Giraffe Manor

For those seeking a tame and personal out of Africa experience, this is a great option right on the outskirts of Nairobi.

The Giraffe Manor, built in 1932 by Sir David Duncan, is surrounded by 140 acres of its own park and forest thirty minutes from the centre of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, with superb views of the Ngong Hills. In 1974 Jock Leslie-Melville, grandson of a Scots earl, and his American wife Betty, who also founded the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW), bought the Manor. They then moved two highly endangered baby Rothschild giraffe to the estate, where they thrived and have produced several further generations of giraffe.

When Jock died, Betty decided to open her house, now called The Giraffe Manor, to visitors. It is the only place in the world where you can feed and photograph the giraffe over your breakfast table and at the front door, and even from a bedroom window.

Travellers from all over the world now make The Giraffe Manor part of their East African Safari. Some spend a week here and The Giraffe Manor has many repeat guests, who have become old friends. Personally hosted, The Giraffe Manor is an elegant and exclusive small hotel with a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained staff and one of Nairobi’s finest kitchens.

The Giraffe Manor also offers a uniquely untouched wilderness on the doorstep of one of Africa’s most cosmopolitan cities, the adjoining Jock Leslie-Melville Nature Education Centre, better known as the Giraffe Centre. Guided walks through its primeval forest enable you to learn about traditional uses of the varied flora, view some of the 180 bird species and perhaps meet a warthog or bushbuck.

There are five double/twin bedrooms at The Giraffe Manor. In addition, the Master Room interconnects with the Giraffe Room, which has two beds suitable for family members, chargeable at half the standard rate.

If you want to treat yourselves to something a bit different, this is great fun – but it is expensive!