Giraffe Manor is a 12-room boutique hotel in a 1932 manor house in Lang’ata, on the south-western edge of Nairobi, where a resident herd of Rothschild’s giraffes wanders the grounds. The giraffes often put their heads through the windows at breakfast and visit at afternoon tea. Only staying guests can join these meals, so you need to book a night.
Sense of Adventure is a TRA-licensed private safari company based at Mountain Mall on Thika Road, Nairobi. We add the manor to the start or end of tailor-made Kenya safaris for families, couples and travel agents’ clients. This guide explains how a stay works, what the booking rules mean for you, and how to plan the rest of your trip around it.
✅ Giraffe Manor: Quick Answer
- ✅ A 12-room hotel in a 1932 manor house in Lang’ata, south-west Nairobi, run by The Safari Collection.
- ✅ Rothschild’s giraffes visit at breakfast and afternoon tea, which are for staying guests only.
- ✅ One night is the usual stay, ideally at the end of your safari.
- ✅ Many guests book 12 to 18 months ahead; combining Safari Collection camps can open extra rooms.
- ✅ The manor usually closes from mid-April to mid-May for maintenance.
- ✅ If it is full, the AFEW Giraffe Centre next door is open to the public every day.
Want breakfast with the giraffes?
Tell us your travel window and we will check which nights are open and how to fit them around your safari.
Giraffe Manor: The Short Answer
Giraffe Manor is one of the most famous hotels in Africa, best for one special night in Nairobi at the start or end of a safari.
You check in around midday, meet the giraffes at afternoon tea on the terrace, and wake to them at the windows the next morning. The giraffes are not tame pets kept in pens. They roam the property and the neighbouring Giraffe Centre, and they tend to come to the house at feeding times. Visits are very likely but, as with any animals, never guaranteed.
| Giraffe Manor: quick facts | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Gogo Falls Road, Lang’ata, south-west Nairobi |
| Built | 1932, by Sir David Duncan, in the style of a Scottish hunting lodge |
| Operator | The Safari Collection, owned by the Carr-Hartley family since 2009 |
| Rooms | 12 bedrooms in the Main Manor and the Garden Manor |
| Giraffes | Rothschild’s giraffes that also use the AFEW Giraffe Centre next door |
| Meals with giraffes | Breakfast and afternoon tea, for staying guests only |
| Annual closure | Usually from mid-April to mid-May for maintenance |
The History of Giraffe Manor
The house began as a private home in 1932 and became famous through the Leslie-Melville family’s work to save Rothschild’s giraffes.
A Scottish-Style Lodge in Nairobi
Sir David Duncan built the house in 1932, modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge, with ivy-clad walls and wood-panelled rooms. It stood on a large estate that was then well outside the city. Today the suburbs have grown up around it, but the grounds remain green and quiet.
Daisy and the Leslie-Melvilles
In 1974 Betty and Jock Leslie-Melville bought the house. They took in a young Rothschild’s giraffe called Daisy, and Betty wrote about her in the book Raising Daisy Rothschild. Their concern for the subspecies led them to found the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) Kenya in 1979.
From Family Home to Hotel
Later the house opened to guests, and in 2009 Mikey and Tanya Carr-Hartley bought it. It is now part of The Safari Collection, which also runs safari camps elsewhere in Kenya. The name Giraffe Manor, and the photographs of giraffes at the breakfast table, have since become known worldwide.
How a Night at Giraffe Manor Works
A typical stay is one night: arrive at midday, meet the giraffes at tea, and see them again at breakfast before you leave for your safari.
Afternoon Tea on the Terrace
Your first encounter is usually at afternoon tea, when the giraffes come up to the terrace. Staff usually provide pellets for you to offer them and explain how to feed them calmly. Use the pellets provided only, and follow staff advice.
Breakfast With the Giraffes
The famous moment comes at breakfast, when the giraffes lean through the open windows of the dining room. Depending on your room, you may also see them at your bedroom window. It is noisy, joyful and very photogenic, so bring a wide-angle lens or use your phone’s wide setting.
Food and Inclusions
Meals and most drinks are normally included in the rate, and a visit to the Giraffe Centre next door is easy to arrange. Rates, inclusions and activity options change each year, so we confirm the latest terms in your written quote.
Feeding and Photography Etiquette
- Offer only the pellets the staff give you, one at a time, on a flat open hand.
- Stay calm and let the giraffe come to you; never grab at its head or neck.
- Keep food, sugar and napkins on the table out of reach, as giraffes are curious.
- Turn off your camera flash and use a wide setting to fit the long neck into the frame.
- Give other guests a turn at the window, especially at the busy breakfast hour.
Getting There and Timing Your Arrival
The manor is close to Wilson Airport, where most light aircraft to the safari areas depart, so it fits neatly before or after a fly-in safari. The drive from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport depends heavily on Nairobi traffic, so allow plenty of time. Aim to arrive by early afternoon, because afternoon tea is your first chance to meet the giraffes, and a late flight can mean missing it.
Departure usually follows breakfast, so plan onward light-aircraft flights from Wilson for late morning or later. If you are flying home instead, many long-haul departures leave Nairobi in the evening, which leaves time after your Giraffe Manor breakfast for the elephant orphanage, a museum or some craft shopping in Karen.
Giraffe Manor Rooms and the Garden Manor
The 12 bedrooms are split between the original Main Manor and the Garden Manor, and the rooms you can book depend partly on the rest of your itinerary.
Main Manor Rooms
The rooms in the original house carry most of the history, with period furniture and character. Some are larger suites, and a few look directly onto the areas the giraffes visit. Room names and layouts vary, so tell us if a giraffe-facing window matters to you.
The Garden Manor
The Garden Manor is a separate building in the grounds with six bedrooms. These rooms have been set aside for guests who also stay at other Safari Collection camps, which is why combining properties can make a booking easier.
Families and Children
The manor welcomes families, and children usually love the giraffes. Ask us about room configurations and any age rules before you book, especially if you need connecting rooms or extra beds.
At Giraffe Manor, younger children are often happiest at afternoon tea, when the giraffes come to the terrace and there is more room than at a busy breakfast table. Keep small hands flat when offering pellets and stay close, because giraffes are large animals that can swing their heads quickly. A visit to the Giraffe Centre’s raised platform earlier in the day helps nervous children feel confident.
Giraffe Manor Booking Rules and Lead Times
Book as early as you can: many guests plan 12 to 18 months ahead for the dates they want.
Why It Books So Early
With only 12 rooms and global demand, rooms for popular dates sell out long in advance. Peak safari months, the festive season and school holidays in Europe and the United States go first.
Combining With Other Safari Collection Camps
Some rooms are reserved for guests who combine the manor with other Safari Collection properties. If your dates are close, a combined itinerary can open availability that a single night would not. We can tell you which combinations make sense for your route and budget.
What Shapes the Price
Rates vary by season, room type and whether you combine properties, and they change each year. We send a written, fully costed quote with every line shown. For park costs elsewhere on your trip, see our Kenya national parks entrance fees for 2026 guide.
Only 12 rooms, booked many months ahead
Send us your dates now and we will check the manor, suggest combinations that can open rooms and return a written quote.
Best Time to Visit Giraffe Manor
The manor is open most of the year, so the best time depends on the safari you pair it with.
| Months | Nairobi weather | Pairing it with a safari |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | Warm and mostly dry | Great for the Mara, Amboseli and Laikipia |
| Mid-April to mid-May | Long rains | The manor usually closes for maintenance |
| June to October | Cool, dry, often grey mornings | Great Migration season in the Masai Mara |
| November to December | Short rains, green gardens | Good value outside the festive weeks |
Nairobi sits at about 1,700 metres above sea level, so mornings and evenings can be cool. Pack a warm layer for breakfast, when the windows are open. Closure dates can change, so we confirm them for your year.
What to Do Near Giraffe Manor
Lang’ata and Karen are full of easy half-day outings, so the manor fits naturally into a day or two in Nairobi.
The Giraffe Centre
The AFEW Giraffe Centre next door runs conservation education for Kenyan schoolchildren and is open to the public. It also helped move breeding groups of Rothschild’s giraffes to new homes such as Lake Nakuru National Park and Ruma. Read its story on the AFEW Giraffe Centre website.
Nairobi National Park and Other Outings
Nairobi National Park is close by and makes an excellent early-morning game drive; see our Nairobi National Park safari guide. Other favourites include the elephant orphanage, the Karen Blixen Museum and craft shopping. Our Nairobi day tours and the Nairobi shopping tour show what fits around your night.
Nairobi National Park is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), so park rules apply: stay in your vehicle except at marked sites and keep to the tracks. The elephant orphanage inside the park is run by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which sets its own visiting hour, so we time it with your manor check-in.
Where Else to Stay in Nairobi
If the manor is full, ask us about other characterful stays, or a hotel overlooking the park such as those in our Ole Sereni Nairobi guide. We can often arrange a Giraffe Centre visit for you instead.
Expert tip from our Nairobi team
Plan the manor for your last night rather than your first if you can. After a long-haul flight you may be tired, and a late arrival can mean missing afternoon tea. At the end of your safari you are rested and relaxed, and many international flights leave Nairobi late in the evening, so you can enjoy breakfast with the giraffes before your departure day.
Who Giraffe Manor Suits
The manor suits travellers who want one magical, highly photogenic night, and who are happy to book well ahead.
- Families: children of almost any age love meeting the giraffes up close.
- Honeymooners and couples: a memorable start or finish to a romantic trip; see our best honeymoon lodges in Kenya.
- Photographers and content creators: the breakfast scene is one of Kenya’s most famous images.
- Travel agents: a bucket-list stay that clients ask for by name, best booked well in advance.
How It Fits a Wider Trip
A popular route is one night at the manor, then a fly-in safari to the Masai Mara, Laikipia or Amboseli. Our luxury fly-in safari through the Mara, Laikipia and Lamu and our luxury Kenya safari packages show how this works. For road safaris, see our guide to a Kenya safari from Nairobi.
First night or last night with the giraffes?
We will look at your flights and safari route and suggest the night and the onward camps that work best.
Before You Travel
Check the latest UK government travel advice for Kenya, or your own government’s advice, before booking. For the wider science on giraffe conservation, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation is an excellent source, and the official Magical Kenya site helps with wider planning.
Giraffe Manor FAQs
Can you have breakfast with giraffes without staying at Giraffe Manor?
No. Breakfast and afternoon tea with the giraffes are for staying guests only, so you need to book at least one night. If the manor is full, you can still feed Rothschild’s giraffes from the raised platform at the AFEW Giraffe Centre next door, which is open to the public every day.
How far in advance should I book Giraffe Manor?
Many guests book 12 to 18 months ahead, and even earlier for fixed dates in peak season or school holidays. With only 12 rooms, popular dates sell out quickly. Combining your stay with other Safari Collection camps can sometimes open rooms at shorter notice, so ask us about combined itineraries.
Are the giraffes at Giraffe Manor guaranteed to visit?
Visits are very likely but never guaranteed. The giraffes roam the grounds and the neighbouring Giraffe Centre and usually come to the house at feeding times, especially breakfast and afternoon tea. Staff guide you on feeding them calmly with the pellets provided, and you should follow their advice at all times.
How many rooms does Giraffe Manor have?
Giraffe Manor has 12 bedrooms. Some are in the original 1932 Main Manor and six are in the separate Garden Manor, which is set aside for guests who also stay at other Safari Collection properties. Room sizes and views vary, so ask for a giraffe-facing window if it matters to you.
Where is Giraffe Manor located?
Giraffe Manor is on Gogo Falls Road in Lang’ata, on the south-western edge of Nairobi, beside the AFEW Giraffe Centre. It is close to Karen, Nairobi National Park and Wilson Airport, which makes it easy to combine with a fly-in safari. Road time from the main airport depends on traffic.
What kind of giraffes live at Giraffe Manor?
The giraffes are Rothschild’s giraffes, which many scientists now group with the Nubian giraffe. They are among the most threatened giraffe populations in Africa. The Leslie-Melville family founded AFEW Kenya in 1979 to help protect them, and the Giraffe Centre has helped move breeding groups to other Kenyan reserves.
Is Giraffe Manor worth it?
For many travellers, yes, as a single special night rather than a long stay. It is expensive and books far ahead, so it works best at the start or end of a safari. If the budget or dates do not work, a Giraffe Centre visit gives a close encounter for a fraction of the cost.
Plan Your Giraffe Manor Night and the Safari After It
Sense of Adventure is a TRA-licensed safari company based in Nairobi. We arrange the manor, your airport transfers and the safari that follows, with every cost shown in writing.
Prefer email? Write to reservations@senseofadventure.co.ke
Whether you stay at Giraffe Manor or visit the Giraffe Centre, the wild giraffes you meet later on safari live in parks run by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and in reserves with similar rules: stay in your vehicle, keep your distance and never feed wild animals.
