Giraffe Manor is my preferred first stop after my plane lands in Nairobi. Even though I am at Giraffe Manor for a brief stay each time, I always look forward to the warm hospitality of the staff, the crackling fire in the fireplace in the evenings and the first sights and smells of Africa after I land. I love that everything feels exactly the same as I last remember it. But in fact a few things have changed at Giraffe Manor — the only hotel in the world inside a Giraffe sanctuary — since I was there exactly a year prior.
A bit of a baby boom is going on at the Manor. In addition to a 1-month old baby born to Kelly last month, another was born to Daisy just two days before I arrived. The timing is particularly ironic as Daisy had just given birth to a baby exactly the same time a year ago when I was there. I must be channeling something.
At this moment, there are 12 giraffes on the acre private property: 6 adults and 6 babies, the most ever at Giraffe Manor. They are the endangered Rothschild Giraffes, one of three different subspecies of Giraffes Maasai and Reticulated are the other two.
There are less than Rothschild giraffes in the wild today. Found mainly in Kenya, Rothschild Giraffes are distinguished by others by their lighter patches and lack of markings on their lower legs, appearing as if they are wearing white socks!
Another change this time around? This was my first time staying in a room in the Garden Manor, built in While most guests prefer the original Manor for its authenticity, I love the cozy and intimate Garden Manor. Adjacent to the Main Manor, the Garden Manor is a smaller replica of the Main Manor and it impossible to tell that it is not part of the original structure.
