Tucked away out on the east coast of Africa lies one of the most unique accommodations one could ever experience. Nairobi, Kenya is home to the world renowned Giraffe Manor. The manor was originally built in 1932 but wasn’t officially turned into a boutique hotel until the 1980’s. The allure ofGiraffe Manor has now soared to new heights since the advent of social media platforms like Instagram. The main selling point of the manor is the fact that you can literally have breakfast with giraffes! Imagine having a cup of coffee while two long-necked beauties eat off of your breakfast table. I mean, it doesn’t get much cooler than that. It’s a sure way to get your Instagram page going viral in a matter of posts!
Giraffe Manor goes out of their way to make you feel pampered. Their rates are inclusive of airport transportation or pick up/drop off within Nairobi, all meals, house wine, beers, spirits and laundry. The food is top-notch, 5-star quality. I can’t say had a one bad meal while I was there.
The challenge most people come to find out is that booking Giraffe Manor isn’t as simple as you’d think. You can’t simply decide today that you want to go for next month. It’s also not as straight-forward as hopping on Expedia and commencing your booking from there either. You see, it’s going to require a bit more groundwork but the effort will be so worth it in the end! So, let me help save you a bit of aggravation with some insider tips.
- In order to make reservations, you need to visit www.thesafaricollection.com. Here, you can see the availability of the rooms and it should be no surprise (because I warned you!) that the manor is fully booked for the near future. With this information in mind, you’re probably looking at 6-12months in planning. I say this because if you’re like me, you’d want to see Nairobi and a few neighboring countries in one go. Once you’ve decided on the days that you want to indulge in this luxury experience then you need to send the company an email stating this. They’ll respond back saying that they’ve reserved your requested dates for 10 days until you send them a deposit. By default, they’ll ask you to wire them a 30% deposit but you can request to pay by credit card instead.
Keep in mind that there are only 10 rooms in the manor. However, they do have extra rooms in the newer annex that you may be able to book if the original rooms are all taken. However, the classic breakfast room is in the original Giraffe Manor.
- Betty and Jock’s rooms are the two most popular rooms. Anyone seeking to feed thegiraffes right from the comfort of their own bedroom should look no further than these two rooms. And do not worry, the giraffeswill definitely come to your window! The room that I stayed in was Betty’s. Not only was it spacious and comfortable but it came with a huge terrace! This is what made me want to book Betty over Jock’s room.
- Giraffefeeding occurs twice a day. The first time you’ll have the opportunity to feed the giraffes is at high tea time which is around 5 or 6pm. The giraffes will approach the manor in hopes of being fed. Most of the animals will be present at this time (even the warthogs). You’ll have the chance to feed all of the giraffes for 1 to 2 hours. The second opportunity to feed the giraffes will be between 6-9am in the breakfast room. Every morning, the giraffes come to the kitchen windows to be fed by willing tourists. Now, depending on who the other tourists are, you may be competing quite a bit to get the best pictures possible. Understandably, everyone wants that epic photo to cherish forever but sometimes you just don’t want to have to deal with other people hogging up precious giraffetime. In this case, I’d suggest staying two days if the budget allows for it.
Another thing to note is that the giraffes are generally friendly. However, they do have a tendency to swing their heads at you if you tease them with food and don’t actually feed them. Animals are always unpredictable! However, I am unaware of any incidents involving the interaction between giraffes and tourists at the manor. Just remember that giraffes have a powerful kick that can kill a lion!
- For those who’ll be in Nairobi but either can’t shell out the $1200 USD a night or missed out on the last available room, you’ll be glad to know that you can still visitGiraffe Manor. If you contact the Safari Collection in advance, you can arrange a time for you to visit the property (most likely around high tea time) to feed the giraffes. If I’m not mistaken, this experience might even be free. If it matters to you, then the only down side would be that you won’t be able to have the breakfast experience thatGiraffe Manor is so famous for!
- GiraffeManor has a strict check out time of 10am. This means that if your flight is later in the day then you’re going to need to find something to do to kill time. I strongly suggest that you do find something to do because that Nairobi airport is horrible! There nothing to do inside the airport AND there isn’t even any WiFi.
- If you were hoping to get some epic aerial footage of the manor then I’m sorry to burst your bubble. Unfortunately, flying drones is prohibited on the property. I believe that management is concerned that the drones will be bothersome for thegiraffes. Additionally, I was told by staff that flying drones are prohibited in the country of Kenya.
So, there you have it! The experience at Giraffe Manor is truly incredible and nothing short of memorable. All of the staff is wonderful, the food is terrific, the vibe is awesome and picture opportunities are simply stellar! With the above info, you too will soon be making all of your Instagram followers jealous! That’s the reason you should go anywhere nowadays right (sarcasm)?! But seriously, you too will soon be on your way to having the most epic accommodation experience you may ever have in your life!