Giraffe Manor: Breakfast With Giraffes
GetTripGo Travel Desk · Nairobi
Giraffe Manor is the reason half the internet knows what a Rothschild's giraffe looks like — a 1930s manor house on the edge of Nairobi where resident giraffes wander up to the windows each morning and, more often than not, poke their heads inside looking for breakfast. It's one of the most recognizable stays in Africa, and one of the shortest to book out.
Quick Facts
- Location: Nairobi, adjacent to the Giraffe Centre, roughly 20 minutes from the city center.
- Signature experience: Resident Rothschild's giraffes visit the manor's windows during breakfast and dinner.
- Rooms: A small number of intimate suites in the original 1930s manor house — availability is limited and books up far in advance.
- Conservation link: Connected to the Rothschild's giraffe breeding and release program run through the neighboring Giraffe Centre.
The Story Behind the Manor
The manor itself dates to the 1930s, built in a colonial Scottish baronial style that feels almost transplanted from the Scottish Highlands into the Nairobi hills. It later became home to a family who began raising orphaned and endangered Rothschild's giraffes on the grounds as part of a conservation effort — a subspecies that had dwindled to critically low numbers in the wild at the time.
That conservation project evolved into what's now the Giraffe Centre next door, and the giraffes that live semi-wild on the grounds are descendants of that original breeding and rehabilitation effort — meaning a stay here connects directly to a genuine species recovery story, not just a novelty photo opportunity.
Breakfast (and Dinner) With Giraffes
The signature moment happens at breakfast, when the resident giraffes wander over from the surrounding grounds and lean their heads through the dining room windows looking for a handful of pellets, often placed directly in guests' hands or even mouths for the giraffe to take gently. It's playful and genuinely surprising even if you've seen the photos beforehand — the giraffes are enormous up close, and remarkably gentle around guests they've grown used to.
The same thing tends to happen at afternoon tea and sometimes dinner too, though morning is generally the most reliable and popular time, since the giraffes are most active and hungry after overnight browsing on the grounds.
What to Know Before Booking
Giraffe Manor has a small number of rooms, and demand from travelers building the experience into a broader Kenya itinerary means availability books out many months, and often over a year, in advance for peak travel periods. If Giraffe Manor is a priority for your trip, it's worth locking in a booking well before finalizing the rest of your itinerary around it.
Most visitors treat Giraffe Manor as a one- or two-night bookend to a longer safari itinerary rather than the entire trip, given its Nairobi location — it pairs naturally with an arrival or departure day, or a short break between longer stretches out in the bush.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Giraffe Manor located?
In Nairobi, adjacent to the Giraffe Centre, roughly 20 minutes from the city center — making it easy to combine with an arrival or departure day.
Do the giraffes really put their heads through the windows?
Yes — resident Rothschild's giraffes regularly approach the dining room windows during breakfast and other meals looking for pellets from guests.
How far in advance should I book Giraffe Manor?
Well in advance — often a year or more for peak periods, given the limited number of rooms and high demand from travelers building it into their Kenya itinerary.
Is Giraffe Manor connected to a conservation program?
Yes — it's linked to the neighboring Giraffe Centre's Rothschild's giraffe breeding and rehabilitation program, which the resident giraffes descend from.