Within the city limits of Nairobi you'll find one of the most incredible small hotels you've ever come across. Built in 1932, it's steeped in fascinating history and was around during the times of African icons such as Karen Blixen & Peter Beard. Their long-legged inhabitants have been around since the 1970's and it's for these exact reasons and more that we are in love with this special property.
Yes, we are talking about Giraffe Manor.
The hotel can accommodate 29 visitors in 12 rooms. It's small, intimate, and all about experience and privacy. It will cater to all your needs and more and is the perfect, peaceful hub from which to explore Nairobi and the surroundings. That is of course if you can find space at the hotel. It's incredibly popular and almost always fully booked, well in advance. It was bought by Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartly in 2009 and ever since has been transformed into one of the most popular and recognized hotels in the world.
Giraffe Manor is aptly named. It has a resident herd of Rothchild's Giraffe, the main attraction and reason for its popularity. If you're lucky, the giraffes will interact with you during the morning and evenings and the resulting images and experience are the exact reason why Giraffe Manor has become so popular over the past decade.
The interactions with the resident giraffe are what the experience is based upon. Upon arrival, you get to hand-feed, pose with and interact with the giraffe in a fantastic setting in front of the manor house. It sets the bar high and you're immediately in love with the experience.
Insider Tip From Marlon du Toit
Spend atleast 2 nights at Giraffe Manor. You'll find that the first morning is completely overwhelming, in a good way. There's so much to experience with the giraffe at your bedroom window, at breakfast, on the patio and more that you'll find it's all over before it even began. If you spend 2 nights here you'll have enough time to get both the pictures you want, and you'll be able to soak in the experience and remember it well.
The following morning before dawn, you'll likely have a giraffe or two outside your window waiting for a snack. You'll have a bowl of treats in your room and you can feed the giraffe from your balcony, an incredible way to wake up & start the day. Before booking at Giraffe Manor, make sure you choose your room wisely. Not all of the rooms at Giraffe Manor have access to the giraffe. What this means is that you'll not get to interact with them in the early morning before breakfast. It might not seem like a big deal, but when you see everyone in their robes on their balconies feeding the giraffe, you'll wish you did exactly this.
Breakfast at Giraffe Manor is a whole other story! This is where the "instagrammable" qualities of Giraffe Manor truly start to stand out!
Can you imagine having breakfast with a giraffe? Well, here you can. Well just about!
Every morning the giraffe are allowed to step onto the terrace and they come and interact with everyone in and around the breakfast area of the hotel. This is an experience that you'll never forget. Tanya and Mikey were extremely clever in how they prepared this experience for their clients. It's been tailor-made for social media and the content gathered here by visitors is shared daily with their followers around the world. You can hug a giraffe, feed them, stand right next to them, have them eat from your table, and even stick their necks through the stunning windows in the breakfast room to join you at the table. It's like nothing you've experienced before and certainly something you'll never forget.
Giraffe Manor is on the outskirts of Nairobi and the perfect place to relax after a safari to the Masai Mara, Amboseli, and even Tanzania's Serengeti. You can arrange transfers into the city for all sorts of purposes, visit the Giraffe Centre or even visit Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to experience the great work they do with orphaned elephants. Giraffe Manor and The Safari Collection are also actively involved in many community and conservation projects of which you can learn more of during your visit.
Visit Giraffe Manor
In order to enjoy all that's on offer at The Safari Collection's Giraffe Manor, we suggest a stay of no less than 2 nights. This allows a full day of relaxation. Combine your stay with one of The Safari Collection's other lodges to create a magical Kenyan safari experience to remember.
