to catch up on her social media… so we rested. Her and her phone… me and a light slumber… During that entire rest, not one bird, not one animal… not even one passing car interrupted us! When I woke, Juliet was ready and excited to move ahead… hoping this was the day she could prove this leopard was not a hoax!... “Maybe this is the day we’ll see a leopard” we hoped as we began down the lonely road… bushes and trees enveloped the sides leaving only a narrow path that two vehicles could not pass each other. As we approached our first turn, Juliet spotted large back ends of an animal as it finished crossing the road from left to right, proceeding down through the brush into a shallow ravine. We knew it was not a big cat, but it would be interesting to see! As we approached the animal, we were anticipating that we would capture maybe a photo as it left the road heading into the forest… Maybe it was a buffalo or rhino I remarked… Juliet thought jokingly maybe an elephant which hasn’t existed in this park for over eighty years! Without hesitation, we approached our vehicle ensuring we weren’t too close, and at the same time preparing to get that epic photograph that we were constantly trying for. With my camera on my lap, I slowly applied the brakes, ready to take the shot. Looking out my window I was surprised that it was not one, but two large adult Black Rhinos! One was turning to look up at me… now was my chance to get the closeup! I stopped and as I was placing the car gear into park, lifting my camera to focus…
Time changed without warning… nanoseconds seemingly turned to minutes… “BAEee!!!... BEEHHhh!!!! RUUHhh… RUUHhhh!!!!” … Juliet saw death with her naked eyes and her life was about to end! Sheer terror trapped her breath as she struggled to scream with little air still left in her throat! “bABE!!!!!!! RUUUUUN!!!! RUUUUN!!! RUN FOR OUR Liiiiivess….” not being able to finish screaming what she wanted to say!
Intent on stopping the car with my focus on the rhinos to my right, I couldn’t comprehend what was going on… She swore it took me minutes, I swear it was less than a couple of seconds… but when I turned to find out what she was saying… it was clear…
The entire car window framed the massive head of a surprised young Black Rhinoceros, snorting wildly! It’s horn penetrating the invisible barrier of Juliet’s open window! You could vividly see its wide expressive eyes filled with terror! As frightened as we were and not sure what to do! We had blocked the movement of a group of Rhinos … Two to our right and two, we had not seen, to our left coming off a slight incline out of the forest! That lower Rhino wasn’t looking at me but at where the rest of the family was! The last rhino was blocked by the youngster with trees and bushes on each side.
With one quick look and no hesitation… my foot went from the brake to the accelerator fully on the floor!!!!!! I had not yet put the car into park! It's true our car seemed to go zero to sixty seconds flat. For that moment, the road seemed to straighten out with no twists or turns… Dust filled our entire back windows as we lost sight of our unexpected encounter! If they chased us or ran away, or simply just moved on, we don’t know… We are grateful that they were not touched or injured by our intrusion. We are grateful we were not touched either.
As we approached the T in the road about one kilometer away, with our breath captured, nervous giggles permeated through the air. Simultaneously we both said with shaking voices “That would have been an epic shot!” laughing nervously. It was good, of course, none was taken… and we immediately understood the lesson to be aware… even with unseen surroundings.
Still unsettled, we proceeded up the road… within half a kilometer, we encountered a stunning group of Diederik Cuckoos and snapped some photos… unfortunately, none were clear. We traveled another half kilometer approaching a troop of Olive Baboons… This time, we paused, waited, and observed… It was time to head home… appreciating life's blessings daily with the promise of tomorrow morning and our hope for the future… The unicorn we sought would not appear today.
During previous safaris, we managed to take pictures of the stunning Diederik Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius). Despite reading that these birds are solitary, we have observed up to five or six in an acacia tree.
These birds are often found in the park shortly after the rainy seasons, migrating from other parts of East Africa. Although the name invokes a European explorer or naturalist, it is derived from the sound it makes.
This bird species does not rear its own offspring, as it practices brood parasitism. The females deposit their eggs in the nests of host birds, like the Lesser Masked Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) here found in the same acacia tree.
When we hear these noisy birds, we just wait until they show themselves, sometimes in the trees, sometimes on the ground, looking for caterpillars and maggots.
The immature yet still beautiful Diederik's displays warm sienna plumage with only hints of the vibrant green they will display in adulthood.
In Nairobi National Park, there are two rhinoceros' species. The smaller Black Rhinoceros, native to the park and its surrounding areas, and the larger Southern White Rhinoceros, which has been introduced into Kenya, replacing the almost extinct Northern White Rhinoceros. The critically endangered Black Rhino has a smaller jaw than its relative, Southern White Rhinoceros with distinguishable hooked upper lip which it uses for browsing and grazing on the park's bushes and small trees.
Often, we will find several common bird species hovering around both species. Here, Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) hitch a ride on a fast-moving Black Rhinoceros near Post 4A in the National Park.
Below, An African Queen Monarch Butterfly hovers around a Black Rhinoceros near the national rail line that bisects the park on the way to Navasha.
Nairobi National Park has been successful as a refuge protecting the rhinoceros from poaching. It is also an excellent sanctuary for breeding. A Masai Ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus) casually walks by, ignoring mating Black Rhinoceros and a young calf. This photo was taken near post twenty-two in the park with the city of Nairobi in the background.
Below, Black Rhinoceros feed close to Nagolomon Dam, with the skyline of Nairobi city in the background. The Black Rhinoceros are smaller and have hooked upper lips which are used to pull twigs and leaves off bushes and trees.
The Southern White Rhinoceros, below, has a prominent hump on its neck to support its larger head and a wider flat mouth used for grazing short grasses. This curious young calf found interest in everything around him while his mother rests, keeping a close eye on the plains above Athi Dam on the eastern end of the national park.
Cattle Egret congregate around a young Southern White Rhinoceros at Nagolomon Dam.
Black Rhinoceros and Southern White Rhinoceros (below) have a symbiotic relationship with several species of birds who feed off the parasite ticks and flies. This image shows both the young Cattle Egret and the noisy, gregarious Wattled Starling (Creatophora cinerea) traveling as if on a train near the Post 10 Murum waterholes.
Although other maps exist of Nairobi National Park, roads and conditions change as we have trekked the park for the last several years. In 2024, we created our map of the park to help us remember our experiences over the years. If you look closely, you will find the road we designated as our Rhino Alley along with other landmarks. This map was created using satellite imagery from several sources as well as our own notes identifying road conditions, landmarks, and waterholes not identified by other sources.
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