Embassy of Kenya, Washington, DC

Written by Wangui Maina

Where do you get to mingle with the tallest animal on land?

July 11, 2008: The giraffe manor has been voted one of the top 10 unusual places to stay when on holiday.

Located in Lang’ata, the manor is a small and exclusive hotel that accommodates guests as they mingle with the resident giraffes.

The survey carried out by one of the leading travel website, Virtualtourist.com, stated the Manor made it to its list due to its uniqueness.

At the manor, visitors get to enjoy the experience of feeding and photographing the animals over the breakfast table or even at the front door.

Located on 140 acres, the property is also home to various bird species, warthogs and the Bush Burk.

Recently, the stars of the ongoing reality show, Idols, were interviewed at the manor as they told the world why they love the continent. In any case, where do you get to fraternize with the tallest animal on land?

When staying there one can also enjoy the Giraffe centre which was established to protect the endangered Rothschild Giraffe in 1983 by the owners of the mansion, Jock Leslie-Melville.

Over the years the centre has become a major tourist attraction in Nairobi, especially for families in the city looking for an afternoon of fun.

At the centre tourists can enjoy educational tours, especially for children and get to feed giraffes from a raised observation platform.

This has also become a major learning centre for students doing conservation and ecological studies.

The survey covered ten of the most unusual places to holiday in around the world.

“With limited vacation time, there is no reason your lodging should not be part of the travel experience,” the website’s general manager, Giampiero Ambrosi, said.

Other unique places mentioned include the Celicia Hostel in Slovenia which is a converted military prison and now an art gallery and hostel.