Properties
Tawi Lodge
Amboseli National Park and Tawi Conservancy
Kenya
Tawi Lodge is a great spot to use as a base to explore the Amboseli area. Built within the private 3,000-acre Tawi concession, a short drive outside Amboseli National Park, it offers the best of both worlds: access to the national park and use of the private conservancy, which provides experiences such as walking and night game drives.
The lodge is small but comfortable, and the central area sits in pretty gardens which attract myriad birds. The main area features a thatched, two-storey building housing the reception, lounge, bar, dining area, and gift shop. Outside, under a covered verandah, is a dining area, and across the lawn, you will find a swimming pool. On a clear day, there is a view of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Thirteen unpretentious but comfortable thatched guest cottages sit on either side of the main lodge building. The cottages have canvas and net windows that can be rolled up to make the most of the view. Each cottage has a small fireplace, an ensuite bathroom and a private wooden deck.
The lodge offers guided walks and game drives in the Tawi Conservancy, providing a unique opportunity to explore the local wildlife and landscapes. Amboseli National Park is just a 15-minute drive away.
About This Area
The Tawi Conservancy and the Amboseli National Park make up an important part of the Amboseli ecosystem, acting as a vital corridor for wildlife between the two protected areas. Amboseli National Park is blessed with massive springs that are formed by water percolating down from Mount Kilimanjaro that towers above the open plains. This water in turn forms massive emerald green swamps that are a tear around magnet for thousands of animals. There are plentiful herds of plains game as well as hundreds of species of birds that congregate at these oases in what is otherwise quite a barren landscape.
The Park and the Conservancies that adjoin it are most famous for the large concentrations of elephant that can occur there. The ecosystem can provide some of the best elephant viewing in Africa. If you are lucky enough to see elephants with Kilimanjaro in the background it is an incredible spectacle.
The Tawi Conservancy offers the chance to walk and also to meet some of the local Masai that live in the area.