KENYA

Kenya is a country in East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean. It encompasses savannah, lakelands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands. It’s also home to wildlife like lions, elephants, giraffes and rhinos. From Nairobi, the capital, safaris visit the Maasai Mara Reserve, known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania’s 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We visited Kenya in November 2018 and stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Nairobi and the Giraffe Manor luxury boutique. Staying at the Giraffe Manor for a portion of our trip was an exhilarating experience! The Safari Collection’s Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya  is a beautiful boutique that mixes just the right amount of luxury with nature. This exclusive boutique hotel, is set on 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of indigenous forest in the Langata suburb of Nairobi. As one of Nairobi’s most iconic buildings, Giraffe Manor has extraordinary appeal, that dates back to the 1930’s. We stayed in the Helen suite which gave us access to feed the Giraffes right from our window early in the morning.

These majestic creators are a sight to see. With their graceful, elegant movements and friendly presence, this was truly an unforgettable experience. We were able to interact with the Giraffes, one on one, and quickly forget they are wild animals until the food ran out of course (lol).  The have a saying at the Manor, “No food, no friendly.” Which pretty much means the giraffes will allow you to pet them and interact with them as long as you’re feeding them.  The Manor accommodated up to 29 guests with 12 luxury en-suite rooms. When staying at the Manor there are two times to feed the giraffes, early morning for breakfast from around 6am-8am and during evening tea from about 5pm-7pm. Additional feeding and interaction was done at the Giraffe Centre which was only about a 3 min walk from the Manor. At the Giraffe Centre, which is open to the public, we had an opportunity to feed and interact with the giraffes between the times of  9am to 5pm.

We also explored Nairobi and the surrounding areas, including touring the Nairobi National Museum. The Museum aims to interpret Kenya’s rich heritage and offers a one stop for visitors to sample the country’s rich heritage both for education and leisure. We also visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, or as some call it, the Elephant Orphanage. It is the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world. Visiting the Massai Village was also a must. The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are a smaller tribe, accounting for only about 0.7 percent of Kenya’s population, with a similar number living in Tanzania. We toured the grounds, learned about their history, culture and how to make traditional jewelry.

Kenya Gallery

loading ...