Reviews of Tortilis Camp

"Postcard picture perfect view of Mt. Kilimanjaro was what we were greeted with as we entered the lounge area of Tortilis Camp. We were welcomed by a friendly staff and shown to our room. The rooms were private canvas tent structures with wooden floors and a good size bathroom. Very clean and comfortable, it suited our needs just fine. They felt safe but very much in-the-bush experience. The property is surrounded by an electric fence so it is safe to walk to and from the lodge area. It is quite a walk though, up hill to reach the lodge. This wasn’t a problem for us even being a bit out of shape but could definitely make for a bad experience for some.

Our guide for the 3 days was Martin. We were very fortunate to have him all to ourselves. Martin is such an asset to Tortilis Camp. Not only was he friendly and personable but so knowledgeable! He really made our first safari fun and informative. He was great at always asking if we were “good” to continue on and if we wanted more time he was happy to oblige. They had arranged a bush breakfast one morning and sundowners another night. Both were at very scenic locations and were such an enjoyable and special experience! We were spoiled having a private guide as we quickly realized at our next camp we were paired with a grumpy couple.

Being our first safari and it being shoulder season, we really didn’t know what to expect or how much wildlife we would encounter. We were blown away by the numbers and variety of animals we saw! Located in the Kitirua Conservancy right outside Amboseli National park, we of course saw tons of elephant! So amazing! We also saw buffalo, giraffe, hippo, hyena, wildebeest, zebra, warthogs, gazelle, waterbuck, baboon, and monkey.

Our days consisted of 2 game drives and down time which included napping, eating and swimming in the pool. We really liked the longer morning drives with a packed breakfast. Meals in the restaurant were all appetizing and service was friendly and inviting. The view from the restaurant (and lounge) are amazing and I would recommend sitting in the lounge admiring the views of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

As far as activities we did the visit to a Masai Village and the Guided Bush Walk. The Masai Village visit was really special. I had some reservations about going. My husband and I were the only guests that day. The Maasai people were very friendly and welcoming. We were truly interested in learning about their culture and way of life so we listened intently and asked a bunch of questions. We found their medicine man to be really informative and interesting. To us, it was a powerful visit, we learned a lot and we left with a fond respect of the people we had met. However, I could see how it could be exploitative with tourist more gawking then interacting with the people and this is why I was hesitant to go. The Guided Bush Walk was a bit lacking to be honest. It started out with the guide talking and pointing out a few things and then it just became a long silent hike. We really wanted to learn more about the environment, insects, plants etc but we were left wanting.

Overall our stay at Tortilis Camp was spectacular and we will remember it fondly for the rest of our lives!" See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"We love Tortilis Camp! I would highly recommend it to anyone.

The setting is gorgeous, the rooms are well appointed but what makes it really special is the hospitality. The food and drink are delicious (they are proud of their large on-site garden producing great fresh fruit and vegetables).

The bush breakfast, sundowners and all the hospitality offered by the staff made it really special, in addition to fabulous wildlife viewing." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya; 3n in Rwanda

"This camp has too many guests and you are a number not a person.

The staff are fantastic from Zed downwards but I did not take to the English Management. They do not take care to try to match you up with like minded people in your game vehicle. Luckily Zed came to my rescue and in fact I then had drives that were absolutely fabulous with Ali.

Fantastic backdrop with Kili." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"We did not really expect too much from Amboseli, apart from elephants and birds, but boy, we were pleasantly surprised. This was the start of our twenty fifth safari and we saw our first ever lion kill on our first drive!

The following morning we saw a cheetah - not seen here for over a month and a melanistic serval (again, our first) and to top it all off, a golden jackal (you guessed it, our first) on the last day. Although we were hoping for birds, we did not expect water and marshland birds and so the flamingos were a great surprise. Guiding was excellent.

The camp has a lovely position and the tents are well appointed, if a little too close together (canvas does not insulate sound). We did not test the pool as the water was really cold. The food was excellent - by far the best that we have ever had on safari. Others have commented on the larger size of the camp, but we received a personal service and it did not feel too large. In fact, one of the benefits of a larger camp was that you could have dinner when you wanted it, not at a set time.

Birding around camp was excellent." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya

"Wonderful place - public spaces beautiful with Kilimanjaro in the distance. Had massages =again excellent. Food and drinks perfect with fresh produce grown in their garden. Staff was attentive and perfect (hate to keep using that word, but…).

Guide - our guide was John who excelled in his knowledge of all= animals, geography and people. We had the luxury to having him to ourselves-no other people in truck. Went everywhere- excellent driver." See all these reviews: 16n in Kenya

"Tortilis Camp is a busy operation with an apparent focus on American package tourists, so people moving in and out all the time. After our stay at Sarara Camp this felt a bit overwhelming, however camp managers Candy and Graeme do a great job in maintaining a personal touch to it all. They are very visible and always in for a chat. Also the concept of having the same waiter during the entire stay works really well to maintain that personal touch. Our waiter Eunice was very kind and caring, nice to have a familiar face amongst the ever changing guest population. Our guide John was relatively new, just 4 months in camp, but very kind and knowledgeable; there wasn’t a bird he didn’t know about.
Having access to the Kitirua conservancy is a great advantage here, we had the best elephant interactions in this section, whereas in the national park it was often a remote observation. Some activities felt a bit regimental, like the bush breakfast and the sundowner only on the last night, but I guess this is the only way to streamline the operation.
We stayed in the Private House, located at the same level as the main lodge on the hill, so no descending and climbing to the tent 4 times a day.
The house itself is very spacious with 2 cavernous bedrooms, furniture and decorations maybe a bit bland. The brochure pictures the private house with a manicured lawn where one could have breakfast or drinks served: in reality just a small rim of grass and much more scrubby bushes, the breakfast option was never mentioned.
The neigbouring Family Tent has a much more appealing setting under a mature acacia tree and a beautiful porch, that would be my choice in the future.
The main advantage of the Private House (and Family Tent) is having access to a private use vehicle and guide, making it a much more personal experience. Also having your own pool, shared with the family tent, is a nice bonus. Finally we must mention the excellent quality of the meals, a buffet for breakfast and lunch and a 3 course dinner menu with 2 options for every course. Tortilis Camp is a good place to stay when in Amboseli." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya

"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