Kenya’s Solio Lodge and Giraffe Manor have been named to the 2025 Forbes Travel Guide Edge List, which recognizes the world’s best travel experiences through high-end properties and meaningful guest engagement.
Solio Lodge is located in the greater Laikipia region, while Giraffe Manor sits in Nairobi’s Karen suburb.
“The Edge List celebrates the spirit of discovery that defines great travel,” said Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “These honourees combine access to extraordinary, off-the-beaten-path destinations with the elevated comfort and service that discerning travellers expect.”
CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, Hermann Elger, was appointed in February 2022, replacing Filip Boyen, and has extensive experience in the luxury hospitality and business sectors.
The annual Edge List, announced on Thursday, 11 September, highlights destinations reshaping global tourism across four pillars: innovation, authenticity, immersion, and impact. This year, Kenya is one of only 15 countries featured worldwide, and one of just two from Africa.
Solio Lodge, situated within the 45,000-acre Solio Game Reserve between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare ranges, was recognised in the Animal Encounters category. The lodge gives guests rare access to more than 200 black and white rhinos—one of Africa’s largest populations. Visitors experience the wildlife through guided game drives, horseback rides, cycling tours, and private helicopter excursions. Forbes praised the property for delivering one of East Africa’s most remarkable wildlife encounters while advancing conservation tourism.
Giraffe Manor, a historic 1930s property in Nairobi, was celebrated for blending heritage, luxury, and wildlife interaction. Today, it operates as both a boutique hotel and a giraffe sanctuary, where endangered Rothschild’s giraffes roam freely. Guests often share meals with the animals, which famously stretch their necks through the manor’s windows during breakfast. Forbes described the experience as a distinctive urban wildlife connection.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano welcomed the recognition, calling it a confirmation of Kenya’s position as a destination offering transformative travel experiences. She emphasized the importance of continued investment in both conservation and world-class hospitality.
Forbes Travel Guide began as the Mobil Travel Guide in 1958, created by Mobil Oil to support the growing interstate highway system and establish the world’s first hospitality Five-Star rating in 1960. After being acquired in 2009 and rebranded as Forbes Travel Guide, the company shifted to a digital-first model in 2011, focusing on luxury hospitality, and expanded to rate ocean cruise ships in 2023. Today, it is the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas, and cruise ships, utilizing anonymous, professional inspectors who evaluate properties against hundreds of rigorous standards.
