Tortilis Camp

Location

Tortilis sits on a gentle hillside within the Kitirua Conservancy, a private wildlife area bordering Amboseli National Park’s southwestern boundary.

This southwestern position offers distinct advantages. Kilimanjaro rises directly ahead, unobstructed by other lodges, creating the classic elephant-against-mountain photographs that define the Amboseli experience. The proximity to Tanzania’s Enduimet Wildlife Management Area means this corner functions as a vital wildlife corridor, with elephants moving freely across the international border.

Within Kitirua, guests enjoy activities not possible in the national park: walking safaris, game drives after park hours, and sundowners on the hill overlooking the plains. Morning drives reach Amboseli’s famous swamps within 45 minutes.

Rooms

The 16 Safari Tents feature canvas walls beneath high thatched roofs, set on raised stone platforms with wooden floors. Each opens onto a private terrace with safari chairs and a daybed facing Kilimanjaro. Inside, beds configure as king or twin with quality linens and mosquito netting. Bathrooms feature flush toilets, basin and walk-in showers with hot water on demand. Solar charging handles phones and tablets (hair dryers not recommended). The tents are well-spaced for privacy—neighbors remain unseen and unheard—and those furthest from the main area offer the most seclusion. Morning temperatures can drop to 15°C, so pack a warm layer.

The Family Tent is set apart on the upper hillside, comprising two separate en-suite bedrooms (one double, one twin) under one roof, both accommodating an extra bed for children under 16. A shared private terrace offers what many consider the camp’s best Kilimanjaro views, and the tent shares a private swimming pool with the Private House, separate from the main camp pool. This arrangement is ideal for families wanting togetherness with space.

The Private House is the largest option, offering two en-suite bedrooms (one double, one that can be configured as a triple), a generous sitting and dining room, and a veranda overlooking the conservancy. Wide netted windows allow sunrise viewing from bed, and like the Family Tent, it shares the upper hillside pool. This configuration suits multi-generational families or friends wanting private gathering space, though most guests prefer the sociability of the main dining room. Both family accommodations enjoy elevated positions with reliably clearer mountain visibility.

Communal Areas

The heart of Tortilis occupies the crest of the hill, where an open-sided main building houses the lounge, bar and dining area beneath a soaring thatched roof. Stone floors, chunky wooden furniture and earthy textiles create an atmosphere that feels established rather than designed, with the mountain dominating the view through the open front.

The dining room serves cuisine reflecting the camp’s Italian heritage. Fresh herbs and vegetables come from the on-site organic garden; homemade pasta remains a house speciality. Bush breakfasts can be arranged on longer morning drives, and private dinners may be set up on the hill with advance notice.

Below the main area, a swimming pool offers relief from midday heat, shaded by palms and acacia tortilis trees. The poolside attracts weaver birds and the occasional vervet monkey. A small gift shop sells local crafts, while a fire pit becomes the evening gathering point where guests share sightings over sundowner drinks.

The camp’s waterhole, visible from the bar and dining terrace, provides constant entertainment. Elephants, zebra, wildebeest and occasionally buffalo visit throughout the day, meaning wildlife viewing continues even during rest hours. Binoculars at breakfast become as routine as coffee.

Activities

Game Drives: Twice-daily shared game drives form the heart of the Tortilis experience, conducted in open-sided 4×4 Land Cruisers with pop-up roofs for unobstructed photography. Morning departures typically begin at 06:30, often including a bush breakfast served on the plains as the sun climbs above Kilimanjaro. These can extend to six hours, covering both Amboseli National Park and the private Kitirua Conservancy, where vehicles can go off-road for optimal sightings. Afternoon drives depart around 16:00, returning after sundowners as darkness settles. All guides hold Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association certification, with many having built long-term relationships with the Amboseli Elephant Research Project team, giving them intimate knowledge of individual elephant family lineages spanning generations. The vehicles are equipped with reference books, binoculars, and charging points for cameras. Expect to encounter not only Amboseli’s famed elephants but also lion prides, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, and over 400 bird species. The bush breakfast experience might find you dining on fresh pastries and Kenyan coffee beside a termite mound while zebra graze nearby, while the sundowner tradition on Sunset Hill serves classic cocktails as the mountain catches alpenglow and the nocturnal world begins to stir.

Walking Safaris: Led exclusively by Maasai guides from neighboring communities, these 2-3 hour excursions reveal Kitirua Conservancy on foot—a privilege not permitted within the national park itself. The walks focus on the finer details missed from vehicles: reading tracks in the volcanic soil, identifying medicinal plants like the desert rose and acacia gum, examining insect colonies, and understanding the intricate relationships between flora and fauna that sustain this ecosystem. Groups are limited to six guests for safety and intimacy. You’ll learn to distinguish between elephant and buffalo dung, identify bird calls from the 330 species recorded here, and perhaps try your hand at traditional Maasai fire-making using friction. The guides carry radio communication and follow strict safety protocols, including armed ranger accompaniment where required. The experience offers a profound shift in perspective—feeling the earth beneath your boots, hearing the snap of acacia thorns underfoot, and smelling wild sage crushed between your fingers.

Maasai Village Visits: These are not staged performances but genuine cultural exchanges with nearby homesteads where Tortilis has maintained relationships for decades. Guests are welcomed into traditional manyattas to observe daily life—watching women create intricate beadwork that tells stories of age and status, witnessing the rhythmic chanting and jumping dances of warriors, and learning about livestock herding practices that have sustained communities for centuries. Your visit includes a small contribution directly to the village fund, supporting education and healthcare initiatives rather than individual payment. The experience is guided by a camp naturalist who translates Maa language and provides cultural context, ensuring respectful interaction. Photography is permitted with consent, and guests often find themselves invited to share tea and conversation with the village elder, creating moments of authentic connection rather than observation.

Sundowners: The daily ritual of evening drinks takes place on Sunset Hill, a granite outcrop offering panoramic views across the conservancy toward Kilimanjaro. As the sun drops, the mountain’s snowcap often catches fire in shades of rose and amber—one of Africa’s most photographed natural spectacles. The camp sets up a mobile bar with premium gin, South African wines, and non-alcoholic options, accompanied by light canapés of local cheese and sundried tomato. It’s a time for guides to share stories of the day’s sightings, guests to swap experiences, and for everyone to pause as the nocturnal world begins to stir—perhaps hearing the first distant contact call of a lion or the sawing cough of a leopard from the valley below.

Night Drives: Available exclusively within Kitirua Conservancy (national park rules prohibit night driving), these 90-minute excursions reveal a hidden world using filtered spotlights that minimize disturbance to wildlife. You’ll search for eye shine in the darkness—perhaps catching a bushbaby leaping between branches with its distinctive cry, an aardvark lumbering between termite mounds, or the neon reflection of a chameleon’s skin in a thorn tree. Guides track lions on the move, often following radio signals from collared individuals when possible, and may locate hunting activity or hyena dens. The experience transforms familiar landscapes into mysterious territory, with sounds amplified in the darkness and the Southern Cross constellation spread overhead. Warm blankets and hot water bottles are provided as temperatures drop, and guides explain how nocturnal species have adapted to this parallel world.

Hot Air Balloon Safaris (additional cost): Operated by licensed local partners with decades of experience, these dawn flights launch around 06:00, weather permitting. After a pre-dawn briefing and coffee at the camp, you’ll ascend silently above the conservancy as sunrise paints Kilimanjaro in gradients of pink and gold. The flight typically lasts 45-60 minutes, following wind currents at treetop level over elephant herds and across the plains where you might spot a serval hunting in the grass. Upon landing in a designated area, a full champagne breakfast is served in the bush—white linen, silver service, and fresh omelets cooked on portable burners beside a campfire. The experience includes a flight certificate, transfers, and celebratory toast. Advanced booking is essential, and flights operate only in stable weather conditions from July through October and January to March.

Amboseli Elephant Research Project Lecture (additional cost): Subject to researcher availability and advance arrangement, this one-hour session offers rare insight into the world’s longest-running elephant study. Held either at the project headquarters near the park entrance or within camp under the accacia trees, a resident researcher explains their longitudinal data on elephant behavior, social structures, matriarchal leadership, and conservation challenges including human-wildlife conflict and climate change impacts. You’ll learn how individual elephants are identified by ear notches and tusk patterns, see decades of field journals, and understand how tourism funding directly supports the research. Participation is limited to six guests per session and requires a donation to the project, with all proceeds funding field operations and ranger support.