Tortilis Camp and Kilimanjaro

I have to say that Tortilis Camp was beyond what I had even hoped for. This wonderful safari camp is situated at the base of Kilimanjaro on the Kenyan side. Kili is entirely in Tanzania but the view from Amboselli is second to none. The snow cap actually looks quite different from Kenya as the top of the mountain (Kibo Peak) is quite square and has more snow. The route that Roman and I have chosen for our Kili Trek is from this side of the mountain and is called the Rongai route. It seemed fitting that we got to see Kili from this side having lived at its base on the other side for 4 months now. The camp has about 16 tents that each sit on a permanent base and have banana leaf canopies above them. They are ‘luxury’ tents with a beautiful shower and flush toilet…I felt a bit colonialist about the whole experience (which for me as a person who works with Aboriginal Canadians and has Irish parents has a negative connotation of course) but on the lighter side, I felt like I was in ‘Out of Africa’ and that I should have a British accent of some sort!

Our bed looked simply luxurious and when the tent windows were open it really felt like we were sleping out with the animals…ok who’s kidding, we REALLY were sleeping out with animals!! There is a low electrified fence which apparently keeps the hyenas out but the larger animals walk right over it! The piece de resistance was that while lying in bed we faced Mount Kilimanjaro. Wow. The tour package we purchased included all meals everyone ate in the main lodge which was at the top of a hill with spectacular views of the park and Kili. The sunsets were spectacular and every night they lit the pathway with kerosene lanterns around the camp. The lodge had some old safari antiques as well and the food was Tuscan style for the most part as the owner is an Italian named Stefano Cheli.

On our first full day at Tortilis Camp (which is named after the acacia trees that dot the landscape..they are known as Tortilis acacia in Kenya and Flat top acacia in Tanzania). We did a morning game drive in search of some of Amboseli’s elephant herds. There are between 600 and 800 elephants in Amboseli; the largest herd in Africa. There is an elephant research center in the park as well which has the longest running elephant research study in Africa. They are currently concerned with the survival of the elephants as the herd grows as they could run out of food if the acacia trees decrease in number. The acacias may start to diminish if the snow peak on Kili melts (as it is expected to in the next 15 to 20 years) as the water run-off is substantial and supplies at lot of natural irrigation to the animals and plants of Amboseli (and Tanzania on the other side). I tend to be an optimist and being in Amboseli amongst all these beautiful creatures made me think that we humans will manage to slow global warming….we really don’t have a choice. The elephants were out in abundance and the pictures are posted for your enjoyment although you really needed to be here.

After our morning game drive we relaxed by the pool and then went on sunset nature walk with a Masai guide named Jonathan. Jonathan has been working at the camp for more than 2 years and was very knowledgeable about plant and animal species. He tried to keep it interesting for the kids by also pointing out animal droppings (guess that dropping) and a variety of animal footprints. Jack fellinto a very prickly bush at along the way as well and it took three adults to free him. I even was 'pricked' temporarily as I tried to untether jack's bleeding legs! After we dealt with the trauma of the whole thing(my son can be very dramatic), Jonathon quietly mentioned that it is aptly named the 'wait-a bit' bush/tree. We had a great chuckle over that one...it certainly makes you wait (until someone comes along and sets you free!!). We also ventured past the football ‘field’ that the Maasai in the area had built. It consisted of only one wooden goal post because the elephants had taken down the other one during their travels…yes, I am being totally serious and I have posted a picture of only one lonely goal post to prove it. I think it is one of the best pictures of the whole trip with my two men, and, Jonathan in the Maasai ‘football field’ with Kili in the backdrop. It was a nice walk for the kids and the sun was starting to set as we arrived at the top of a big hill that looked out over Amboseli on one side and Kili on the other, and, just to keep it civilized, a bartender had set up a nice bar with cool beverages and some comfy safari chairs. I think it was one of my top ten experiences to date. Very magical indeed. It seemed that somehow the clouds that normally shroud Kili’s peak moved away just as we arrived that evening. We felt like we were on top of the world. Roman’s mom just kept saying “I can’t believe it…the clouds moved just for us!” We stayed until the sun was set and then drove back down in the safari trucks that were waiting for us…no walking is allowed after dark; even with a Masai who has a big spear!