Reviews of Tortilis Camp

"Excellent camp, well run, great food and service.

Game drives and guide Patrick particular good. He understood the needs of a photographer.

Fabulous tents and lovely refreshing pool after hot game drive" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"We thoroughly enjoyed our 4-night stay at Tortilis Camp. Like our previous experience at another property in the Elewana collection, the ambience here perhaps is just a touch on the formal side, but the staff is very friendly, and our interest in wildlife photography and maximizing time in the bush was thoroughly accommodated by management (managers Graeme and Candy were lovely).

The vehicles here are open-sided, instead of pop-hatch, which really helps with an expansive, low-angle perspective for wildlife viewing. Our guide, Patrick, was superb, and truly went out of his way to help us experience some unforgettable moments with elephants. The snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro even put in an appearance for us, though you’ll have to rely purely on Mother Nature to provide that treat." See all these reviews: 17n in Kenya

"Tortilis is a bit larger in size, and I think it was fully booked, but although there were quite a few guests around, it didn't feel hectic. Great location, perched on a hill with a nice breeze, we had a wonderful view of Kilimanjaro from our tent - and there was a huge eagle owl in the tree next door!

We thought the food was excellent - probably the best food of our whole two week trip in Kenya, really impressive! We enjoyed sundowner drinks on the dry Amboseli lake, watching Wildebeest trail off into the distance. Our guide wasn't perhaps the most knowledgable compared to other camps, but I think he was quite new and finding his feet. We are sure he will settle in quickly.

The other great thing is that the Kitirua concession really feels part of the National Park, it's almost impossible to know which you're in most of the time. It's a great model for how tourism concessions can contribute to conservation and well worth supporting. We also saw some nice tree planting projects underway nearby.

The only thing we thought was a little strange was the tipping system here in comparison to other safari camps, waiters are tipped separately (in addition to guides, and lodge staff) at the end of the stay, which felt a little awkward." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

"Tortilis was an excellent camp in a lovely situation on the top of a ridge with spectacular views on clear days across the plains to Mount Kilimanjaro. There is a very comfortable open-sided bar area with ample seating where guests are welcome throughout the day. And watching the animals come to the waterhole at all hours is a treat.

The lodge itself is larger than we would normally choose with big tour groups passing through for one or two nights. This did make it feel more commercial than our very intimate Elsa's Kopje experience. But I think this is a consequence of being in Amboseli which is a popular and easily accessible park. However, the camp was extremely well run by Moses and his team and coming from a sister property meant that we didn't need to sign additional paperwork et cetera. They had even called Elsa’s to find out what we were drinking for sundowners so they could suggest the same. And overall we were very well looked after by David and Jackson

Food was less compelling than Elsa's with a pre-prepared buffet lunch with a different theme (middle-East, Indian et cetera) and David was happy to provide excellent sandwiches as an alternative when asked.

By our fifth day we also found we were being offered the same food as day one but the camp explained that most guests were staying for a much shorter period than we were.

As with Elsa's there was a small pool (with lots of birds) and plenty of game to be seen from the room (tent) and from the bar area overlooking the floodlit waterhole. There were a few biting flies at night but nothing too bad.

We were in tent seven which was comfortable but showing some signs of wear and tear. And monkeys were an absolute menace, able to access the tent via the worn velcro flap even when the tent was fully zipped. So we made good use of the monkey proof chest. They took an especial liking to the blue Delft KLM houses we were given by KLM and the chewed wax seals on those houses is a nice souvenir of the trip :-)

This was also the first time we had been to Amboseli and the park itself was a revelation. A range of habitats (quasi-desert, lake bed, swamp and marsh, forest, rocky hills) and the variety of game was enormous. Huge herds of wildebeest and zebra, fantastic elephants and buffalos, plentiful bird life and some lovely cheetah (and in spite of our best efforts we also saw lions). The only downside was the park was very busy with lots of vehicles, especially over the long weekend at the end of our stay.

Our guide Soloman was excellent, again very respectful of our wish to avoid lions and happy to allow us to spend long periods simply watching the big herds of elephants and buffalo. At our request, he was adept at finding quiet areas of the park, away from other vehicles and we never felt rushed. And again it was great to have our own vehicle which maximized flexibility.

One observation about the location of Tortilis. It is quite a distance (45 minutes plus) from the marshy areas of the park which meant that it was almost impossible to get deep into that area in the afternoons. Instead the afternoon drives tended to be more cursory, staying close to the concession where it was possible to drive after 18h when the main park was closed. So the mornings started early with a long drive to the marsh area and lasted six hours or more. This was fine (indeed we had some amazing morning drives) but as a night owl it was a shame that the afternoon excursions were not able to be similarly epic. But lovers of morning drives will the very happy!

One benefit of the early start on our first morning was some jaw-dropping views of Kilimanjaro at sunrise. But be warned. If you see the mountain, be appreciative. We took that view slightly for granted and then never saw the mountain again during our stay." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"I had very interesting experience to stay in 5-star tent:).

Wonderfull camp, very professional and friendly staff, perfect service!" See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"Amboseli was amazing, there was a virtual carpet of life all about you. The Location of Tortilis was great, on a hill with views of the entire valley. Out of all the places we stayed, the scenery at Amboseli was my favorite. The wildlife may have been a bit further away, but there was always something. Like all of the Elewana collection, the food, service and ambiance were amazing. Ali was a great guide and we had an amazing time with him! Normally we travel more budget conscious, but, this experience has shown us what is possible, and may have spoiled us for truly amazing vacations, destinations, and accommodations." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"Due to traveling during the covid pandemic, we didn't really know what to expect in the camps. There were fewer visitors and hence less staff but the level of quality was not diminished in any way.

We loved our bush walk with the experienced guides and shared a great drive with Ben Stilet, a local Maasai guide who joined us in our vehicle. Since we had unintentionally strayed a bit off the beaten path on our first game drive (i.e. gotten lost at night in the deep, dark backside of Amboseli), we were happy to invite Ben to go with us the second time out.

We had wonderful viewings of elephants and hippos, sunk up to their bellies in the swampy grasslands, and all the gazelles, buffalos, flamingos, etc one could ever want to see, all backlit by rainbows." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"Liked my tent, the grounds and the setting. The highlight of my stay was having Joseph as my guide, he was totally brilliant and a lovely man. Kibeki was a great waiter. The staff were all very pleasant and helpful." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"This was a perfect organuzed stay with a incredible view of the Kilimandscharo, every day game drives in my own car with my own driver, best food ever and the best managmant couple I ever met. We celebrated the 30th anuary of falling down the wall and for me it was a very emotional evening." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"This camp bears all the hallmarks of an establishment that treats guests as clients which could not be said of the other two camps in Meru and Masai Mara.

The hosts based on our experience do not engage with the guests other that on a superficial level. On our last night when we were enjoying supper we were abruptly informed to clear our room by 10:00 am and comeback early from our last game drive. We were told this is camp policy. It is also camp policy to restrict sundowners until the last night!!

On a positive note our guide was very good and we had some excellent opportunities bird watching. In addition the Elephant interactions and sightings were excellent and the best we have ever experienced in 12 years of travelling to Africa." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya