Reviews of Tortilis Camp

"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

"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