Anyone for breakfast with giraffe? It’s a daily occurrence at Giraffe Manor outside Nairobi in Kenya. There you are in your bedroom and next thing a giraffe’s face is at your window. At breakfast they reach in for some pellets from the breakfast table. I remember opening the front door of Giraffe Manor but couldn’t get out as I was blocked by a forest of legs; no body, no head – they were far above the door frame. I didn’t like to go under!

It may not be in the wilds of the Masai Mara and you may not have to go on an exciting search for animals because here they come to you, but Giraffe Manor is a safari experience that has stuck with me for many years. It’s probably one of the places you’ll talk more about after your safari than anywhere else. And here’s why…..

“EVERYTHING GOOD YOU’VE EVER HEARD ABOUT GIRAFFE MANOR IS TRUE”

It is one of few very close encounters you’ll ever get with giraffe and one which, trust me, you will never forget. Summarised by a guest who reported on Trip Advisor in January 2016, “This is the most unique hotel we have visited. We read reviews but never imagined we would have so much personal contact with the lovely giraffes. We fed them at tea time, again after supper, and then in the morning from daybreak until after breakfast. Nothing had prepared us for such a wonderful experience. Room Tip: Go for Betty’s Room; best room for giraffes and also has a terrace.”

Here’s another Trip Advisor comment from February 2016,” My wife and I have NEVER been to anyplace where we had high expectations that not only met them but exceeded in every way. Everything you have ever read or seen about Giraffe Manor is TRUE!!! It’s an experience beyond your wildest dreams. If I could give it 10 stars I would.”

ADD GIRAFFE MANOR TO YOUR KENYA ITINERARY

Ok, you get the picture….even if you don’t need to stay in Nairobi on your way into or out of Kenya safari destinations, make sure you add a couple of nights at Giraffe Manor into your itinerary. With only 10 luxury rooms including family facilities and one with wheelchair access, it’s well placed in the suburb of Karen to visit other ‘must see’ attractions like the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (orphaned elephants) and the Karen Blixen Museum (Out of Africa), Kazuri Beads (gifts for friends) and Matbronze Gallery (beautiful bronze gifts for you!)

By the way, the giraffes at Giraffe Manor are rather special. They are Rothschild’s Giraffe, here as part of a captive breeding programme aiming to expand the gene pool of this endangered giraffe subspecies. They only occur in Kenya and Uganda, so your encounter with them is doubly special as there are only a few places in the world they can be seen.

Have you been licked by a giraffe at Giraffe Manor?

Video URL https://youtu.be/5O3PuhVUeHg