LANGATA · NAIROBI

Giraffe Manor

Giraffe Manor is one of the most photographed hotels on earth, a 1930s ivy-clad manor in the Nairobi suburb of Langata, set in leafy grounds overlooking the Ngong Hills and run by The Safari Collection. There are twelve individually decorated rooms, and a resident herd of endangered Rothschild's giraffes that roam the surrounding sanctuary and appear, famously, at the breakfast and afternoon-tea windows to be fed by hand. It is a singular experience, a genuine country-house hotel with a herd of giraffes for company, and it books out far in advance for exactly that reason.

Why it's on the list

There is simply nothing else like breakfast at Giraffe Manor. The giraffes poking their heads through the dining-room windows are the image that has made the place iconic, but the hotel beneath the spectacle is a warm, beautifully run 1930s manor with proper service and charm. The herd is part of a conservation story around the endangered Rothschild's giraffe, which gives the experience real substance, and the location next door to the Giraffe Centre and near the Sheldrick elephant orphanage makes it the perfect, joyful start or end to a Kenyan trip.

How to get there

The manor is in Langata, on the southern side of Nairobi, around 30 to 45 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and close to Wilson Airport for onward light-aircraft flights to the safari reserves. Transfers within Nairobi around check-in and check-out are included, along with transfers to nearby attractions, making it an easy and well-organised stop between the airport and the bush.

Nearest airport

Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO)

Drive time

30–45 minutes

Dining

On the property

Dining is all-inclusive at the manor, with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner all served, the giraffes joining guests at the sun-room windows during breakfast and afternoon tea. Meals are a country-house affair, and rates also include drinks (excluding premium wines and spirits), laundry, and entry to the neighbouring AFEW Giraffe Centre.

Nearby

Though meals are included at the manor, the surrounding Langata and Karen suburbs hold some of Nairobi's best restaurants for a change of scene, among them the Talisman, the farm-to-table Cultiva, and Tamambo at the Karen Blixen estate, all a short drive away alongside the area's wildlife centres and museums.

What guests say

Guests describe Giraffe Manor as a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience, with the giraffes at the breakfast table, at the bedroom balcony, and across the grounds the unforgettable highlight, set off by warm service and the charm of the historic house. The conservation angle is widely appreciated. The single most important piece of advice from guests: book as far ahead as possible, since the twelve rooms sell out many months in advance, and treat it as a magical one- or two-night experience rather than a long stay.

Summarised from guest reviews across TripAdvisor, Booking.com and published hotel reviews.

Good to know

Twelve rooms in a 1930s manor with a resident herd of endangered Rothschild's giraffes, all-inclusive, next to the AFEW Giraffe Centre. Encounters happen daily year-round; book months ahead.

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