The Giraffe Manor, the experience of a lifetime.
A manor from the 30’s, stunning art decoration, and surrounded by giraffes. These are the ingredients you need for an amazing adventure. Located in Kenya about twelve kilometres from the Capital, Nairobi. The Giraffe Manor offers a once in a lifetime experience like you have not seen anywhere else; a unique opportunity to sleep with giraffes.
A noble cause
More than a hotel, The Giraffe Manor has been created to help to preserve the Rothschild species. This story began in 1932, when the Scottish-type manor was built. Forty years later, the property was sold to a Scottish count, Jock Leslie Melville and his wife Betty. At that time, three giraffes had already taken up residence on the terrain.Therefore, the owners decided to transform the house and the park into a sanctuary for this endangered species.
Betty was nicknamed “The Giraffe Lady”. She spent her life fighting for them and founded the AFEW (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife) and the “Giraffe Centre” in 1974. It is one if the biggest wildlife study centre in Nairobi.When her husband died, she opened the manor and started to donate the incomes to the organisation. Even now, 90% of the revenue is given to the AFEW.
Unusual experience
“What are you doing this week end?”
“I’m going to sleep with the giraffes!”
What an unusual conversation, right? This is exactly what I told my colleague last month, while I was holding the flight tickets in my hands. I am the adventurous type and I am always looking for out of the ordinary experiences. Experiences like sleeping in a yurt, forest huts, boats, or even igloos, but never have I had the chance to sleep with wild animals. So, the moment I caught word of this hotel, I immediately started to check flights to Africa.
For three days, I was as close as possible to those majestic animals, and it was the most magical moment of my life. Every morning and every night, they came near the house, poking at the window and asking for a treat. I have never had better roommates and having breakfast together was a blessing. With the healers, I fed the giraffes and learned a lot about them. The Rothschild’s giraffe, for example, is one of the most endangered subspecies of the giraffe as we know it.
The manor is in the middle of a 48 km2 private terrain where the giraffes can live freely. It offers ten lovely rooms to enjoy your stay and best part is that one of the rooms is disabled-friendly. The environment is very calm and green. If you have seen the film “Out of Africa”, you have a certain idea of what the landscape looks like. The food is delicious and there is also a shop to buy souvenirs of this trip. Whatever, the hotel is pretty popular. If you want to spend a night or two in the sanctuary, you should book ahead of time. I had to wait about two months to have a room, but it is worth it. Trust me.
Since the creation of the centre, the Rothschild’s Giraffe population has increased greatly. From ninety giraffes back then, there are more than six hundred giraffes today in the whole world. I never thought that going on holidays would have been that rewarding. I did not “just” enjoy a giraffe time, I participated in helping their growth and I’m also more aware of their situation. The Giraffe Manor has been an indescribable adventure that I will remember for a long time.
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