Giraffes enjoy run of the land at the 1930s Giraffe Manor.–Courtesy The Safari Collection/Giraffe Manor
When Nairobi is green during the rainy season cute warthogs meander around the Giraffe Manor lawn serving as mini lawnmowers. As the sun sets over the distant Ngong Hills, the little guys are pure entertainment when you kick back on the property’s patios to nurse an extra-large bottle of local Tusker lager. Or, maybe you prefer to sit back with a G and T in the plush drawing room, where you’ll enjoy an equally fine view out the picture windows.
The big draw at Giraffe Manor is, of course, the namesake creatures who are thoroughly habituated to living on the hotel compound. At present, the property has nine individuals from the endangered Rothschild species who come around to the vine-clad manor insisting on snacks which the staff keeps available in handy pellet form.
With drink in one hand, you’ll soon get the hang of holding out your other hand and having an 18-inch-long tongue nimbly extract every morsel. And you and the giraffes will play this game for as long as they decide to keep hanging out before ambling back into the woods.
The big draw at Giraffe Manor is, of course, the namesake creatures who are thoroughly habituated to living on the hotel compound. At present, the property has nine individuals from the endangered Rothschild species who come around to the vine-clad manor insisting on snacks which the staff keeps available in handy pellet form.
With drink in one hand, you’ll soon get the hang of holding out your other hand and having an 18-inch-long tongue nimbly extract every morsel. And you and the giraffes will play this game for as long as they decide to keep hanging out before ambling back into the woods.
Before retiring for candlelight dinner in the intimate wood-paneled dining room, you will want to explore the manor’s several outer buildings, including an orchid house and a gift shop of high-quality Kenyan crafts. Visual artists displayed in the manor are for sale as well: In the high-ceilinged lobby hang several of Alexandra Spytlatos’s large format, mixed-media giraffe paintings. Nairobi-born Andrew Kamiti is a self-taught artist known for his bird paintings; silver animals rendered in the lost wax technique are by jewelry maker Patrick Mavros.
Resident giraffes just can't stay out of the manor's breakfast room. –Courtesy The Safari Collection/Giraffe Manor
You can further entertain yourself reading nature books by the huge fireplace in the drawing room which is filled with wool rugs and objets like an old Victrola. Photos from the early-1930s when the manor was new depict stars like Ava Gardner and Clarke Gable, and show ranch hands lassoing rhinos in order to transfer them in those pre-tranquilizer days. For fans of those old Out of Africa days, the Karen Blixen Museum in her former home is minutes away.
Not far away too is the celebrated David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where twice a day the public can watch staff feed baby elephants as they wallow in mud pits. You won’t want to leave without fostering an individual elephant whose entire life bio will be shared with you. Right next door to the manor, the Giraffe Centre supports education and conservation.
Back at Giraffe Manor, you’ll always find a hot water bottle under your sheets, and a nightly giraffe fun fact card placed on the bedstand (e.g., giraffes only sleep five minutes at a time). Come morning, the pacing giants are active again. Just be careful as you enjoy your breakfast of eggs, fresh fruit, and Kenyan coffee, as they will poke their neck through the window and perhaps whack you hard on the head. Just grab some food pellets and start taking those selfies.
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