As part of our miniseries, The Unique and Unusual Accommodations of Africa, where we spotlight some of the most luxurious and bizarre hotels, lodges, and camps in southern and eastern Africa, we’re introducing two more properties: Lake Manyara Tree Lodge and Giraffe Manor.

If you missed Part I of this post, you’ll definitely want to check it out! Click here to view Part I.

See below for Part II:

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge: I am a huge fan of all &Beyond accommodations, but one of their most luxurious and unique lodges is the Lake Manyara Tree Lodge. In fact, if I had to sum up this majestic lodge in one word, it would be “surreal.”

Screen grab above taken from the Lake Manyara Tree Lodge website.

Strategically located within an enchanting mahogany forest in Tanzania’s Lake Manyara National Park, the secluded and elegant Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is a romance seeker’s paradise. Glowing with radiance and beauty, this charming lodge was designed to perfectly compliment its untouched natural surroundings, incorporating natural materials, tones, and textures into a lavish and cozy ambiance.

Celebrated for its quaint and personalized feel, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is equipped with only 10 stilted tree house suites. Each and every suite has an open-layout and is situated in lush tree canopies that work to enhance guests’ experiences and to provide the ultimate setting for romance and seclusion.

Because this lodge is the only accommodation in Lake Manyara National Park, guests can enjoy exclusive access to remarkable game viewing and birding. The lodge also provides private guided safaris that are tailor-designed to fit your specific preferences and interests. Guests of Lake Manyara Tree Lodge even have the opportunity to embark on night game drives through the park to witness nocturnal wildlife and animal behaviors not seen during the day.

Giraffe Manor: By far one of the most unique accommodations in the world, Giraffe Manor welcomes humans and giraffes as guests. This interactive and highly unique hotel is home to resident Rothschild giraffes that enjoy peaceful days in the manicured grounds of this exclusive property. Aside from giraffes, the 140-acre manor is also a sanctuary for warthogs, bushbuck, and a vast array of bird species. And what makes this hotel even more unique is the breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngong Hills.

Image above taken from the Giraffe Manor website.

But I warn you that if you stay here, don’t be alarmed if you have an unexpected visitor popping its head into your window for an early morning wakeup call. The giraffes are completely free to roam the manor, which means they can poke their heads wherever they want! In fact, they love peaking in on your traditional English breakfast. And don’t be afraid to pet them. They’re superfriendly and are always up for making new friends.

Image above taken from the Giraffe Manor website.

The manor is located a few miles outside of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and provides an intimate setting for families and honeymooners alike who are looking for the ultimate private retreat. Built in 1932 and modeled after a Scottish hunting lodge, the Manor reflects its historical European roots and exudes an old-world charm with its ivy-covered façade. Tastefully decorated with antique furnishings, fine linens, grandiose beds, and spacious bathrooms, the manor’s five double bedroom suites and larger suite offer an exceptionally comfortable stay.

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What if there were an organization that rose to the occasion to help companies and communities dramatically reduce their carbon footprints? A company with the hope and conviction that with a joint effort and a passion for the earth and its fragile eco-systems, we could create a healthier, more sustainable living environment for all. This company is Carbon Tanzania.

Dedicated to protecting the wildlife and rehabilitating the habitat of Tanzania and the earth as a whole, Carbon Tanzania has established a program and several branch projects that enable local Tanzanian communities to thrive and businesses to seek and implement effective strategies to dramatically reduce these harmful emissions.

Below is a breakdown of how Carbon Tanzania helps local Tanzanian communities and how it helps companies:

Local Communities: Employing large quantities of local villagers to maintain and plant tree seedlings, Carbon Tanzania helps communities establish effective economic and environmentally sustainable practices. When these locals are employed, Carbon Tanzania provides them with training sessions and project baseline scenarios that enable the locals to establish highly valuable skills that can be used for additional personal success in the future.

By establishing these reforestation projects and employing the native Tanzanians, Carbon Tanzania hopes to ensure a long term solution to environmental and community finance issues.

Companies: Consider all of the combined carbon emissions produced by businesses around the world. Off the top of your head, it might not seem to be that much, but when you factor in staff vehicle fuel consumption, outside deliveries, employee (and sometimes client) air travel, electricity costs, paper usage, and office cleaning materials, the estimations often expand dramatically.

Carbon Tanzania offers all types of businesses, camps, lodges, and safari providers, the opportunity to have a Greenhouse Gas Audit performed on their company. The results of this audit enable companies to establish a visual on their emissions, implement effective emission reduction strategies, and reduce their carbon footprint.

A Greenhouse Gas Audit can detect a company’s global and local impact and it can also detect an individual’s personal impact on the environment.

In addition to helping local communities and eco-systems thrive, as well as helping companies to reduce their carbon emissions, Carbon Tanzania also partners with local organizations that are interested in managing natural resources, helping communities become sustainable, and developing reforestation projects.

To learn more about the positive impact Carbon Tanzania is producing, visit their website at http://www.carbontanzania.com.

Image from Greystoke Mahale website

Far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Greystoke Mahale camp, located at the edge of western Tanzania, is the embodiment of a distant paradise. Removed from the main tourist attractions of Tanzania, Greystoke Mahale is for travelers looking for the epitome of luxury, authenticity, and intimacy.

With a phenomenal location nestled between the Mahale Mountains within the privacy of towering trees and shady palms, each of Greystoke s six bandas overlooks the gleaming Lake Tanganyika. Here, visitors can enjoy relaxing days on the beach and in the water, spectacular sunsets off the horizon of this regal lake, and elegant dinners beneath the stars. The possibilities are truly endless.

But arguably, Greystoke s most captivating and famous feature is its nearby chimpanzee population. With the largest concentration of chimps in the world, the slopes of the Mahale Mountains offer visitors to Greystoke spectacular opportunities to observe these highly-intelligent creatures in the wild.

What you’ll see on a chimpanzee trekking excursion . . .

Chimp trekking is an absolute must when visiting Greystoke Mahale and is one of the most rewarding experiences.

As you enjoy a delightful walk through the lush forest behind Greystoke, a surprising mystery awaits you on the soft green slopes of the Mahale Mountains. With nearly 1,000 chimps living in the surrounding Gombe National Park, you ll see a variety of chimp families playing, foraging, and socializing.

One such family, known as The M Group, is comprised of individuals that live close to Greystoke and each have very specific character traits. For example, Pimu, the alpha male, is known for his dominant and aggressive behavior with females and the other males, while other chimps are famous for their high intelligence.

After just a few minutes with these magnificent creatures, you ll begin to see unique characteristics that separate each chimp from the next. You ll also immediately notice distinct correlations between the behavior of these chimps and that of humans.

In fact, the local tribe of Mahale believes that these beautiful creatures were once humans who moved into the woods and have now evolved into what we see today.

Whether you want to partake in chimp trekking each day of your vacation or one or two days of your trip, the staff at Greystoke can accommodate for all your needs and desires. For each trekking expedition, you ll be able to sit and observe the chimps for one hour at a time observing their everyday interactions and social behavior.

In addition to the impressive chimps, you ll also encounter eight other species of primates, leopard, buchbuck, bushpigs, and a wide spectrum of exotic bird and insect species, while on your tropical forest hike.