Giraffe Manor Nairobi

[TartanHare]

This is my dream. I've got a major birthday coming up in 2020 and this is where I would love to celebrate! Has anybody been? Is it as amazing as it looks? Do the giraffes really have breakfast with you? Is it worth the price tag?
Also where else do you recommend in Kenya? I would probably try to do a safari trip for a few nights.

I have no idea, but it is somewhere I'd really like to go too, so am posting for a hopeful bump.

Yes. We have been but before it was modernised! Room rates were less lofty back then. Monica Gulatti and Giles Coren visited so you know it’s pricy when it’s has it’s own tv programme! How much is it now?

The house is in a leafy suburb of Nairobi and the giraffes are in the garden. The staff put food in metal bowls and rattle The giraffes respond and come to eat. You can hold the bowls. We didn’t have one stick it’s head into the dining area but we fed them from the grassy area next to the house. They keep Rothschild giraffes which are quite a rare species.

Is it worth it? At the very high cost I assume they now charge, I’m not sure. It’s a lovely old house and it’s atmospheric staying there but it’s really a little zoo for giraffes. On balance I love to see them striding out on the plains where they can go anywhere. My DDs enjoyed the feeding though.

Sorry - I missed the other section of your query.

In late July/August/September you have the wildebeeste migration from Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya. This concentrated millions of animals in a relatively small area.

The best camps have access to the Mara River where you might see a crossing of the wildebeeste from one side to another. That’s an amazing sight. The camps I would recommend are either Governor’s Camp or Little Governor’s Camp. Big Cat Diary was based at the former but Little Governors is smaller. It’s special.

There are also camps by the Takek River such as the Mara Explorer which is perfect for a quieter luxury safari as it’s away from the bigger camps. Stay inside the park if you can.

There are other areas you can visit such as Mount Kenya, Samburu and Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru for a different view of Kenya and, as these are in the Great Rift Valley, you experience this as well. Samburu is arid and has different species of wildlife. However the camps are by the river and tend to be small.

I would do safari for at least a week but mostly in the Mara. A few nights just gets you to one area. If that’s all you do, it has to be the Mara. Fly in. There is an airstrip at Governors. You would be missing out on other exciting areas though.

Haven’t been to giraffe manor but have been to Kenya this year.

We split our trip between the Rift Valley and Masai Mara - 2 nights at Lake Nakuru, 1 at Lake Naivasha, 4 in the Mara. We then flew on to Zanzibar for the beach.

Lake Nakuru is totally different to the Mara, it’s an enclosed park, but still worth seeing. We saw 4 rhinos (both black and white) at Nakuru, which are pretty rare to see in the Mara. Also lots of flamingos, and Rothschilds giraffes, lions, buffalo, baboons etc.

We were in the Mara at the time of the migration and seeing all the huge herds was fantastic! Definitely recommended.

We went to Giraffe Manor on our honeymoon. We are planning to return in 2020 as well, as that will be our 10th anniversary and we both have landmark birthdays that year too! I love giraffe and it was an amazing experience and completely worth the money to me. They did stick their heads in the windows - both for breakfast and through the bedroom window too. I even got to "kiss" a giraffe. Add to that, the food there was really, really good. I've not yet looked at prices, but I'm guessing it's gone up since we went before!

We went on from there to Lake Nakuru - the flamingos were amazing and we saw a leopard and lots of rhino here. We then moved on to Little Governors and saw the start of the wildebeest migration. We did a hot air balloon from here too, with champagne breakfast after landing. The last part of the trip we spent on the coast near Mombasa which was very relaxing - we were at an all inclusive resort and had a private chef each evening which was amazing. I'd recommend splitting the time up as there is a limit to how much safari you can do - eventually it will just become driving around looking for or at the same things.

We don't "do" package holidays normally or use travel agents, but booked our honeymoon trip through Kuoni and would certainly look at using them again as they were very good - bear in mind it was over 8 years ago though!

Giraffe Manor is now around £400 to £650 per person per night. It’s not the same as 8 years ago! We paid more like £250 for a room.

When you are really interested in animals, what you can see does differ from reserve to reserve. Even within a reserve there are different areas which are habitats for different animals. Depends on how deep your interest is though.

Maybe one night at Giraffe Manor and another at the Norfolk in Nairobi which would be cheaper and give you a different kind of experience- it used to be the centre of the 'Happy Valley' set and give you a bit of a feel of British Colonial life? I lived in Nairobi till I was 10 and we travelled a great deal - my favourite places were Lake Naivasha, Mount Kenya, going safari in Tsavo and the beaches in Mombassa. I have to disagree (sorry, just personal opinion!) with the PP's comment about the Mara being the best place to safari - depends on the time of year and what you're looking for and how many tourist trucks you want to encounter. I imagine using a reputable local company would save you a lot of money as compared to one of the big tour operators.

Should have added Amboselli as well for a safari - basically it's a brilliant country and I've only covered a fraction of the places you could cover!

Hi Tartanhare,
Kenya has 54-55 National parks and reserves so a lot to see.

I agree with Caroian and Bubblesbuddy for the places to go. Here are my two recommendations (depending on how far you want to travel and how much time you want to spend in each park):

1. Amboselli (Sjane45S's recommendation) has large elephant herds, is home to the "Big 5", and has an observation hill where you can observe the whole park to see all the swamps and elephants. Of course, there's also Mount Kilimanjaro in view!
2. The Masai Mara is the most famous reserve at the northern end of the famous migration in July onwards. The Masai Mara is famous for it's black maned Mara lions and you'll also find cheetahs, elephants, kongoni, topi, Thompson’s gazelle, waterbuck, hyena, and primates lurking (must be my eyesight but I had to have them all pointed out to me when they were camouflaged - should've gone to Specsavers beforehand).

There are lots of others - let me know if you'd like more. I agree with Caroian - I've attached a pic from Lake Nakuru.

SJane: I’ve been to all the reserves you mention but for a first timer, the Mara is better for the traditional safari experience. The Norfolk doesn’t have much 1930s ambience to it. Certainly modernised.

Tsavo can appear devoid of animals and Amboselli is wildly overcrowded! It’s a car park. At the migration, the Mara is busy but there are camps that are out of the way and you can have a unique experience. It’s a case of deciding what you want to see, when you are going and budget.

You've obviously spent a very significant amount of time in Kenya Bubbles to have been everywhere I've mentioned. As before, I lived there for 10 years and hands up, my knowledge is historic, it is also a child's knowledge. I was surprised at you describing Amboselli as a car park -certainly the very positive TripAdvisor reviews don't suggest everyone shares that opinion so perhaps it hasn't so significantly changed since we lived there. Part of the Norfolk was blown up when we lived in Nairobi and was cancelled but again recent reviews mention its architecture & remains of Colonial charm - at the very worst it's a nice centrally located hotel where many many famous people have stayed including Churchill & the Jaggers. The Mara when I was a child was where many of the tourists headed in their truck tours - tourism numbers went through a decline thanks to a number of attacks so I appreciate it might not get the visitor numbers it used to. However I would stick by my comment that what reserve you go for should be guided by time of year! And whether we agree or not, quite obvious i think that we both have a huge love of Kenya & who couldn 't ?!

Was re-built not was cancelled - must check more!

I’ve been to Giraffe manor. I also spend time in Kenya every year due to family connections.

I prefer the Mara for Safari. The Wilderbeast crossing is never to be forgotten.

At Samburu we saw elephants only. It’s just how lucky you are on the day and I’d combined that with a Mara Safari so it’s was all good.

Treetops is an interesting place to stay.

Giraffe Manor is nice but really just the kind of place you’d do an overnight stay in. I have an interest in Colonial Kenya and as well as the Giraffes I was interested in the house itself. Experience wise it was like stepping back in time and I loved it.

If you want to stay more than one night, and few people do, I would stay two and on the morning of the second day I’d go to the elephant orphanage which is close by.

If you like horses or horse racing a day out at the races in Nairobi is always a good day. It’s one of the reasons I go every year - my friend has horses and races them. But after that I then go down to the coast to stay with family. I highly recommend the new train service between Nairobi and Mombassa and not just because it really reduces speed going through Tsavo National Park and you see elephants galore.

I love my time in Kenya but more than that I’m really happy that through marriage it plays such a huge part in my life. It’s not for everyone though.

Bubbles - I paid local rate for Giraffe Manor last year and it was about 1000 dollars for the night. I had my own room and so did my friend so I’m not sure if that was the room rate or per person rate.

Op, you can also have the Giraffe experience by visiting the education centre run alongside the hotel.

Hello Polly. I quoted a rate from a travel agent experienced in safaris and it said to allow the amount I suggested. I have no reason to think that’s not accurate for stsndard British tourists. It definitely said per person. That’s why I was a bit shocked! If you paid in US$ then $1000 is around £800 so it could be room rate or individual. You may well get a better deal paying locally.

Amboselli has been overcrowded for years. Many keen safari goers give it a swerve. The Mara is overcrowded at migration time - for obvious reasons. However you can get away from the Mara River. The Talek River has its own eco system and it is worth staying in that area.

We have seen quite a few interesting species of animals in Samburu. The ostriches are the Somali variety and there are Grevys Zebra. Also the Rothschild giraffes. It’s a quieter park than many of the others and is arid.

I’m glad the elephants are making a comeback in Tsavo. There has been massive poaching there. It’s also great the railway is being used for tourists. Did they tell you about the man eating lions that killed the railway construction workers over a century ago! They came into the railway carriages!

You may well get a better deal paying locally.

It was booked and paid for locally.

Did they tell you about the man eating lions that killed the railway construction workers over a century ago! They came into the railway carriages!

No. They didn’t. But I knew about it anyway as I’m well up on Kenyan history given my family connections going back generations.

Bubbles, what it is about Africa that touches the very depth of a persons soul?

They have (or at least had if it's still there) the steam train that the lion got on & attacked the passengers in Nairobi, I think in the railway museum- I remember going into it as a child. There's also a spot on a wide bend as you drive down the valley on the way to Naivasha where a Brit eating a sandwich in the early Colonial period & was eaten by a lion. Shame if Amboselli is over crowded (& the overwhelmingly positive TripAdvisor reviews really don't suggest that at all but hey!)s it's such a beautiful park with Kili in the background. Try reading Karen Blixen Polly if you've not already - or The Flame Trees of Thika

Amboselli is where a lot of first time safari holidaymakers go. As did we in the early 1980s as it was all we could afford. It is very attractive but it gets a lot of visitors who may not have been elsewhere to compare. I’m not aware of people flying in so the tracks are busy with all the traffic. It’s a smallish Park so it’s more difficult to feel at one with nature: but Kilimanjaro is an awesome sight.

I have always wanted to do safari holidays! As a child I saw the animals on tv or in a zoo but always wanted to see them in their natural habitat. There is no substitute for that. We have been to various wildlife areas in several countries and we really like Botswana and Zambia. Walking safaris are one of the best experiences ever! Night safaris add an extra dimension too. We like small, personal, camps if possible. We have stayed in all sorts of bush camps and these are often magical. We actually enjoy seeing a wild cat, a serval, Rock hyraxes playing, a dung beetle pushing a huge piece of dung up an incline, spotting different species of animal, the thrill of seeing wild dogs and rhino, the tender care elephants give to their young and, never to be forgotten, the ritual of ostriches mating. Every time we have been on a safari holiday we have seen something special and we like the open spaces and solitude we can experience (except at wildebeeste migration time of course). We hope that by travelling to the countries the wildlife and habitat is preserved as much as possible. That’s an uphill struggle of course, but worth trying for.

Not been to giraffe manor (though I would love to!) but have done safari in Kenya. We visited amboselli (huge herds there and we actually didn't find it as busy as pp have said) we also did tsavo east and west - definitely harder work to spot wildlife than at amboselli but still saw the big five so would still highly recommend. It was a holiday of a lifetime.

Absolutely worth trying for Bubbles, couldn't agree more - unfortunately wildlife and animal attractions are big & often unsavoury business. My OH works for an International animal welfare organisaton and has done a lot of work with the big travel operators to develop ethical codes of practice. Tourism really can help preserve habitats and species as you say - there just really needs to be a lot more education (people are often unaware that what they're doing is harmful) in terms of what makes animal friendly tourism. Unfortunately at the moment, if you want to ensure you're being animal welfare friendly, it does mean independently checking up on all animal/wildlife connected places you want to visit in advance so as not to financially support the continuation of abuse - and importantly if you've spotted something unethical, making a noise about it. Sorry all - will get off the soapbox & off this thread! Hope the OP has a great time in Kenya - it's an incredibly special place.

I haven't been there but I have ad the experience of being nuzzled by a giraffe nose, almost orgasmic!