WINGS OVER AFRICA - SkySafari Kenya

Expert tips:

This 45-suite boutique hotel elevates the standard of luxury for travellers in the region. Beautiful in its symmetry and flooded with natural light, this plantation-style property is airy and spacious. Each of our 80m2 suites have a private balcony overlooking the iconic silhouette of the Ngong Hills, a magical view which can also be enjoyed over sundowners at the Bar.

Our service is personal and sincere, offering a luxury experience from the moment you touchdown in Kenya.

Your dedicated butler will know that you prefer Earl Grey to Assam with your scones, and will remember which trousers you like pressed flat and which ones need a central crease.

So while you are indulging in the spa, relaxing beside the pool or meandering through the gardens, back in your suite, your butler will have dimmed the lights, adjusted your personalized pillows, set out your nightcap and arranged the morning’s outing down to the finest detail.

Expert tips:

Tortilis Camp has a prime location for witnessing the majesty of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. Tortilis Camp is named after the flat-topped, umbrella thorn tree, the Acacia Tortilis, and embraces a hill in one of Amboseli’s areas of Acacia Tortilis woodland. Located in a private conservancy bordering the national park, game drives, walks, sundowners and bush meals take place both inside the national park and in the conservancy, where guests enjoy exclusivity.

The tents are all spacious, with king or twin beds and elegant en suite bathrooms. There is a main lounge, bar and dining area, all exquisitely built with natural materials and thatched roofs, with magnificent views of Kilimanjaro. The Private House and Family Tent are located slightly separate to the main camp, upon the hill where they share a pool and enjoy magnificent views of Kilimanjaro.

Tortilis Camp was one of the first eco-lodges of its size, and is very proudly 100% solar. Guests can rest assure they are leaving a minimal footprint during their stay.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT TORTILIS CAMP

• Unrivalled views of Mt. Kilimanjaro ~ An elegant small lodge nestled on the side of Liimbarishi Hill with magnificent views across the plains to the highest free- standing mountain in the world.

• Habituated elephant herds ~ Amboseli is home to elephant families that have been closely followed and studied by world renowned researcher Cynthia Moss for 

  over 40 years. Tortilis’ guides know the elephant families and their histories intimately. These are some of the biggest elephants in Africa, as they have been protected for generations.

• Private Amboseli ~ Tortilis is set away from other lodges, on the unspoilt and quiet western boundary of the National Park, closest to the mountain. From the camp guests have full access to the famous Amboseli National Park, as well as exclusive access to 121 Km2 of Kitirua private conservancy. In the Conservancy guests can enjoy game drives, walks and bush breakfasts and, with off-road driving permitted, the guides have the ability to create unparalleled photographic opportunities, as well as much more frequent and higher quality encounters with big game than in the National Park. Please note that the Kiturua Conservancy has strict restraints on the type of vehicles allowed into the Conservancy. Full Board guests are able to use their own vehicles within Amboseli National Park, however, to enter the conservancy, they will need to use a Elewana Tortilis Camp vehicle, which will be chargeable.

Expert tips:

140km south of Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the second most popular wildlife area in Kenya, famous for its large aggregations of elephants numbering over 1,600 at times. Amboseli is also well-known for its scenic beauty with a backdrop of the world’s highest free-standing mountain, the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro.

Amboseli National Park covers 392km2, which constitutes less than 5% of the entire 8100 km2 ecosystem of the Amboseli basin crossing from Kenya into Tanzania. The lush green wetlands in this otherwise dry area make Amboseli National Park one of the best wildlife-viewing areas on the planet, attracting over 600 species of birds including pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hammerkops and 47 types of raptors as well as the African elephant, cape buffalo, impala, hyena, giraffe, zebra, gazelle and wildebeest with lion and cheetah among the big cats that roam the area.

Most Amboseli lodges are based in the middle of the National Park (or outside the eastern gate) and so the majority of visitors only game drive within 10% of the park. Tortilis Camp is located in a pristine area on the southwest border of the park, famous for having the best views of Mount Kilimanjaro. While game driving, guests have access to both the National Park and the private 121 km2 Kitirua Wildlife Conservancy.

Expert tips:

Loisaba is a 230km2 private wildlife conservancy, under the new ownership and management of the Loisaba Community Trust, and supported by The Nature Conservancy. A beautiful landscape with springs, plains, valleys and views, and the great Ewaso Nyiro River, it is an important elephant haven.

Perched on the edge of an escarpment, Loisaba Tented Camp is designed to capitalize on unhindered views across Laikipia’s mottled landscape all the way to Mt Kenya. All accommodations and main areas enjoy a breathtaking vantage point over an expansive panorama.

African-themed sophistication and style is the flavour of Loisaba Tented Camp. Spacious and airy tents are custom- built with large floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, high ceilings and polished wood floors. The tent suites are adorned in chic Africana furniture with a modern European twist.

The inviting main areas of Loisaba Tented Camp include a large open dining area, separate open lounge and bar, a large wooden decking area for outside dining, relaxing and enjoying the view, and one of Africa’s most picturesque infinity pools.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT LOISABA

• Activities ~ Renowned for its beautiful landscape and rich wildlife, Loisaba also offers a multitude of activities to enjoy them by - horse riding, camel safaris, mountain biking, night game drives, fishing, visits to the conservation head quarters... the list goes on!

• Private and low density location ~ Loisaba is a 230Km2 private game sanctuary, with limited accommodations on it. With 4.8km2 of wilderness to each bed, Loisaba offers some of the most exclusive safari experiences available in East Africa.

• Conservation ~ Loisaba’s conservation model is a multilateral approach involving community, conservation organisations, tourism partners, agricultural and research institutions. Learn about the cutting-edge concepts being used to sustain the future of this stunning wilderness.

Expert tips:

On the threshold of Kenya’s beautiful northern rangelands, Laikipia covers 9,500km2, north of the Aberdares Mountain Range on a wide plateau stretching from the slopes of Mt Kenya in the south east to the edge of the Great Rift Valley in the west. The striking escarpments descend into the surrounding arid land with tributaries of the Ewaso Nyiro River cutting across the vast open plains. The habitats range from dry savannah and open woodland to spectacular canyons and low forested valleys.

Made up of vast community-owned ranches, private farms and wildlife conservancies, Laikipia supports the second highest density of wildlife in Kenya and is one of only few places in Africa where wildlife numbers are on the increase. It is one of Kenya’s most exciting wilderness areas with spectacular scenery and an abundance of wildlife, including the Big 5 as well as many endangered species, such as Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Lelwel’s hartebeest and the patas monkey. Laikipia is also one of the best places to see wild dog.

Loisaba Conservancy lies on the edge of a sheer escarpment with views out over the Laikipia plateau. This thriving 230 Km2 conservancy boasts rivers, forests, springs, valleys and open plains. Recently purchased by the Loisaba Community Trust, with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy, and partnered with the Space For Giants elephant foundation, Loisaba is becoming a hub for cutting-edge conservation efforts throughout Laikipia and Kenya. Loisaba is fascinating on many levels - not just for its abundant game. Three accommodations are available on Loisaba - the sophisticated Loisaba Tented Camp, the unique Loisaba Star Beds, and the ultra-private Loisaba Lodo Springs.

Expert tips:

Situated on a secluded and picturesque site on the banks of the splendid Sand River, Sand River Masai Mara is built in the elegant style reminiscent of late 1920’s safaris. These were the glory days of great safaris, patronised by the rich, the beautiful and the famous. Here at Sand River Masai Mara guests can sink back in time and savour the same glamorous ambience, unspoilt scenery and spectacular game viewing as the Hollywood stars, royalty and celebrities of that classic era of African adventure.

Sand River Camp sits on the migration route of the immense herds that trek between the Serengeti and Masai Mara every year following the rains to greener pastures. During this time, guests literally become part of the wildlife drama being played out, as sprawling lines of wildebeest cross the Sand River and weave their way right through the camp. Often from the privacy and comfort of your verandah you can steep yourself in this wildlife spectacle and feel a part of this natural phenomenon.

Comprising of 16 tented accommodations, Sand River Masai Mara replicates the heyday of exclusive permanent tented camps of the late 1920’s.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT SAND RIVER MASAI MARA

• Private Location ~ The camp is located in a secluded area of the Masai Mara National Reserve, far from other properties so guests enjoy a truly “exclusive” safari.
• Sand River ~ The camp overlooks Sand River, a picturesque combination of sand banks, dramatic rocks and riverine forest - an idyllic setting for a late breakfast!
• On the Migration route ~ Sand River Masai Mara is quite literally on the Migration route and guests are often fortunate to be able to watch wildebeest and zebra crossing the Sand River from the comfort of their tent verandah.
• Luxurious classic camp ~ The camp has an opulent feel, and evokes a feeling of having stepped back in time to the heyday of great safaris.