GIRAFFE CENTER, KAREN BLIXEN & KAZURI BEAD CENTER

A visit to the fascinating Giraffe Center enables you to come face to face with the Rothschild Giraffe and have the pleasure of hand feeding them with Giraffe food. Karen Blixen Museum, former home of the Authoress of 'Out of Africa’ now a National Museum will also be visited. Its history dates back to 1914, during the First World War, with the arrival of Karen Blixen from Denmark. At the foot of Ngong Hills, Karen Blixen established herself as a farmer. After her departure in 1931, the suburbs retained the commemorative home of Karen. Next stop is the Kazuri bead centre-a self-help women project where hand made ceramics and jewellery are produced.

THE GIRAFFE CENTER INFORMATION
The giraffe center is a wonderful and refreshing experience to enjoy as an excursion while in Nairobi. The tour gives a completely up close and personal interaction where guests have the opportunity to view giraffes as well as feed them. The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Kenya (A.F.E.W. Kenya) also known as the Giraffe Center is a non-governmental, non-profit making organization, which was founded by Betty and Jock Leslie-Melville in 1979.

This was in a bid to save the endangered Rothschild Giraffe, which had lost its natural habitat in Western Kenya to agriculture and there were only 130 left in the wild. Funds were raised and four herds were moved to four Parks namely Lake Nakuru National Park, Mwea Game Reserve, Ruma National Park and Nasalot Game Reserve. Today the Rothschild Giraffe population in Kenya is about 500.

The centre today also acts as a place for free environmental education to the Kenyan youth, Conservation of endangered species and Support of other conservation projects all over Kenya.

The Complete Giraffe Center Experience

Indigenous Forest:
The indigenous forest is a remnant of the natural forest that once surrounded Nairobi. It comprises of over 100 acres of dry upland forest that is part of the larger ecosystem that originally comprised of the current Ngong Forest and Ololua Forest hence all these have similar vegetation species.

The forest also has an impressive variety of bird species, which can be seen throughout the year.

The most common trees are the Croton megalocarpus, Olea africana, Albizzia gummefera, Ficus Thonningii. Species of these trees grow larger along the seasonal Gogo River, which cuts across, forming cathedrals with spreading canopy.