With the majestic backdrop of Africa’s highest mountain, and the world’s highest free-standing mountain, Tortilis Camp is widely regarded as the prime location for witnessing the majesty of snow-capped Kilimanjaro. Tortilis Camp is named after the flat-topped, umbrella thorn tree that surrounds the camp, the Acacia Tortilis.
Amboseli is also known for its magnificent elephants – a population of over 1500 elephants, and some of Africa’s largest, reside in the park’s unique eco-system.
Game drives, walks, sundowners and bush meals all take place both inside the Amboseli National Park and within a private 30,000 acre game concession, offering fantastic opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography.
The tents are all spacious, with king or twin beds and elegant en suite bathrooms. There is a main lounge, bar and dining area, all exquisitely built with natural materials and thatched roofs, with magnificent views of Kilimanjaro.
ABOUT TORTILIS
Tortilis camp was designed and built by Stefano Cheli, opening in 1994. A magnificent site belonging to a Maasai family from the local community, it had been promised to a big hotel developer who was struggling to get the Kenya Wildlife Service, at the time under the management of Dr Richard Leakey, to give permission to build a large 200 bed hotel.
The Maasai family aproached Stefano and asked him if he would like the site, Dr Leakey approved the plans for a small environmentally friendly camp; and Tortilis Camp was born.
The first of its kind, Tortilis Camp was the first “boutique eco-lodge” in Kenya. Guided by a deep passion and respect for the wilderness, everything about Tortilis Camp is designed for minimal footprint.
Built from local materials, and adhering to strict self-imposed environmental policies, Tortilis Camp is a prime example of responsibility meeting highest levels of comfort and luxury. Tortilis Camp continued its tradition of firsts by being the first camp of it’s size to be 100% solar powered.
Tortilis Camp won the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow award for its ground breaking eco-design and ethos in 1996.
Tortilis still is a leader in conservation, working with African Conservation Centre on maintaining elephant exclosures, preserving the Kitirua conservancy, and is a leader in Amboseli for social responsibility.
But Tortilis is not all about “eco” and “conservation”; Tortilis’ beautiful design takes advantage of the truly spectacular views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the best views in Amboseli, and complement them with some of the best cuisine and warmest hospitality in East Africa.
In 2015 Tortilis Camp joined the Elewana Collection. With a collection of 15 boutique properties across the most iconic locations of Kenya and Tanzania, Tortilis Camp was a perfect fit for a Elewana’s ethos of authentic, luxurious safari experiences that respect East Africa’s spectacular wilderness.
Each makuti-covered tent consists of a main bedroom with twin or double beds, en-suite bathroom and a spacious verandah.
Let the team know if you require twin beds or double bed.
With Mt. Kilimanjaro peering down over the entire camp, each of Tortilis Camp’s 16 tents has a glorious view of the mountain.
With outstanding views of Mt Kilimanjaro, enjoyed from the comfort of your own private family verandah, Tortilis Camp’s new Family Tent is another great addition to this child-friendly safari camp in Amboseli.
The Family Tent consists of one double en suite bedroom, one twin en suite bedroom, and a spacious private verandah. Featuring a brand new swimming pool shared with the Private House.
With Mt. Kilimanjaro peering down over the entire camp, Tortilis Camp’s Private House has a glorious view of the mountain.
The Private House consists of one en-suite double bedroom, one en-suite triple bedroom, and a spacious sitting / dining room with verandah.
Featuring a brand new swimming pool shared with the Family Tent.
Each makuti-covered tent consists of a main bedroom with twin or double beds, en-suite bathroom and a spacious verandah. Let the team know if you require twin beds or double bed.
Take a moment to sit back, enjoy the spectacular views, the smells, the colours, and the gentle breeze. Bush breakfasts are a chance to enjoy a full breakfast, al fresco, in the middle of the plains, surrounded by wildlife.
“Sundowners” are a safari tradition – after a day of safari; stop, watch the spectacular sunset; traditionally with a gin and tonic in hand!
With an invitingly lush and healthy vegetable garden, Tortilis Camp prides itself in serving up its fresh homegrown salads and vegetables with every meal.
From lavish bush breakfast out in the middle of the plains, to fresh homemade pastas and breads at the camp, the Tortilis chefs excel themselves with every meal.
Tortilis Camp has a spacious dining room overlooking Mt Kilimanjaro, where guests eat at their own individual tables.
Canapes ‘bitings’ are served in the bar and lounge before dinner.
Tortilis Camp serves a daily table d’hôte menu that can be tailored for preferences and special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. Please ask your travel agent to inform the team in advance, so that the camp managers can prepare for your arrival.
Safari is also a holiday and a rest – a break from today’s frenetic lifestyle. Tortilis Camp offers massages – a wonderful way to ease the stress out of tired shoulders and backs; manicure and pedicure – compliment those tanned limbs!
Enjoy the cool waters in the heat of the day! Within the lush green gardens, the pool is shaded by palms and acacia Tortilis, and a haven for tropical birds. The swimming pool has bar service and board games.
ABOUT AMBOSELI
Amboseli National Park covers 392 sq kms, only a small portion of the surrounding 3000 sq km of the Amboseli ecosystem.
Tortilis Camp is on the south western edge of the park, facing the mountain and is accessed from within the National Park. It overlooks its own private 30’000 acre wildlife conservancy, Kitirua. Away from the busy eastern side of Amboseli, and with its own private conservancy, guests experience a wild and private Amboseli.
The area is famous for the dramatic views of Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world, and the highest peak on the African continent. Kilimanjaro at 19,340ft or 5,894m rises dramatically out of the 4000ft (1,200m) Amboseli plains.
An extinct volcano with two peaks, rocky Mwenzi and Kibo a crater rim. The glaciers on the mountain are slowly disappearing with global warming, but it remains snow capped as any precipitation on the mountain settles as snow. Despite being in Tanzania, the best views of the mountain are from Amboseli, with Tortilis Camp on a south-west hillside facing the mountain, having the most dramatic views of all.
Amboseli is also famous for its elephant herds, which have been followed and documented by world renowned researcher Cynthia Moss. Amboseli has some of the largest elephants in Africa, and the guides at Tortilis Camp know the individual elephants, their family history, and are able to get very close to the habituated herds.
Much of Amboseli incorporates the dried up bed of a Pleistocene lake, with lush deep fresh water springs in the middle of the park a haven for hippos and birdlife and a playground for elephants. As well as plentiful plains game and their predators, the area hosts its own eastern white bearded wildebeest migration, a population that is genetically separate from the Masai Mara/Serengeti population.
CLIMATE
The days are warm, rising to maximum of 30 deg C, but comfortable with minimum humidity, and the evenings are cool with cosy blankets on the beds. Rainfall is mostly in November with an average of 220mm per year.
In the heart of Masai country, Tortilis Camp offers visits to local Masai homesteads. The Masai live in semi-permanent huts known as Manyattas. The families will show you round their home for a fee and will want to take the opportunity to sell their traditional handicrafts.
With only 10% of Amboseli National Park utilized by most safari vehicles, combined with Tortilis Camp’s unique location on the western edge of the park (most lodges are outside of the eastern gate of the park), guests can enjoy an almost private Amboseli.
Take the time to leave the car behind and enjoy the small things – tracks, dung beetles, micro-ecosystems. The guides, Masai from the local community, are happy to share their knowledge of the terrain, traditional uses of wild herbs and barks, and the Masai way of life.
Tortilis Camp has hosted very many beautiful weddings, blessings, and renewal of vows for guests. From small simple ceremonies involving merely a glass of champagne at the end of a gamedrive, to three day events, with over 30 guests taking over the whole property.
TORTILIS CAMP
Amboseli National ParkAmboseliKenya