Giraffe Manor
Ever since my first trip to Africa in 2000, giraffes have been my favorite animals. No matter what national park you’re in, you see them from miles away, moving slowly through the grass and trees, dining on acacia. I love how they seem to run in slow motion and how they lower their bodies to awkwardly drink from watering holes. Growing up near the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, I enjoyed going and feeding them. Seeing them in the wild though was far more magical.
So when I heard about Giraffe Manor in Nairobi years ago, I put it on my travel wish list. The photos I had seen were amazing – giraffes roaming the property and poking their heads into the dining room and bedrooms. Could it be that idyllic in real life? With our family safari ending in Nairobi, it was a perfect chance to find out.
Arrival at Giraffe Manor
With no front desk, the manor feels far more like a private home than a hotel. After arriving from our family safari at 3pm we were given lemonade and cold towels, we completed our address information on a tablet, and we were shown to our room.
Our Room at Giraffe Manor
We were in the Finch Hatton suite, which sleeps five. There was one queen-size bed, a twin bed downstairs and two twin beds up a spiral staircase in the loft. It was a great setup, and a perfect way to relax after our family safari. The only negative – it’s not one of the rooms that giraffes poke their heads into in the morning.
Afternoon Tea with Giraffes
At around 5pm every day the giraffes walk over to the manor, knowing that they’ll be fed. Giraffe Manor has chairs out for giraffe watching as well as bowls of giraffe treats. One of our kids fed the giraffes, one enjoyed watching the warthogs roaming around looking for fallen giraffe food and one just took everything in. Of course, I fed the giraffes too.
At Giraffe Manor all food and drinks are included in the room rate. Their afternoon “bites” were impressive – pineapple with peanut sauce, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and chocolate cake to name a few. It was a very fun afternoon.
FYI, the giraffes are still wild animals. They don’t bite, but you have to respect their strength and not do anything to irritate them. The GM said that the giraffes (especially Kelly) can headbutt you and send you flying if you let down your guard. Luckily we didn’t see that happen.
Dinner at Giraffe Manor
We walked over to the manor house at 7:30 and were directed into a candlelit wood-paneled room with one large table. We sat down, taking five seats, and were joined by seven other guests. The food was excellent, the setting was beautiful and the experience was fun. One of the other guests that night lives on the same street as my dad, which goes to show how small the world really is.
Breakfast with Giraffes
Leaving our room to walk over to breakfast, this was the view. All mornings should start with giraffes!
We had high expectations for breakfast, and we weren’t disappointed! We all sat down to start eating, but my daughter kept roaming around, feeding the giraffes from various windows. It could have gone on forever, but once we had our omelettes and pancakes we closed the windows behind us so that the giraffes would let us eat for a few minutes.
Giraffe Manor Departure
Unfortunately, check-out is at 10am. In theory 19 hours at Giraffe Manor should have been a lot of time to unwind after our family safari, but it flew by. Staying for one night we got the whole experience, but I easily could have spent another night there to do it all again. The other guests we spoke with were staying 2-4 nights. I think four nights is pushing it, but two would have been optimal.
Next Door: The Giraffe Center
Separate from the Giraffe Manor is the Giraffe Center, a showcase and breeding center for endangered Rothschild’s giraffes. The giraffes go back and forth between the manor and the center throughout the day. We walked over, escorted by the hotel’s manager who was armed with an umbrella in case we were pestered by the ubiquitous warthogs, and spent half an hour there, feeding the giraffes and walking through the museum displays. It’s great to see how the center is engaging Kenyan schoolchildren in the fight to protect Africa’s wildlife. Always start with the kids!
Giraffe Manor Prices
Our stay was built into our overall family safari cost, which was moderately-priced as safaris go. According to the hotel’s website rooms are $500-600 per person per night depending on the season, with kids priced in the $300s. That would make Giraffe Manor by far the most expensive place we’ve stayed anywhere in the world, but it was also one of the most unique experiences. Maybe one night was enough after all!
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Wow, what an incredible experience! One that I’m sure your children will always remember. This is definitely going at the top of my list for when I someday make my trip to Africa. You’re right though, with that price, one day may be enough. Thanks again for the great insight on another fantastic location for children.
Lovely place, would like to pay it a visit some day 🙂
Beautiful pictures again – as always – Eric!
Thanks Stefan!
How absolutely whimsical is this place? I bet kids absolutely love it!
This is WELL worth the price Eric! My wife would fall in love with this because of the seemingly endless interaction with the giraffes. Awesome, awesome stuff. The homey feel to the place works amazingly well too. Thanks much for the pictures and stories.
Wow, that looks amazing 🙂
OMG this seems so unreal! Must have been such a blast for the kids…but I would totally love it, too!
It was so cool! If I’m near Nairobi again I’m going back – with or without kids.
This is truly amazing. I am absolutely going to take my kids here once they are a little older. I say that about a lot of places, but for this one I mean it!
I highly recommend it – it’s just as cool as it looks!
Wow what a wonderful place. The photos are amazing.
Thanks Morgan!
It does look like such an interesting place and experience. Your photos are beautiful and you describe the manor so well. I think it would have been beneficial if you could have spoken about the pros & cons of animal tourism and your thoughts on whether this was (or wasn’t) a responsible tourism initiative.
Lauren – Giraffe Manor is part of the Giraffe Center next door, which is the leading non-profit dedicated to the breeding and conservation of the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe. The giraffes can come and go as they wish. Nothing about the setup struck me as irresponsible animal tourism.
How wonderful
I have just discovered your blog.We are in the first stages of planning a trip to Europe (from Australia) Im glad to have your experiences to read!!!!
Thank you Josie! Be sure to check out my Top Spots page for specific suggestions for a lot of Europe. I’ll keep adding to this as we travel more…
I’m planning to go to Kenya this December. I’ve wondered about this hotel and would love to snag a room here.
This looks amazing!! I am definitely adding this to list of travel destinations! I would be like your daughter always feeding the giraffes! Thanks for the share!
Amazing post! This place is on my bucket list for sure! I am conidering going to Kenya in May 2017 but am reading mixed advice online. Some websites say it is not safe right now and other people say it’s fine. Did you feel safe around the capital? I’ve always wanted to go but must admit I am slightly nervous to get out of my comfort zone.
Hi Megan. We felt safe in Nairobi and everywhere else in Kenya. But things can always change, and there’s no way of knowing what it might be like seven months from now, or even next month. It never hurts to make refundable reservations just in case things seem sketchy before your trip and you decide to cancel.
Is it possible to visit Giraffe Manor without staying there? We have already booked our lodging for a trip in August and I’m not sure we can change. For example could we go there for dinner or for breakfast or to just take a few photos?
There weren’t any non-guests at the afternoon giraffe feeding session, dinner or breakfast, so I’m guessing they don’t allow others in. They have the Giraffe Center next door so that non-guests can still get up close. You would need to email Giraffe Manor directly to verify though.
This was just added to the bucket list. What a great experience. Amazing.
I so love this one . a bucketlist indeed. ♥♥♥
Hi, may I ask how old your children were when you visited? Mine is seven. Too young??
My kids were 6, 8 and 10. Seven isn’t too young.