Giraffe Manor – Go Eyeball to Eyeball with Giraffe

This past summer, my neighbors took a once in a lifetime family trip around the world, visiting 15 countries during a relatively short period of 35 days. The Rickards’ modes of transportation during their great adventure, according to rickardstravel.com, included “traveling via planes, cars, elephants, taxis, trains, metro systems, camels, boats and buses.” Accommodations included “Staying in bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, [and] chain hotels.”

One highlight of the Rickards’ trip was their stay in Kenya which they describe as “truly amazing and was probably everyone’s favorite spot.” While in Kenya, they stopped at Giraffe Manor, a small, super-lux hotel that is famous for its resident herd of giraffe. Two nights ago, I attended a cocktail party hosted by the Rickards in honor of the visiting Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, owners of Giraffe Manor and Specialised Safaris in Kenya. After a few Dawas (courtesy of Mikey), a drink made of sugar, vodka, limes and a dawa stick dipped in honey (similar to the Brazilian Caipirinha), we were treated to a presentation on Specialised Safaris which included highlights of the impressive Giraffe Manor.

Giraffe Manor is located just outside Kenya’s capital of Nairobi and is situated amongst 140 acres of indigenous forest. Modeled after a Scottish hunting lodge, Giraffe Manor boasts views of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the south and the Ngong Hills to the west. Having lost much of their natural habitat in western Kenya, two highly endangered Rothschild giraffe were moved to the estate in 1974 where future generations have thrived to this day. Visitors to Giraffe Manor can enjoy the unique experience of feeding and photographing the giraffe from the breakfast table. The Giraffe Center (AFEW Kenya) is also located on the property and, according to the website, was built “so that Kenyan school children could learn conservation/ecology and feed giraffe eyeball to eyeball!”

Giraffe Manor makes for a great place to get acclimated upon arriving in Nairobi, Kenya. For additional information, or to book your stay at Giraffe Manor, please visit their website.

IMAGES_VIA: giraffemanor.com

This article was originally posted at Brilliant Tips From BrilliantTrips.com.