Four giraffe at the arched windows of Giraffe Manor, seen across the lawn

Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

Kenya · Nairobi (Gateway)

Giraffe Manor

A manor house built in 1932, set in 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of indigenous forest in Langata, Nairobi, and home to a herd of Nubian giraffe. Twelve rooms across the Historic Manor and the Garden Manor, 27 km and around 40 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Collection: Distinguished Camps & Lodges
Safari region: Nairobi (Gateway)
Best suited to: Couples, families (child rates from three, infants under two free) and anyone who wants the Nairobi night to be a chapter rather than a stopover
Suggested stay: The property's own advice: most guests stay one night, two nights is the ideal and no more than three

Why Sail Loves It

Why we would choose it.

Sail places Giraffe Manor as the first night of a Kenya journey when the giraffe are the point, and recommends the property's own advice of two nights where the route can give them. The Nubian giraffe (formerly classified as Rothschild's) numbered fewer than 100 in Kenya in the 1970s and over 1,000 today. Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville founded AFEW, the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, whose Giraffe Centre sits next door.

Planning notes

Rates are the same for residents and non-residents of Kenya. Wilson Airport is 12.8 km and around a 25-minute drive away. The giraffe may visit the manor morning and evening from their forest sanctuary; no visit is guaranteed. Rooms, inclusions and dates are reconfirmed at quotation.

This profile reflects Sail's approved accommodation portfolio and route-planning perspective. Current operations and property details are reconfirmed before proposal.

The full profile

Read the stay beyond the name.

Every recommendation is shaped around the real room, atmosphere, experiences and logistics, not reputation alone.

Accommodation & suites

Twelve rooms: nine superior double rooms, one triple superior room and two family suites. The Historic Manor holds Betty, Daisy, Jock, Lynn, Marlon and the Karen Blixen Suite; the Garden Manor, added in 2011 by Mikey and Tanya Carr-Hartley, holds Salma, Edd, Arlene, Helen, Kelly and the Finch Hatton Suite. Sail reconfirms room names, occupancy and bedding before proposal.

Atmosphere

Indigenous forest in the Langata suburb of Nairobi shapes the identity of Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection). Sail protects enough time to experience that setting beyond arrival and departure, judging the address by its relationship with the wider landscape as well as by the finish of the lodge itself.

Experiences

The giraffe choose their own hours; entry to the AFEW Giraffe Centre is included in the stay. Sail confirms current activities and timings with the property before proposal.

Dining & wellness

The stay is all-inclusive: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner; all drinks excluding premium spirits, wines and champagne; laundry; Wi-Fi; and The Retreat's pool, steam room, sauna, hot tub and gym. Gratuities, the gift shop, spa treatments and extras at Daisy's are not included. Sail reconfirms current inclusions before proposal.

Family suitability

Two family suites and one triple superior room. Child rates apply from three to 11, the adult rate from 12, and children under two are considered infants and stay free. Sail reconfirms the current child policy and room plan before proposal.

Access

Langata, Nairobi: 27 km and around 40 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, 12.8 km and around 25 minutes from Wilson Airport, with more time allowed for Nairobi traffic. Transfers within Nairobi at check-in and check-out times are included; check-in is from 12:00 noon and check-out by 10:00 am. Sail reconfirms transfer timings and the onward safari connection before proposal.

Photographs from the property

See the rooms and the setting.

Photographs from Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection), reproduced with credit to present the property. Read further on the property's own website when you want the current room descriptions and gallery.

A giraffe's head through the open door of the manor — A giraffe puts its head through an open door of the manor · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

A giraffe beside a member of staff in an orange waistcoat on the lawn — A giraffe and a member of staff on the lawn · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

A couple feeding a giraffe by hand in front of the manor — A couple feeding a giraffe in front of the manor · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

A gardener and two children picking carrots in a raised vegetable bed — Children and a gardener in the vegetable garden · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

A drinks table with a brass telescope beside a window in the drawing room — A drinks table and a brass telescope in the drawing room · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

An adult and a child painting at easels in the garden — A painting session in the garden · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

A breakfast tray of pastries and fruit decorated with giraffe figures — A breakfast tray decorated with giraffe · Image: Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection)

Continue on the property's website

How Sail reads the stay

The property is only one part of the decision.

Before recommending this address, we test it against the geography, guest brief and complete East Africa route.

Position & access

Gate, airstrip, activity area and transfer time are considered together so the best hours are protected.

Room & guest fit

Room category, privacy, family configuration, mobility and the desired level of service are matched to the travellers.

Experience & pace

Guiding style, available activities and time at the property must strengthen the journey rather than crowd it.

Indicative accommodation rates

Plan the season before the room.

These public rack rates help establish the likely accommodation investment for Giraffe Manor. Sail will still compare room category, exact dates and the whole route before confirming a proposal.

Rates are in US dollars per person per night, sharing. Inclusions vary by property and season; park or conservancy fees, permits, transfers, premium drinks, exclusive-use arrangements and supplements may be additional.

2027 reflects the current public planning rate in Sail's approved rate file. 2028 is an indicative planning estimate using the approved annual uplift and will be replaced wherever a supplier-issued rate is received.

Giraffe Manor rates

USD per person per night, sharing

Indicative 2027 and 2028 nightly rates for Giraffe Manor
Travel dates	Rate
2027 · High season16 Dec 2026 to 14 Mar 2027 1 Jun to 31 Oct 2027	USD 1,625
2027 · Low season15 Mar to 31 May 2027 1 Nov to 15 Dec 2027	USD 1,625
2028 · High season estimate16 Dec 2027 to 14 Mar 2028 1 Jun to 31 Oct 2028	USD 1,869
2028 · Low season estimate15 Mar to 31 May 2028 1 Nov to 15 Dec 2028	USD 1,869

Indicative only · Subject to availability, supplier confirmation and the final itinerary design.

Read the landscape first

Nairobi

Nairobi is often treated as a transfer point, but the right hotel and sequence can turn it into a calm beginning or elegant finish. The key is geography: international airport, Wilson Airport, Karen, the national park and city hotels each sit in different traffic patterns.

Explore the regional guide

Signature Journeys

Journeys that stay here.

Every priced Signature Journey that names this property, and the expression in which each holds the night.

Sail's collection lists this property as Distinguished Camps and Lodges. The journeys marked Most Exclusive hold it as their Most Exclusive Addresses option; their published from prices are for the Distinguished expression, which stays elsewhere.