Properties
Tortilis Camp
Amboseli National Park and Kitirua Conservancy
Kenya
Tortilis Camp is one of our favourite spots to use as a base to explore the Amboseli area. Built within a private concession adjacent to Amboseli National Park, it offers the best of both worlds: quick access to the national park and use of the private area, which provides experiences such as walking and interacting with the community.
The camp sits on the shoulder of a gently rounded hill, with views over masailand that stretch out to Kilimanjaro, a shady oasis sheltered by fever trees and acacia tortilis. The traditional guest tents are not luxurious but perfectly adequate. They have en-suite bathrooms and a small verandah. The main living areas include a lounge, bar, dining area, and swimming pool.
When the skies over Kilimanjaro are clear, the lounge and dining area offer fantastic views of the mountain. The main areas are open-sided to maximize the views. Below the main areas is a sundowner area with a crackling campfire in the evenings, and beyond, down the slope, is the swimming pool tucked into the pretty gardens.
Tortilis also has a family tent and private house. The family tent has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, with a large terrace to the front. The private house is slightly bigger with a double bedroom, a twin or triple room and a sitting/dining area. The family tent and private house share a private swimming pool and have possibly the best views of Kilimanjaro in camp.
About This Area
The Kitirua 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 Conservancy 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.
Kitirua Conservancy offers the chance to walk and also to meet some of the local Masai that live in the area.
Tortilis Camp
