Giraffe Manor, Kenya Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

All over the world, there are remarkable hotels,

born of bold vision and daring endeavour.

Oh, my goodness, look at that!

Whether it's an epic structure housing a sky park

the length of the Eiffel Tower...

This is definitely the biggest space I've ever been inside.

..or a glass box perched in the cloud forest...

-Look at that view!

-Wow!

They're all products of innovation, creativity and hard graft.

The people running these hotels strive to

create the perfect sanctuary.

But what does it take to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences

in stunning locations?

To build a hotel in a place like this,

everybody thinks I'm crazy!

In total, we have about 160,000 pieces of uniform.

-BELL CHIMES

-Oh, my word!

I'm a restaurant writer, newspaper columnist and critic -

I have opinions on just about everything.

What a mad place to build a hotel!

I feel like Scott of the Antarctic, and it did not end well for him.

And I'm a chef who's worked at the top end of the hospitality industry

for well over 20 years.

How many opportunities do you get to cook breakfast with elephants

and giraffes?

We'll travel to amazing hotels in every corner of the world...

..to spend time getting to know the people

working away behind-the-scenes.

When did you last have a full night's sleep?

I don't remember.

-Really?

-Yes.

What motivates you to work so hard?

The kids - I will sacrifice everything for them.

Join us as we venture inside...

..the world's most extraordinary hotels.

We're in Kenya.

The country's beautiful savannas and thousands of exotic animal species

draw visitors from around the world,

with the promise of awesome wildlife encounters.

Yet, arriving at this hotel on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi,

it's easy to forget that we're in Africa,

as this feels more like a grand suburban house

in the English Home Counties.

It's very nice.

But, here, nothing is quite as it seems,

as we're about to find out.

'It's dawn.

'The guests are still asleep, but, downstairs, we're hard at work,

'because something extraordinary is about to take place.'

Do the spoons just go on the side?

You think I'd never laid a table before.

I mean, this is slightly different from breakfast at home for me

because, basically, my son doesn't eat breakfast

because he doesn't want to,

and my daughter has it in front of the TV,

even though she's not allowed to,

and my wife would still be asleep so, erm...

laying a table for people who are

actually going to eat is quite weird.

'Breakfast preparation starts painfully early here,

'as guests arrive to eat before first light.

'I'm with duty manager Tony Levi.'

So, how many people have you got staying at the moment?

We have about 22 guests tonight.

-22?

-Yeah.

-And are they all having breakfast?

Yeah, they're all having breakfast, so we'd better get cracking.

Do you want them quite fine?

-Yeah.

-Skins on?

-Finely chopped.

-Skin on, yeah.

-OK.

'I'm helping head chef David Kisevu.

'He's been preparing highly anticipated breakfasts here

'for seven years.'

Mornings are always busy.

Here, we do our breakfast according to the wake-up call.

By 6.30, everything should be ready.

'One of the dishes on offer catches my eye.'

And what is this very large muesli?

Are they tasty, these things?

It's a pellet made out of molasses.

HE CRUNCHES Oh, it's...

Oh, with some grit in it.

-Yes.

-Quite a lot of grit in it!

So, why do the guests get up so early?

They will miss the special opportunity.

Oh...

'People travel the globe for breakfast at the Manor,

'to share their first meal of the day with some extra-special guests.'

-Hello!

-This is Stacey, here.

Stacey?

Hello, Stacey.

I've never done anything like this.

Amazing! I mean, she's massive!

And the size of her head, it's just...

So, how many giraffes can you fit in here?

Six at one time.

Six?

'Here at the aptly named Giraffe Manor,

'you share your morning coffee and eggs

'with the world's tallest animals.

'and, if you want breakfast in bed,

'you can share it with a giraffe from the comfort of

'your first-floor room.'

Breakfast is quite a boring meal, isn't it? It's quite...

I think it always ought to be served with a giraffe.

Giraffe Manor has over 7,000 guests a year,

prepared to spend between £500 and £1,000 a night.

Several rooms are named after giraffes,

and, with only ten rooms,

guests often have to book a year in advance to stay here.

The Manor serves up old-school nostalgia in the form of

classic cucumber sandwiches and cream teas,

but it's the hotel's unusual neighbours that lure guests here.

We've been to every other continent, and I have never experienced

-anything quite like this.

-Yeah, yeah.

You're obsessed, aren't you?

Yeah, I am a bit obsessed with giraffes.

It's just perfect - absolutely perfect.

The experience of having a giraffe walking towards your bedroom window,

in the early hours of the morning, as the sun is just starting to rise,

is a very surreal, dream moment.

Wonderful. Absolutely amazing.

To have them lower their heads and look in your eyes,

you just feel a connection with them.

Giraffe Manor occupies 13 acres of

a natural enclave, surrounded by

the expanding city of Nairobi.

The Manor is owned by Tanya Carr-Hartley,

a fourth-generation Kenyan who has lived locally all her life.

When my mum and dad moved here 46 years ago,

it was a really out-of-the-way neighbourhood,

and at that point there was no tarmac roads, no fences...

Actually, when we were children,

my sister and I would ride to the Manor with my mum.

Giraffe Manor is very much a family affair,

run by Tanya and her husband Mikey.

He's also a fourth-generation Kenyan,

whose family have been involved with wildlife for generations,

running safaris.

So, can we arrange to get one from Hebatullah

and bring it to the Manor?

Tanya and Mikey bought Giraffe Manor in 2009,

and have strived to establish it as one of the most unusual

holiday destinations in the world.

Mike and Tanya, I think they work super hard.

They're just at it, seven days a week,

five hours' sleep a night...

Just never giving up - I think that's the driving factor.

So, what exactly is it like to run a hotel surrounded by wild giraffes?

-Hi.

-This is Tanya.

-Hello!

-Hi, Tanya. Giles.

-How are you doing?

-Hi, Tanya. Lovely to meet you.

Lovely to meet you too.

-How was your morning?

-Amazing.

-Early.

-Early, but worth it.

-A surreal experience.

-It is.

-Even for you, you're not...?

-You see it on a regular basis.

Why do people care so much about giraffes?

I guess it's its gracefulness, the big eyes, the big eyelashes...

Giraffes are just unique animals, really.

So, I mean, is it easy to run a giraffe hotel?

No, it's not easy.

The biggest downside is people understanding that the giraffes

are still wild animals,

which means the safety of people is key.

When you say, the dangers of the wild animals, so, like what?

So, a giraffe can obviously kick very hard, erm,

and kill a lion, in fact.

You know, that kind of kick.

And they head-butt a lot, and we have to, sort of,

manage people's expectations, where they...

You know, the animal puts its neck through here

and they feel like it's their best friend,

but, in the same instant, that same animal can do an injury.

I'm sorry, that's it. I haven't got any more.

'It seems giraffe aren't the only wild animals

'wandering through the grounds, on the scrounge for titbits.'

(It's a warthoglet, or a warthog piglet. It's so sweet.)

It's quite strange having pigs in a hotel of this kind,

but I think it's brilliant being so close to these animals.

-It's... My children would go mad. It's just...

-Oh, no!

It's properly the Lion King, although luckily without lions!

The ten giraffe here are all Rothschild giraffes.

They're named after Lord Walter Rothschild,

zoologist and member of the famous banking family.

He first came across them in the early 1900s,

when they could be found in abundance across Kenya,

Uganda and Sudan,

but, by the 1970s, they were under threat.

The Rothschild's giraffe at that time was rapidly diminishing,

with only 70 or so left.

-And why were they diminishing?

-A couple of reasons,

one being that their habitat was being cut up into smaller plots,

and also, in Uganda, where there was actually more of them,

they were used as target practice by Idi Amin,

so the '70s was a very trying time for them.

It was at this point that a couple called

Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville bought the Manor.

They were delighted to find three wild Maasai giraffe

in the grounds that slept on the lawn at night,

and, when they heard that endangered Rothschild giraffe were living on

local land due to be redeveloped,

Jock and Betty adopted one of the babies, called Daisy,

and later brought in another, called Marlon.

So that's the Leslie-Melvilles, Betty and Jock.

I love that one with Betty, the dog and the giraffe.

So, was she a conservationist? Was she into giraffes?

She became very into giraffes!

In response to the dramatic decline in giraffe numbers,

the Leslie-Melvilles started a sanctuary and a breeding programme.

And so how many did they start off with here?

Just two.

So the descendants of the original giraffes, are they still here?

Most of them are still here. Some of them are still here.

40 years on, the giraffe centre next door, started by Betty and Jock,

is still going strong, and has released 15 of these

rare and endangered giraffe into the wild.

I'm really looking forward to finding out a bit more about how

Giraffe Manor is being managed,

and how the whole team work together to make this happen.

Giraffe Manor employs over 65 people -

three for every guest, to serve their every whim.

Five chefs, five porters, 11 waiters,

four drivers and four gardeners.

It's a tight team,

and duty manager Tony Levi has the job of keeping everyone on track,

whether staff, guests or giraffe.

So, the biggest challenges I face as duty manager

is probably guest expectations.

You have to realise there are 140 acres here,

and we have ten giraffe on site.

I have to manage unpredictable giraffe movements, in this sense,

if the giraffe refuse to show up.

This way, please. After you.

I have to manage the guests between check-out and check-in times.

Trying to get rooms ready, just constant moving...

This way, please.

It's 8am, and Laura and Emmanuel are arriving on

the first day of their honeymoon.

We spent probably twice as much on the honeymoon as we did

on the actual wedding,

and to know that tomorrow morning we can wake up and be feeding a giraffe

out of the bedroom window is really cool.

I'm going to feel like I haven't woken up.

It's going to feel like a dream.

Despite the charms of the giraffe,

Laura and Emmanuel are only staying here for one night.

Like most guests, they're using the Manor as a staging post on their way

to other parts of Kenya.

This means the Manor's nine housekeepers face

a pressurised changeover of rooms every 24 hours.

'I'm joining head housekeeper Pamela on her morning rounds.

'She and her team usually have between 45 minutes and an hour

'to turn over all ten rooms.

'Pamela is one of the longest-serving members of staff.

'At 64, she's been making beds here for the last 17 years.'

Ah, I love the feel of clean sheets!

PAMELA LAUGHS

'Aside from the mess caused by guests,

'Pamela has to deal with long-necked intruders.'

Does this stay down here?

It will stay... We will put it on there.

Do they just come and stick their heads in?

-Yeah. No, when we shake the bucket...

-Ah.

-..the giraffes will come, and then you'll take one by one...

-OK.

OK, do they make a mess for you, when you're trying to...?

Yeah, when there's nobody around and the window is open,

if they come here, near, they'll push the bucket and then...

down!

-To give you...

-Yeah, give you a bit of a headache.

-Yeah.

Do you have a certain time when you have to have it all finished?

By 12.

They'll be checking in at 13.

-At one o'clock? OK.

-Yes, please.

If you can show me a quicker way, I'll show you my way.

Fine!

There's got to be a simpler way to...

THEY LAUGH

It's like a Zumba class!

THEY LAUGH

Oh, look how strong you are!

'As a single mother, Giraffe Manor has had a big impact

'on Pamela's family life.

'One of her children works here, too.'

Working at Giraffe Manor,

I have used my money in bringing up my children,

paying the education for high school,

for four of them, and in college.

Do you have enough to cover the mattress?

At the moment, I am now saving for a piece of small land,

then I'll build them a house, which I will call my home!

That looks pretty good to me.

I'd sleep in it!

One of the oldest buildings in suburban Nairobi,

Giraffe Manor was built in 1932 when Kenya was still a colony

of the British Empire.

The most surprising thing is how suburban it feels.

You're, sort of, prepared for something, sort of, wild,

and obviously it looks like African savanna,

but it feels like Surrey with giraffes.

There is this desire to recreate something

that looks like suburban England -

something, sort of, normal and, kind of, golf clubby.

It's just that they're giraffes.

And I guess that's Africa as imagined by English people.

'But what are the challenges of running this historic hotel?'

And so this is the dining room...

-Wow!

-..which has absolutely no electricity.

All candlelit.

So you're offering people a nostalgic return to

a simpler way of living?

Is that one of the things people are looking for?

Definitely. People are definitely looking for

a time in a simpler environment, I think.

-With Wi-Fi?

-With Wi-Fi.

So you provide that for them, and that freedom, and that return,

and that nostalgia, but do they have other expectations of home comforts?

Food, accommodation...

I mean, this house...

We really struggle, because a lot of... You know, a lot of...

-Certainly the plumbing is archaic...

-Yeah.

-..and the lighting is archaic.

I mean, it's nearly 100 years old and it's African!

-Yeah.

-Yes, And then you're dealing with, you know, what's available

on the market, which isn't what's available in London or New York.

But, erm...

But I think, generally, people are quite forgiving, thankfully,

to us, because we've got giraffes!

'Nostalgia is all very well, but the past can leave challenging legacies.

'I'm Samoan. As a former colony,

'the Pacific island of Samoa gained independence the year before Kenya.

'I wonder whether the colonial past can have

'implications for Kenyans today.'

So, how do you find working here?

I mean, the Manor has been owned by a white Kenyan family,

is that right?

I was somehow lucky because they are not harsh people.

In some places, you may find workers and the owners,

they don't get actually together.

-No.

-Yeah, there's... We have some barriers.

We are lucky. Carr-Hartley and Tanya, they are friendly.

The relationship is so good.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. They don't discriminate us.

-Not at all?

-Uh-uh.

-That is so wonderful.

'It's mid-afternoon and we're with Tony, the duty manager,

'whose unusual job means he's on first-name terms with the giraffe.'

So, this is Kelly and this is Ed,

so Ed is our biggest male and Kelly is our most notorious female.

-She's about 14 years old.

-OK.

I'm quite scared of animals.

I mean, I normally wouldn't choose to get this close to a cow,

let alone a giraffe.

I will... Out on a country walk,

I will turn around and go back if I see cows.

-Can you catch? Yeah!

-MONICA LAUGHS

'In the grounds of the Manor,

'the giraffe eat the leaves of acacia,

'croton and African olive trees.'

I just feel like a nut vending machine.

'But here, Tony gives them treats of oat, bran and molasses pellets.

-'The tongue of the giraffe is up to 50cm long...'

-Oh!

'..and it's surprisingly versatile.'

-This is a giraffe kiss!

-Oh, right, I'll try it.

Yeah, good girl.

Do they ever bite when you do that?

So there's no risks attached to kissing a giraffe?

Do you want a kiss?

Yeah, all right! MONICA LAUGHS

Oh, you mean... I see!

Think so...

Yeah!

MONICA LAUGHS

It's easier after two o'clock at the Groucho Club, to be honest!

'A giraffe's saliva is actually antiseptic

'to protect them from thorn cuts and cynics!'

I'm feeling quite a strong emotional bond.

I mean, you know, I've had some kisses.

He's nuzzled in a few times, but, I mean, he's only after one thing.

Young giraffe born in the grounds of the Manor are introduced into

Kenya's protected wild areas from the age of three.

Back from the brink, there are now 780 Rothschild giraffes overall

living in the wild.

Whilst pellets are on offer for the giraffes,

guests at the Manor feast on dishes like poached fillet of beef

and tamarillo tarte tatin, prepared by a team of ten.

My name's David Kisevu and I am the head chef of Giraffe Manor.

We have hosted so many celebrities in Giraffe Manor.

One of the guys I will never forget, I cooked for him,

was Sir Richard Branson. I'll always remember.

I love to cook. It's my passion.

We want to make so many things, to make them so yummy,

so that the guests, "Mmm," feel all right.

'With work over for the day,

'Kisevu has brought me to the Nairobi suburb of Rongai.'

-It's busy.

-It is.

Yeah. Is this the time when everyone comes out to do their shopping?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

'The local market is just 3km away from the tranquillity of

'the Manor and feels like a different world.

'When he's working, Kisevu rents in Rongai and shops here regularly.'

Tomatoes, onions...

'Tonight, he's going to cook a traditional Kenyan meal...'

Are you going to tell me what the dish is?

'..and his first purchase is a form of kale.'

-We call them sukuma wiki.

-Sukuma wiki?

-Yeah, sukuma wiki, and it is very popular.

-Oh, wow.

-Yeah.

-In Swahili, "sukuma wiki" means "to push a week".

-To push a week?

-Yes.

You can survive on this one for a whole week, no problem.

-Really?

-This with ugali.

-With...?

-Ugali.

-Ugali. What's ugali?

-Ugali is the maize flour.

-Oh, cornflour, yeah.

-Yeah, with water.

Uh-huh, then that is ugali, so ugali and sukuma wiki.

Do you think I could survive on that for a week, then?

Ah, you must be a tough one, like us.

KISEVU LAUGHS

Kisevu, this is very different to the...

Very different.

Giraffe Manor is like a high-end kind of a village,

and here is a village of lower-earning citizens,

or lower-earning people.

The life here is a bit cheaper. It is cheaper.

But this is now a different Kisevu -

not the Kisevu of Giraffe Manor.

Oh, my beautiful baby girl.

'Kisevu's daughters Faith and Angel and his wife Gladys

'live an hour away in the family home...'

-Hi, hi.

-Hello, Gladys.

-Hi.

'..and are joining us for dinner.'

Where did you grow up, Kisevu?

Or, you know, where did you start life?

I grew up in an eastern part of Kenya called Kitui.

'One of eight children,

'Kisevu's father died a month before he was born.'

It was a tough life when I was growing up.

I was around ten, and I had to go and work

small menial jobs so that I can get money to buy school uniform,

and money to buy books.

You worked to buy your own books?

Yes, to buy my own books, yeah.

What would a younger Kisevu have thought of

seeing a place like Giraffe Manor?

That was like a dream come true.

When I look at my life today, Monica, I can sing, "God is great."

Come on, then.

Wow.

African-style, you eat like this,

and then like this.

LAUGHTER

I could eat that for a week.

What motivates you both to work so hard?

-The kids.

-The kids.

I would like this family to have the best from me.

I will sacrifice everything in my life for them.

I come from very humble beginnings myself.

I really do recognise the drive Kisevu has to succeed and to provide

for family, which is very much something I try to do

for my...my siblings,

or, you know, if anyone is in need.

He doesn't want to see anyone go without.

Giraffe Manor is an extraordinary hotel,

but Tanya and Mikey also use it as the hub of

their luxury safari business.

They have remote lodges in Samburu County and the Maasai Mara,

the location of Sala's Camp.

Sala is my daughter, my first child, so we named the camp after her.

It was like a double strike of good luck.

Out here, Tanya and Mikey have created comfortable bases

from which guests can get up close to wild animals

like water buffalo, zebra and lions.

Sometimes they can get a little too close for comfort.

One of the guys from the team saw the client taking off with gym shoes

and kit and quickly advised the management.

By the time the management had got in a car to go and find out

what they were doing, she was halfway up the hill.

She kind of said, "Oh, I didn't think I would be in danger."

Anyway, it was fortunate we spotted it

because anything could've happened,

and more than lions, actually,

buffalo are really our biggest concern.

In 2000, my sister was very badly injured by a buffalo.

She nearly lost her life,

and my uncle, five years later, lost his life to a buffalo,

so we're all quite alert and aware of the dangers of wildlife.

So alert that Tanya's installing a gym in the bush to balance urban

exercise regimes with the laws of nature.

Here, let me help.

It's taken five hours to ship the equipment overland from Nairobi.

All masterminded from headquarters back at Giraffe Manor.

The man in charge of all things logistical is head of operations

Ben Evans.

He also happens to be the pilot of the hotel's own company plane.

We are providing a service

to some of the most demanding customers you can get.

From an operations perspective,

I do need to be there to make sure that everything happens smoothly

without any problems, and it's my job to make it look easy.

The biggest issues I deal with within operations in Kenya

is the size of the country as a whole.

So on almost a weekly basis,

Ben despatches lorries that travel hundreds of miles to the camps,

delivering everything from plumbing supplies to foodstuffs.

THEY SING

Braving potholes, wildlife and uncovered roads,

the lorries are the lifeline that keep the camps alive.

As well as Sala's Camp,

Ben and his team service one of the most remote and inaccessible lodges,

Sasaab, which is in Samburu County.

I'm looking forward to heading up there next,

as I'm ready to explore the wilder side of what

Giraffe Manor has to offer.

I've not been in Nairobi very long and to be here standing on the edge

of this beautiful hotel, feeding this beautiful thing,

it feels a little bit too easy.

I feel slightly uncomfortably spoon-fed.

I kind of want my game experience to be...

wild, to be more difficult.

I kind of want more of a struggle, you know?

Something is almost more worth having if you have to work for it.

But the struggle we're about to face isn't quite what I had in mind.

Ben has invited us to hitch a ride

on one of his supply flights to Sasaab.

We're on our way to meet him at the airfield where we've been told he's

waiting with a rather small plane.

This was my only hesitancy about coming here at all

was the plane because,

you know, I don't like flying that much.

If you have an engine failure in a jumbo jet, you're all dead.

Whereas theoretically, a little plane like that,

you can still land it,

but then you land it and then you get eaten by lions.

You're such a great companion to travel with.

I feel so much better that I'm going to die with you.

I want to pass on some of my heebie-jeebies to you.

I think you've done a great job.

Looks like a nice day for flying.

I hope we're going in that slightly bigger one there.

It's a Robin Reliant with wings.

I have never flown in a plane like this before.

My honest and first reaction was shock horror at how small it is.

What happens if you have some medical incident or something?

-You have a cardiac or...?

-Well, then we can talk you through it.

I just boot you out and talk to air control?

Yeah, I tell you where to press the button.

It's hard to believe there'll be space for anything else,

but we need to squeeze in bottles of champagne

and a small gang of chickens.

Ready?

They seem to be dreading it as much as we are.

I'll have the champagne next to me, yeah?

Very cosy.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-You are coming, aren't you?

Why have I got the controls?

Just in case something does happen.

Hold on to your knickers!

It's like an old car.

I had a car when I was a student,

a kind of 40-year-old car that smelt like this

and looked like this and...

..broke down all the time.

Might get a little bit of turbulence coming through here.

Whoa!

Where did you put that sick bag?

My head actually hit the roof!

'But we soon forget our fears

'as we see the landscape unfolding beneath us.'

My goodness! That looks so beautiful.

'Sasaab Lodge is 230 miles north of Nairobi.

'Whilst Giraffe Manor boasts lush manicured gardens,

'out here the temperatures can hit 45 degrees.

'It's hot, dry and arid.'

There...elephant.

Yay! Look at them.

Ahh! That's amazing!

Woo!

Here we are. Sasaab.

'Perched on the banks of the Ewaso River in the Rift Valley,

'Sasaab looks out towards the heights of Mount Kenya.

'The six-acre plot of Sasaab Lodge

'lies within 82,000 acres of community land,

'owned by the local Samburu people.'

I've just realised I've literally had my arse clenched

for the entire trip.

That was so fun!

I don't know what I enjoyed more -

the plane ride or just watching Giles squirm and scream in there.

Would not imagine a hotel out here.

'The only way to access the lodge is down a dirt track.'

Also very beautiful.

'And the nearest town is 91 miles away.'

'Sasaab was built in 2007 by Tanya and Mikey with a team of 100 people

'working in searing heat.

'Because of its isolated position,

'building materials were moved by hand

'and wheelbarrow as trucks couldn't reach the site.'

Oh, look at...

Ha!

Look at this place!

Oh, my goodness!

Oh, this view! My goodness!

'To get water out here,

'the hotel had to dig its own well and the whole complex is powered by

'solar energy.

'Up to £800 per night

'gets you one of nine high-spec rooms with outdoor bathrooms,

'private plunge pools and if you're lucky, views of giraffes,

'big cats and elephants casually strolling by.'

'Scott Dyson is the manager of Sasaab Lodge.

'He and his team want to depend less on deliveries from Nairobi and are

'trying to be self-sufficient.'

'Providing luxury in places like this

'involves thinking outside the box.

'Or in this case, the egg carton.'

-Giles...

-All right. How are you?

-Very good. How are you doing?

'Scott couldn't source eggs locally and the long, bumpy journey

'from Nairobi results in eggs being smashed,

'not quite the scrambled eggs his guests demand.'

I'm looking forward to seeing what you've done with my chickens.

'So he's nurturing his own brood.'

-After you.

-Aha!

'My feathered fellow passengers are reinforcements.

'But newcomers aren't always welcome in this coop.'

Because they're going to be a minority,

the resident flock could start picking on them.

What are we going to do with them now?

We will release all four of them simultaneously, not one at a time.

If we give them four to choose from, it may help...

What are you expecting? Really, it's like a cage fight?

-I mean...

-They can be brutal, they can be brutal.

Let's see what happens.

Get these three out first!

OK. Everything seems fine.

My word, this one looks like an evil...

-What do I do? Tip him out?

-Tip it out.

Go on, my son!

Is he going to come for me?

Just... Close that.

Whoop...

This is the one that's being bullied!

You got him. Good shot.

Put it in its own little spot.

Very good. There you go.

You can just relax in there.

'Whilst this hen is put into solitary for her own protection,

'Scott shows me his chicken fortress.'

So, this is so far, the impenetrable coop where they sleep.

Why is it so impenetrable?

Because of leopards, honey badgers, mongooses, genets,

there's a host of different animals

that have the wit and strength to be able to cause major damage

to a flock of chickens.

And if anything does get in there,

we will accept defeat and realise

that whatever it was was very hungry and deserved a chicken!

And also, I guess, because your guests have come here

-for the leopards, not the chickens.

-Exactly.

I suppose it goes without saying if you're having breakfast in a hotel

anywhere in the world you expect eggs.

The problem that Scott obviously has is leopards and lions and attacks

from jackals, let alone the internecine strife of the chickens

within themselves. He's bringing a new kind of animal

to this teeming savanna and trying to make a go of keeping them alive,

it's a lot to think about when you tuck into your morning omelette.

Giles has emerged unscathed from the chicken version of West Side Story.

But I'm heading into the bush with some eggs from the coop

to make a safari breakfast on the go.

Oh, wow!

'Our guests are honeymooners Florence and Frank.'

-Wow! We're doing well.

-Yes.

-Very well this morning.

My goodness!

Woo!

Amazing!

Once we find the perfect place,

it's time for me to help the lodge staff prepare breakfast.

What a spot for breakfast!

The food on offer today

is quite different to the safari fare of days gone by.

I'm being spoiled.

-TANYA:

-When Mikey's family took people on safari,

a square meal - a roast and potatoes -

was basically accepted by anybody and they really appreciated that.

In today's world, they're expecting first-class food,

wine and everything else that goes with it.

I'm preparing a champagne breakfast you might expect in a restaurant.

Eggs, smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce.

But I'm miles from power,

cooking on a camping stove on what seems to be a wooden box.

This could not be any more different to working in my kitchen!

Never would I have thought in my career I'd be out here in Kenya,

cooking breakfast with elephants and giraffes just across the way there!

Life is great!

Delicious, absolutely delicious!

I'd love to swim but I know there's crocodiles in there.

SHE LAUGHS

Hey! Congratulations!

The guests who come to Sasaab Lodge have certain expectations.

This means manager Scott has to maintain high standards throughout

the grounds regardless of the remote, dry and dusty location.

I'm helping him patch up one of the lodge's ten plunge pools.

Are these guests going to be happy with their white pool as they look

out over their river and all that?

What are the most extreme elements of luxury that they expect or

-complaints that they make?

-There are some properties that will add every

possible amenity under the sun.

If some client's friends have been on safari before at one of these

places that are really over the top with air conditioning and everything

like that, then, you know,

some people could be a little bit let down

or disturbed by certain things.

People are coming from Europe and North America,

from places where food is so plentiful that they invent all kinds

of imaginary things they think they need to make themselves healthy.

You know, they're obsessed with vitamins and fibre and hydration

and these kinds of things which to people who have so little,

it must just seem ridiculous.

Exactly and the locals will be walking along this river,

bend over and cup their hand and take a sip

and then guests come here

and insist that they need to have bottled water.

Obviously, all the staff scratch their heads in amazement

when that happens.

Out here, Tanya and Mikey have to rely on a unique partnership with

their neighbours, the Samburu people who live alongside the Lodge.

Perhaps surprisingly, it's the Samburu who are the landlords here,

Tanya and Mikey are merely tenants.

It's totally different to running a big hotel in Nairobi.

This is what we call a community group ranch,

whereby the Samburu community, 550 families, own this land,

the land where the lodge is situated on, and we rent the land from the

community, from the Samburu people and give them a bed night fee.

For every guest that stays in the lodge,

the community gets paid money as a rent.

It enables them to have an income from tourism

which enables us to protect the wildlife for future generations.

Mikey and Tanya pay £47 per guest per night to the community.

For the hotel and local community to succeed,

Mikey needs to negotiate regularly with his Samburu landlords

to balance the commercial needs of the hotel

with the fragile ecology of the local people, animals and land.

In Nairobi, typically our meetings would always be in an office,

coffee on the table, lawyers surrounding you, the accountants.

Whereas here it's a lot of talking,

sitting under acacia trees and discussing how it would work best

for both parties.

You can't come in with our Western ideals.

Only four miles from the lodge,

Sasaab village is home to five families.

Traditionally nomadic, their lives depend on their herds of animals.

Livestock, mainly cattle, goats, sheep, camel,

are the lifeline of this community.

That is their money, that is their wealth and their form of income.

But the village animals can cause problems.

Out here there is little quality grazing land

and the best terrain lies within the lodge grounds, close to the river.

But if Samburu livestock eat their vegetation,

there's less to attract wild animals.

If the wild animals stop coming, so will the tourists,

and in Mikey's view, that's bad news for everyone.

This is Jackson.

Mikey's meeting a village elder to discuss the boundary issue.

What is the community feeling about the livestock that comes into the

lodge area around Sasaab?

The kids, we are just sending to look after livestock.

They see grass a lot in this area.

The goats are not supposed to come from this area up to this area.

So, we, as elders in this village, once we knew the people,

we should have to shun them.

So they get fined if they get caught

-coming into that area by the community?

-Yes. By the community.

The elders are so aware

that the fortunes of the village rely on wildlife

coming close to the lodge that they will do what it takes to stop local

livestock straying onto hotel land.

It is a tricky one and there is a fine line,

especially in an area like this that's so arid and rugged because

the conflict for grazing and grasslands is so...

is at the breaking point all the time here.

As well as deriving some income from the lodge,

the local Samburu community have access to new job opportunities.

Tanya and Mikey have committed to employ

75% of their workers from the local area.

On average, the wage paid to one such worker will go on to support

at least ten other people in their family and community.

And it seems that work here is highly sought after.

Go ahead, Nicks.

-OVER RADIO:

-'There's a warrior

'here about a job if you have time to come up and speak to him.'

So, this is a normal thing, you're painting a plunge pool and you get

a call on the intercom and there's a warrior at reception looking for

-a job.

-We do often have the local warriors coming in looking for work.

We've actually got one employed now

who's helping to look after our camels.

'I like the sound of this job-seeking warrior.'

Do you have any idea what sort of work he's going to want?

Hi, buddy.

I'm Giles.

Could you ask for me why he wants to work here?

HE SPEAKS SAMBURU LANGUAGE

He knows a lot of the staff here.

It's very close to his home, which is another big perk.

Sadly at the moment, you know,

we've got all the positions covered, but in the event that, you know,

we get higher occupancies or if some of our staff require their off days,

then we'll be able to call him.

Good luck.

It's quite an interesting thing seeing this fellow

arrive looking for a job, walked over from the nearest village.

When I've seen other guys like that Samburu warrior, you can't help

wondering, have they dressed up like that for me, for the BBC,

where actually they're just wearing Man United strips all the time?

But this guy's just walked over looking for a job in the clothes

that he, as a Samburu warrior, wears every day

and he's not got lucky today but he may another time.

However, for people used to living and working in the bush,

delivering Western forms of hospitality often requires a degree

of cultural adjustment.

After years of training staff, Tanya has her own observations.

Seeing a straight line does not come naturally to people who have not had

to have straight lines around them.

If you look out in the wilderness there's nothing straight about it,

actually, and hanging a mirror or a picture straight is a challenge.

The most coveted role at the lodge is safari guide.

28-year-old Jacob is one of the most senior guides.

It's taken him three years to get the necessary licences and now he

educates international guests about his region and its wildlife.

These are lion footprints.

It seems to be heading up that way.

But on days off, Jacob still herds the family goats.

He's also a Samburu warrior.

In Samburu culture, a warrior is a single man under 30

responsible for protecting the village and looking after animals.

When I go home when I'm not working

I'm still going back to look after the goats, cows, camels

and to help in everyday duty in the village.

MOBILE PHONE RINGTONE

When he's herding animals, Jacob walks the savanna.

When he's a tourist guide, he makes his journeys by car or camel.

'I'm joining Jacob to see what kind of experience he offers his guests.'

-Jacob. Nice to meet you.

-How are you?

'Although I'm not sure I fancy getting close

'to one of these feisty beasts.' CAMEL GRUNTS

He's very big. Do they, erm, bite or anything?

They bite.

Sometimes they spit but it's not very much.

It's enough.

Shall I put it on that one? And then just chuck it over?

I've never ridden a camel before.

It never occurred to me until this morning that I never had.

I never particularly wanted to.

It's just it's better than going in a Land Rover, isn't it?

Because you're not going to scare away the lions and the leopards.

In fact, you're going to probably attract them

with the possibility of a tasty camel lunch.

So, we are going with the ranger here

because we have the elephants where we are walking to.

Will that kill an elephant?

Yeah, like one bullet. One or two. Maybe three.

OK.

This has taken a whole different complexion, this trip.

OK, let's go then.

First of all you put your leg here, left foot.

-This one there?

-Yeah. Then swing quickly.

-Yeah?

-And you hold tight here.

Do I...? I'm not sure my legs bend like that.

-Where are they meant to go?

-Yeah, just right there.

Ah! Well...

-What's up?

-Well, it...

My legs don't really bend like that.

-It's supposed to be in there.

-So what shall I do?

Maybe you change your shorts.

I've just changed into the researcher's shorts

because mine were a bit tight to get on the camel, so...

Bit embarrassing. I'll try and do it now.

CAMEL GRUNTS

Don't be afraid.

HE LAUGHS

Supposing the elephant comes, and then the camel is afraid,

and the camel runs off over there -

what do I do?

You just really need to hold on to the camel.

-What if he bites me?

-No, no, he's not going to bite you.

What if my nuts just go back inside my sternum?

JACOB LAUGHS

So, hold tight there. It's, like, going to drop you down.

Oh! Thank you. That was brilliant.

That was fantastic.

Ahh! No wonder they invented the horse. And the car.

'I take the opportunity to sit down, carefully,

'with Jacob to talk about local perceptions of tourism.'

What do the other ones think, the more traditional ones,

think about people coming here, driving around,

looking for lions and elephants? Do they think that's strange?

It's OK if we walk home?

It wasn't very comfortable.

I'm walking a bit funny even now.

-Because of the camel?

-Yeah.

The arrival of the lodge nine years ago means life is changing

for the locals in an unprecedented way.

Whereas previously Samburu people would breed and herd livestock

to trade, through tourism they can now earn a wage for the first time.

This means that warriors like Jacob are now able

to buy more livestock sooner.

Out of 43 people employed at Sasaab Lodge,

three quarters are local Samburu.

Their wages go on to support many other people

within their families and community.

Yeah, hello!

'Today, there's a warrior ceremony in Jacob's village of Ungutuk.'

SINGING

'It's a chance to see whether the lodge's existence

'has changed the daily lives and culture of the villagers.'

-And they're singing?

-Yeah.

-For me?

-Yeah, yeah.

'I'm moved by the vibrant welcome

'and the deep sense of tradition here.'

SINGING CONTINUES

My head's too big!

My culture in Samoa, we do a lot of singing to welcome people,

but that's a mix of women and men,

it's never just the women that do it alone.

Here it's very segregated.

'I'm with Jacob and the warriors, who are about to prepare a feast,

'and it's a world away from smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce.'

So you're going to kill it right here?

We're going to kill it right here.

'And I'm being offered the best bit.'

-Actually, are you going to drink the blood?

-Of this fellow?

Well, it's not my normal thing but if it's good, I'll try it.

Oh, from the actual, from the...

Straight from the neck?

-Yeah.

-I see.

Cool.

All my life I've known it's a thing that warriors

in Eastern Africa do, and I never wanted to put myself

in a situation where I would risk offending my host.

You ready for the blood?

Erm...

Yeah, just a little bit, just a little bit.

You done?

Mm! Yeah.

Kemelok, kemelok.

'Kemelok means "delicious" in Samburu, by the way.'

I realise this looks gross to you sitting at home, having your dinner

in front of the TV. This is what these guys do,

and I felt like I ought to give it a go.

Thick. It's like egg yolk. It's like egg yolk.

'Seeing this side of Jacob's life makes me wonder what it's like

'balancing two very different worlds.'

Is that easy for you to go backwards and forwards?

-A msungu is me, white people.

-Yes.

Whilst the lodge has brought some fresh opportunities

for local men and their families,

for most of the ladies it seems daily life has remained the same.

The women of the village still walk for over an hour each day

with donkeys to collect water,

are responsible for all the domestic chores

and get the leftovers from the men's feasts.

And do you think the women are OK about that

because it's their normal way of life?

But can we ask them, are they happy to do that?

SHE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

-Yeah. So they're happy with the way things are?

-Yeah.

Samburu people working inside the lodge wear hotel uniforms,

but in his role as a guide Jacob can wear his own clothes.

-Chubby msungu.

-Did you say "chubby msungu"?

HE LAUGHS

-Did you say "chubby msungu"?

-Sorry!

I heard you say...

Chubby white bastard, eh? I heard you!

'My outfit for the ceremony, on the other hand, is borrowed.'

So I'm now dressed, I'm ready for the party?

Yeah, yeah, very much ready to party.

'But I'm feeling a bit self-conscious

'as a chubby msungu dressed as a warrior.'

You all right?

You did it!

Wow!

-You want me to do that?

-Yeah.

I haven't got... I haven't got a spear.

-Can I be in the back?

-Yeah, on the back.

'At this point it should be said that I loathe dancing.'

SINGING AND WHOOPING

I can't...

'But I'm doing my best to keep up with 30 fearsome pogoing warriors.'

There's a lot of laughing going on, I think.

No, no, no, it isn't laughing.

It's the last dance of the night

and a chance for the men to choose the most desirable partners.

-Monica, can we go?

-Where?

-Can we go?

-Oh, my God.

-You go and dance, I'll watch.

-Yeah, make sure someone takes Giles.

That's absolutely typical, I've spent all day becoming

a Samburu warrior, dressing up, all ready to dance,

and now my date, Monica, has gone off with Jacob.

I can't really blame her, he's a fine figure of a Samburu warrior

and I'm "chubby msungu",

so it's not surprising I ended up without a date.

The lodge generates money,

jobs and some security for the local community,

but with that comes the prospect of all kinds of other changes.

I hope all the European influence or the white influence

on this way of life and this culture

doesn't overtake that, you know?

This doesn't get lost within the next...20, 30 years.

Samburu is a passionate place and they're passionate people.

They have this cultural love of wildlife

that makes working in harmony with them a great asset.

Of course it's more than a business, it's, erm...

It's, you know, we do this for our family

and for other people's families,

and just to help people...

..understand and realise

what a special place or country we have.

Back at the Manor, it's time for afternoon tea.

This is civilised.

Over four decades since Betty and Jock welcomed giraffe

into their grounds,

it can feel like nothing much has changed in Kenya.

In they come.

Yet we've come a long way since the big game hunts of the past.

Today, travellers are offered the experience of Africa

in various packages, some more safe and comfortable than others.

We don't do this at the Dorchester, Grandma, do we,

feed a giraffe after afternoon tea?

Look at this baby running!

Oh, she's beautiful.

Oh, I mean... Yeah.

I don't think you'd ever get tired of a giraffe.

People are a different story but, no, not the giraffe!

Oh, look. Oh, look, they're so cute!

So cute!

-Oh, they love it. Don't you?

-What?

-Feeding the giraffe.

-Yeah.

-Yeah!

It's that up close and personal thing, really.

It's an intangible feeling, wildlife, being with wildlife,

being in the bush.

It's not something you can really explain,

you have to feel it,

and I think that's what draws people emotively to this environment,

because it makes you more alive, definitely.

At its heart, the allure of this extraordinary hotel

and the people who run it rests on enabling guests

'to get close to animals and to be moved by that.'

Yet the sensitive dynamic

between tourism, wildlife and local communities

will continue to challenge all who visit Kenya

and everyone who calls it home.