The defining moment at Giraffe Manor happens at breakfast. A resident herd of endangered Rothschild’s giraffes wanders across the lawns of this 1930s house on the edge of Nairobi’s indigenous forest. They push their long necks through the dining-room windows and take pellets from the table between your mouthfuls of toast, an encounter no other house in Kenya can offer.
Its twelve acres sit within a much larger stretch of forest
For all that it lies inside the city limits, in the leafy suburbs of Karen and Langata, the manor keeps a quiet, semi-rural calm. Its twelve acres sit within a much larger stretch of forest, screened from the traffic and the noise. Reach it in forty-five to sixty minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and less from Wilson, and it becomes the natural first or final night in Kenya.
It was Sir David Duncan, of the Mackintosh’s toffee family, who built the house in 1932, modelling it on a Scottish hunting lodge whose stone walls are now thick with ivy. The giraffe story began later. In 1974 Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville brought two young Rothschild’s giraffes, Daisy and Marlon, onto the estate and founded the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife to help save a declining subspecies. In time the house opened as a small hotel.
Tanya grew up in the neighbourhood and visited the manor as a child
Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley are Kenyans with deep roots in the country’s safari and conservation world. Tanya grew up in the neighbourhood and visited the manor as a child. When the couple acquired it in April 2009 they turned it, under their care, into one of the most sought-after places to stay in Kenya, often booked to a single night through the July-to-October high season.
The giraffes are not brought in for the day. They live year-round on the estate and the adjoining sanctuary shared with the AFEW Giraffe Centre next door, moving freely between forest and lawn. At the morning and late-afternoon feeding times they drift up to the house, and guests hand them pellets from the terrace, from the front door, and in several rooms from a bedroom window or balcony. The herd forms part of a breeding programme that has returned Rothschild’s giraffes, a subspecies also classified as the Nubian giraffe, to the wild across Kenya.
Beyond the lawns, the manor makes a natural base for the wildlife and cultural sites clustered around Karen. There is the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage, the Karen Blixen Museum, and Nairobi National Park, where lions, rhinos and buffalo range within sight of the city skyline. Private vehicles and guides can be arranged for these excursions, and helicopter charters where a longer reach is wanted. It is a rare thing, wild country pressed up against a capital city.
At the morning and late-afternoon feeding times they drift up to the house
A second wing, the Garden Manor, was added in 2011 using reclaimed period materials, so that it sits comfortably against the original house. Between the two buildings there are twelve rooms dressed in antique trunks, four-poster beds and period furnishings. It is worth being honest: this is an old country house, romantic and full of character rather than sleek and modern. Its charm lies in the ivy, the wood floors and the animals on the lawn, not in polish.
The rhythm of a stay turns on the two feeding sessions and the meals around them. Breakfast is the centrepiece, taken at long tables where the giraffes lean in for pellets, and afternoon tea follows on the terrace as the herd drifts past. Between times the hours open out to a pool and spa, to croquet and boules on the lawns, and to the neighbouring Giraffe Centre for a longer look at the conservation work. It suits families, couples and anyone drawn to close, gentle contact with wildlife, though children need supervision while the giraffes are about.
accommodation
Twelve individually decorated rooms split between the 1932 Historic Manor and the 2011 Garden Manor, including family suites such as the Karen Blixen Suite. Each has an ensuite bathroom, four-poster or period beds, antique trunks and garden views. Many have terraces or windows from which guests can feed the giraffes directly.
activities
Feeding the giraffes at breakfast and afternoon tea is the centrepiece, alongside a pool, spa, and croquet on the lawns. The neighbouring AFEW Giraffe Centre is on foot. Private game drives can be arranged in Nairobi National Park, along with visits to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage, the Karen Blixen Museum, and helicopter charters onward.
conservation
The giraffes descend from a Rothschild's breeding programme founded by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville through the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, which has returned animals to the wild. The manor partners with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and runs a giraffe sponsorship scheme, while supporting local community and education projects across Kenya.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
No domestic flight is needed. Giraffe Manor sits on the edge of Nairobi's Karen and Langata suburbs, 45 to 60 minutes by road from Jomo Kenyatta International airport and less from Wilson, so it is a natural first or last night in Kenya. We arrange the transfer to meet your flight.
One practical point: the Manor is extremely popular and books up many months ahead, often close to a year for the peak season, so it is worth deciding early. We can hold dates as soon as your plans firm up.
Nairobi is one of the few parts of Kenya that official guidance treats as very low risk for malaria, its highland altitude of around 1,700 metres and urban setting keeping transmission low, so the CDC and TravelHealthPro class the city as very low risk rather than a standard malaria zone. Low risk is not the same as no risk.
We do not make medical recommendations, and we would not want to. We arrange travel; we are not doctors. Which tablets suit you, how they sit with anything else you take, and what is right for a child are questions for your own doctor or a travel clinic. On the practical part, dusk is the hour that matters, so long sleeves, long trousers and repellent are worth the packing space.
Nairobi's altitude keeps the climate mild the year round, with warm days and cool evenings, so the giraffes come to breakfast in pleasant air whatever the month. The rains bring afternoon showers.
Pack light layers with a jumper for the evenings, and comfortable clothes for the house and grounds. Bring a camera, since the breakfast encounter with the giraffes is the reason most guests come.
Giraffe Manor is a year-round destination rather than a seasonal one, since the resident giraffes and the setting do not depend on the wildlife calendar, and Nairobi stays mild throughout. It works as a first or last night whenever your international flights bring you through the city.
The main constraint is availability rather than season: the Manor is heavily booked, so the practical advice is to plan your dates early rather than around the weather.
The defining moment is breakfast, when the resident herd of endangered Rothschild's giraffes wanders across the lawns and pushes long necks through the dining-room windows to take pellets from the table between your mouthfuls, an encounter no other house in Kenya offers. Many rooms have terraces or windows from which you can feed them directly.
Alongside the giraffes there is a pool, a spa, croquet on the lawns and the neighbouring giraffe centre on foot, and private game drives in Nairobi National Park can be arranged. Most guests stay a night or two, since the experience is really built around the mornings with the giraffes.
Very much so. Children of all ages are welcome, and the giraffes at the windows are about as good as a family wildlife moment gets, so it is one of the most child-pleasing places in Kenya. There are family suites, such as the Karen Blixen Suite, for those wanting rooms together.
Because it is so popular with families, we would encourage booking well ahead to secure the rooms you need. Tell us your children's ages and we will arrange the right suite.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
