Tortilis Camp, Amboseli

Where Tortilis Camp is

Tortilis Camp is on the south-western edge of Amboseli National Park, on a hillside facing the mountain. It overlooks its own private wildlife conservancy, Kitirua, which covers about 30,000 acres, and the camp is reached through the park. That puts you on the quieter western side, away from the busier eastern gates, with access to both the park and the conservancy.

The conservancy adds options the park does not allow, such as guided bush walks with Maasai guides, off-road driving and remote bush breakfasts. The camp is unfenced, so wildlife passes through and staff escort you after dark.

Getting to Tortilis Camp

By road, the usual route is from Nairobi via Namanga to Meshanani Gate on the park's western side, which is the gate nearest the camp on the published map coordinates (KWS gives 220 km, tarmac to Namanga and murram from there). Guests arriving via Emali enter at Iremito Gate and cross the park. By air, the camp is about a 45 minute drive from the Amboseli airstrip, which the camp gives as a 45 minute flight from Wilson Airport. We plan the transfer so that it doubles as your first game drive.

Kilimanjaro views, honestly

This is the camp built around the mountain. Each of the 16 safari tents faces Kilimanjaro from a hillside, and the open-fronted lounge and dining area look the same way. The mountain still keeps its own schedule. The mountain is in Tanzania, and early morning gives you the best chance of seeing the full summit, with a second window around sunset. Your odds are best from January to February and June to October and lowest from March to May. A stay of two nights or more gives you more than one dawn to try.

Two nights or more give you several dawns to catch it. We time your early drives so you are watching the summit and the herds together.

Tents and the private house

There are 16 standard safari tents (nine doubles and seven twins), one family tent with two en-suite bedrooms and one private house with two en-suite bedrooms and a sitting room. The tents are walk-in, raised on wooden decks, with makuti thatch roofs, polished wooden floors, an en-suite bathroom and a veranda. The family tent and the private house have access to their own swimming pool.

Facilities and meals

The camp was one of the first of its size to run entirely on solar power. The lounge has a bar and comfortable seating, dining is open-fronted so you eat with the view, and a fire pit with safari chairs is the place for drinks before dinner. There is a swimming pool in the shade of palms and the acacia tortilis trees the camp is named after, and the camp offers spa treatments including massages.

A typical day at Tortilis Camp

You wake to the mountain from your veranda, then set out at first light for the park or the conservancy. A walk with a Maasai guide or a bush breakfast on the conservancy is a good way to start. Midday is for the pool and a long lunch. The afternoon drive follows the herds, and the day ends at the fire pit with drinks and the stars.

Who Tortilis Camp suits

It suits couples, honeymooners and photographers who want the mountain in every frame, and travellers who want the privacy of a conservancy with full access to the park. It pairs naturally with our honeymoon safari and photography safari. See how it compares in our lodge comparison.

How Tortilis Camp fits our packages

Tortilis Camp is a core camp in our luxury and romantic safaris:

• Amboseli Luxury Safari: four days and three nights with a private guide and an unhurried pace.
• Amboseli Honeymoon Safari: four days and three nights built around quiet drives and a candlelit dinner.
• Amboseli Photography Safari: dawn and dusk shoots positioned for elephants and the mountain.
• Amboseli Fly-In Safari: fly from Wilson Airport and start your game drive within the hour.
• 3 Day Amboseli Safari: two nights, with a full day at the swamps and Observation Hill.

Rates at Tortilis Camp

Typical published rates: roughly USD 317 to 715 per person per night depending on season, ask us for the current rate. Rates are per person sharing a room on full board and change with the season, so we confirm the price in writing before you pay.

Book Tortilis Camp with us

Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We confirm the camp, plan the dawn drives and build the rest of the safari around it.