#giraffecenter

We got up early and headed out for our last game drive with Amina and Abdi. The highlight was another zebra kill. The lion cubs’ heads were basically inside the carcass of the zebra and you could smell the zebra meat in the air. It was really cool, but not for the faint of heart. This would totally piss off a vegan. The only new animal we saw today was a tawny eagle. We also saw two pairs of lions on a ‘date’ and two Grant’s gazelles having an amorous encounter.

Everyone came to see us off and we said good bye to our new friends Amina and Abdi. It was a 45-minute flight back to Nairobi and this was the first flight that had a lot of people on it. We had the same lady pilot who had flown us to Lewa.

Charles from A&K was there to meet us on arrival. When we arrived at Giraffe Manor, it was spectacular. It was like an old English country house in the middle of Africa. The décor is immaculate. The period décor was amazing – it was like a step back into the 1920s. Everything that could had a giraffe motif, from the napkin holders to the jugs, to the glasses and the hot water bottle covers. The original house was built in the 1930s in the style of a Scottish country home. In 2009, it was converted into a manor by the then-owners, Jock and Betty. They wanted to protect the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe. Apparently the Rothschild giraffe went from 35,000 to 150 in only three years due to habitat destruction and human-animal conflict. Our room was named after Jock. It is a beautifully decorated colonial style room with a painting of Jock on the wall. It has a shower and bathtub. The manor is a breeding centre for the giraffes. The baby giraffes are released into the wild after around 2 years. Interestingly, unlike lions, giraffes welcome other giraffes into their towers even if they are sired by a different alpha male. The ground floor of the original manner is dedicated to common areas which were popular pre-COVID. Upstairs there are six bedrooms. There is also a garden manor which was constructed in 2011 with another 6 rooms. They did a great job of keeping with the original manor architecture and design. You’d be hard pressed to realise it was less than 10 years old. They are now constructing a third lodge. It’s not surprising given how popular this place is. Even during COVID, the place was nearly full. People generally stay here for 1 night, maximum 2 nights at a time. Apparently during COVID the vast majority of the clientele are Russians, which is a change from the past.

We were introduced to our butler, William, who essentially was there every second of the day to take care of us (and only us) during our stay. After a nice 3-course lunch of peanut sauce-covered red snapper skewers and an amazing tomato salsa dish, we went off to the Giraffe Center. The Center is a 5-minute walk from the manor, but you need a guide just in case you encounter a giraffe that is not comfortable with humans or you try to do something stupid, like walk behind it. Giraffes have an extremely strong kick and can even kill a lion with one kick. We learned a lot about the differences between the three types of Kenyan giraffes and got to feed our first giraffes: Eddy, the alpha male, who is extremely relaxed, and Kelly, who apparently likes to head butt from time to time and requires some caution when feeding her.

We then headed back for the 5pm tea time. Most of the other guests were there and all of the giraffes came up to a common wall to feed from the guests. You feed them by hand and you can hug and pet them. There is an enormous amount of pellets at the lodge to feed the giraffes. They attract the giraffes by shaking the pellet tins. The giraffes will even kiss you if you are willing to put the pellets in your mouth. We didn’t, but a Russian lady did. J’s phone eventually died from the excess number of photos, only for a warthog to come within a few feet of us as S was throwing him food. Fortunately a nice Russian couple took videos and sent them to us.

They name every giraffe and warthog at the place and they regularly re-use the names after giraffes die or are reintroduced to the wild. The alpha male, and our favourite giraffe Eddy, has five wives and many children. Apparently two babies were born here – one seven days ago, one three days ago. Sadly we missed seeing this as one of the births occurred directly in front of the tea area, with all the guests and staff watching. The babies did not come for the feeding as they are not yet used to humans.

Each of the giraffes has a different temperament. Some you can pet, and one or two are to be avoided. The worst is Selma, who has injured more than one guest through head buttings. The guides advise you not to feed her. She came up to us several times. We fed her a bit but kept a safe distance. The giraffes are pretty gentle when you are feeding them, but some of the smaller ones with shorter tongues nip a bit. Their tongues are prehensile so you generally don’t get near their teeth.

We had a private dinner in the main manor so S could avoid the stairs. Dinner included an amazing cauliflower soup and beef wellington. As we were by ourselves, we got to play music and our butler, William, surprisingly knew many of the songs as he knows country music and rock. We retired to the sitting room for a few after dinner drinks by the fire. It was truly an old English / Scottish manor and the stone hearth fireplace is the centrepiece of the room. We were told to make sure to be up by 6am the next day so we could feed the giraffes from our bedroom window.

This place is amazing and we recommend you visit for one night if you are ever in Kenya. It will set you back a few pounds, but it is worth it.