The Giraffe Manor
The Giraffe Manor, built in 1932 by Sir David Duncan, is situated on 120 acres of land just a few miles from the center of Nairobi. In 1974 Jock Leslie-Melville, grandson of a Scottish earl, and his wife Betty, bought the Manor. They also founded the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) and proceeded to move five babies of the highly-endangered Rothschild giraffe to their property where they have been successfully reared and have since produced their own offspring. Betty, a Baltimore native, chronicled these events in her book, Raising Daisy Rothschild. When Jock died, Betty decided to open her house to visitors and is now run by her charming son, Rick Anderson, and his wife Bryony. Exclusive, spacious and elegant, it is the only place in the world that you can feed giraffe from your second floor bedroom window, over the lunch table, and at the front door. This is meant to be a home, not a hotel, and as Rick says, the "whole point of this place is to relax." You are encouraged to make yourself completely at home, settle down and read a book, admire the view, help yourself to a drink. Staying at Giraffe Manor also contributes towards saving endangered species and educating African school children about conservation, as a portion of your fee is donated to these causes.