Elewana Newsletter

Elewana loves welcoming back return guests and as a special way to say thank you, we are pleased to offer 5% off accommodation rates and 20% off spa treatments.

The deal is that much sweeter as it’s combinable with other special offers available. A note that spa services are not available in Masai Mara and Serengeti and the special offer is not applicable to resident rates. Terms & conditions apply.

For enquiries or to make a booking, please contact us directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Elewana invites guests to explore the wonders of Tanzania with a special, limited time only offer on circuit itineraries.

Guests receive our special double discount offer of 20% off bookings of 6+ nights and 30% off bookings of 9+ nights when they combine a minimum reservation of two Tanzania bush properties, which include Tarangire Treetops, The Manor at Ngorongoro, Serengeti Pioneer Camp and Serengeti Migration Camp.

The booking period is from now until March 30th, 2024, for travel up to 31st May 2024. The offer is valid for both game package and full board rates, applicable to new bookings only and subject to availability. It is not combinable with any other special offer and not applicable to resident rates. Offer valid until further notice, terms and conditions apply.

Guests can take advantage of our special “stay four, pay three” offer at select Elewana properties in Kenya and Tanzania with a complimentary night. Enjoy the value-add of children under 12 stay for free. Book a safari of a lifetime with combined bookings of 4-nights at any of the following two properties:

Tanzania: Arusha Coffee Lodge, Serengeti Migration Camp, Tarangire TreeTop, The Manor at Ngorongoro
Kenya: Elephant Pepper Camp, Elsa’s Kopje Meru, Loisaba Star Beds, Loisaba Lodo Springs, Sand River Masai Mara

Reservations must include a combination of at least two properties from the above featured list. Booking window is open until 30th May 2024 for reservations until 31st May 2024. Blackout dates include 29th March 2024 to 1st April 2024. Offer is applicable to non-resident, new bookings only, subject to availability and not combinable with any other offer. Terms and conditions apply. For enquiries or to make a booking, please contact us directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The recent upgrades at Serengeti Migration Camp feature a revamped entrance area, bedrooms, and dining room, as well as a striking new rooftop bar, perfect for a post-safari sundowner. Organic design materials including earth-walls, rich wood, jute, woven fabrics, beads, and carvings have been incorporated to create an Afrocentric space with a contemporary edge. Renovations at the camp also feature the introduction of artistic elements including terracotta pots, woven light features, organic fabrics, three large chandeliers, ceiling fans and re-upholstered furnishings. Tented bedrooms have undergone a contemporary makeover with modern African patterns, upgraded lighting, and reconfigured furniture allowing for more space, along with new carpets and bed throws. The pool area has been upgraded and repainted and now features re-furbished loungers, reupholstered cushions, and umbrellas. A beautiful new outdoor bar has also been added on the top deck with curbed brick and a dark wooden top, while the dining area has been refurbished with new chandeliers and décor which features tribal patterns. New textiles, placemats and dining accessories in similar colour and style have been added to complement the space.

Serengeti Pioneer Camp’s refresh has kept to the camp’s ‘real safari’ feel and further compliments one of the most spectacular vistas across the Serengeti. The lounge area has been refurbished using both repurposed, reupholstered furnishings and new pieces, incorporating organic linen textiles and leather in tan and beige. A new bar has been built in the library area complemented by fresh artwork which features scientific wildlife drawings. Furniture in the dining area has been sanded, stained, and reupholstered, while the pool area features a new shaded area with couches and tables. Flooring of the pool area has been sanded and revarnished together with updated fencing. Guest rooms now feature furnishings that have been sanded and re-stained, along with new carpets and rugs in jute and hand-woven wool. Glassware from Shanga, new brass bedside lamps, as well as other thoughtful trinkets and animal prints have been thoughtfully placed in rooms, recalling the beauty of Africa.

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Kilindi is proud to offer a new Dining by Design experience for guests. The full day gourmet adventure is on board an exclusive catamaran off the tranquil shores of Kizimkazi, located in Zanzibar’s pristine Southwest. Guests can choose to indulge in a tailormade lunch experience, choosing to stop at a secluded beach for lunch or stay aboard the luxurious catamaran. Throughout the day guests can dive into an underwater escapade at one of the island’s premier snorkelling locales and end the day with a serene sunset sail, creating memories to last a lifetime.

Morning departures are organised with a private vehicle for guests from Elewana Kilindi at 8am to Kizimkazi and return around 7.15pm in the evening.

The Dining by Design catamaran experience is USD 1800 per couple and includes premium wines, beers and spirits, gourmet meals including lobster options in a fine-dining setting, tailored to guests’ tastes. Prices are inclusive of all taxes and subject to change without prior notice. Advance booking of 24 hours prior is highly recommended to ensure availability.

Kenya has recently launched a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, having eliminated the requirement for all nationalities to obtain a visitor visa for entry. All travellers, including infants and children and with the exception of citizens of Kenya and East African Community partner states, are required to apply for the ETA online via http://www.etakenya.go.ke prior to their arrival. The ETA costs USD $30, with payment made online via credit card, debit card, or Apple pay.

Travellers are required to submit the following for the ETA application:

• Valid passport (6-month validity from the date of arrival in Kenya, with a minimum of one blank page)
• Passport-style photo
• Contact information (home address, email address and phone number)
• Itinerary details
• Accommodation booking confirmation

Depending on country of residence/travel history, some may be required to present a Yellow Fever certificate (if arriving from a Yellow Fever endemic country) and additional vaccinations.

Travellers are eligible to apply for ETAs within 3 months of their arrival date in Kenya. Following the application, a confirmation will be sent to the email address submitted in the application. Upon approval, the ETA will be sent to the same email address.

Standard processing time for ETAs is three working days and the status of applications can be checked at any time on the ETA website using the ETA reference number.

All previous visa entry requirements for Kenya are now replaced by the requirement of ETAs. All e-visas currently in process will be issued and travellers with existing e-visas will be granted access to Kenya within the validity period of 90 days, without the additional requirement of an ETA.

The ETA is only valid for one trip and travellers must obtain a new ETA for each visit to Kenya.

The new year brings an increase in fees for safari-goers who are visiting Kenya’s magical parks and breath-taking conservancies, including the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve.

Narok County Council, which conserves and protects the Masai Mara National Reserve recently confirmed the final 2024 entry fees and entry conditions, applicable to all guests visiting the Reserve from the new year onward. The below entry fees are applicable per adult, per day. The increase in fees will help bolster conservation efforts, ensure improved infrastructure, protect biodiversity, safeguard wildlife, and help to offer guests an enhanced safari experience. Should you have any inquiries about these new fees, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are very proud to share that all Elewana Collection properties and the group have been nominated for the prestigious Travel+Leisure 2024 World’s Best Awards. We would be very grateful if you could help increase our chances of winning an award by extending your vote before submissions close on 26 February 2024.

Visit Travel+Leisure to cast your vote and you can vote more than once.

The voting process is quick and takes just a few minutes by clicking on the Travel+Leisure website:

• Log in or register with your personal email address
• Answer a few quick questions about yourself
• Select a destination. For example, please choose AFRICA > KENYA and TANZANIA
• Select the ‘Tour Operators and Safari Outfitters’ category
• Select items to rate in each category
• Rate items by criteria (only criteria marked with * are required)
• Once finished, click the ‘no’ button on the ‘selecting more items to rate’ page
• Survey complete

Experience the wild like never before with Serengeti Explorer by Elewana, where every moment is a brushstroke on nature's canvas. Rediscover the essence of safari, where reimagined experiences will redefine your memories forever. Get ready to join us on a journey beyond the ordinary.

Trade Familiarisation trips will be open from May, please submit your interest by completing the form here and we will get back to you as soon as possible

Eleonor Roux, Group Executive Chef, Explorer by Elewana is spearheading the new gastronomic experience at the soon-to-launch Explorer by Elewana properties and shares with us what guests can expect from the dining and beverage experience at the new Serengeti Explorer opening in May.

Can you share more about what makes the Explorer dining experience unique

Our dining experiences will tell the story of East African food. Guests will experience informative dining, where staff explain the origin of certain Swahili dishes and how they are enhanced by East African flavours.

What types of culinary experiences can guests expect at Serengeti Explorer

Our aim is to provide a playful, interactive and inspiring dining experience for our guests. Our core purpose is built into every aspect of our service delivery, allowing our guests to enjoy a wide selection of choices to suit all palates from around the globe.

We shall offer a buffet layout with live cooking stations. The live cooking stations are to ensure freshness of food and to minimise our carbon footprint.

Breakfast experience

Our main focus on the menu for our guests is to experience a variety of Tanzanian dishes. For example, guests will enjoy

• Live Mandazi cooking station
• Hot Breakfast dishes such as our Zanzibar Pizza (like a savoury crepe)
• Chipsi Mayai - a delicious, savoury and indulgent French Fry omelette
• Waffle and pancake station
• Bacon and pork sausage grill station
• Omelette station

Our cold breakfast food items on the buffet will display a great variety of fresh food that caters to all dietary requirements. For example, we will have fresh cold pressed juices, healthy smoothies, a variety of fresh fruits, berries, homemade energy bars, a variety of roasted nuts, dried fruits etc., and artisan breads, including gluten free bread options.

Pool lunch

Our lunch will be served at our Pool side restaurant with an open plan kitchen for the guests to experience how their food is being prepared by the Chefs. We offer a daily menu with different items to choose from to keep the food interesting and to provide the freshest ingredients. These include a variety of fresh salads, tapas platters, sustainably sourced fish, burgers, steak, pizzas and pitta breads freshly made, homemade pasta and desserts.

Dinner experience

We will offer a dinner buffet with a combination of Tanzanian and Continental dishes, as well as a large variety of locally sourced ingredients for fresh salads, starters and condiments.

The following live food stations will be available during dinner:

• Shawarma
• Taco
• Wok
• Chicken Rotisserie & Carvery

Can you provide more details on the Chef's table

The Chef's table offers guests a unique private dining experience in our wine cellar, where we can accommodate up to 20 people. There will be a few different menu offerings, allowing guests to choose either a 7-course wine tasting menu or the options of various platters that can be ordered accompanied by a wine tasting or a brandy tasting experience.

Can you provide more details on the wine program - what types of wines will be offered at the wine cellar, will there be a sommelier onsite, and can guests do wine tasting separately as an activity

The focus of the wine cellar and our wine choices will be wines produced in Africa. Yes, we will have a Sommelier onsite and guests are offered wine tastings in the wine cellar with various food menu options.

Will cooking classes be offered

Yes, we will offer cooking classes with a focus on notable East African food dishes. We want guests to learn how to cook East African dishes and will provide an East African cookbook that can be purchased from our gift shop on site.

What other types of unique dining experiences are offered at Serengeti Explorer

We offer a very special themed East African Boma dinner experience that allows guests to sit around big fire pits, Maasai storytelling and Maasai dancers. Our guests will experience directly from the dinner menu the look, feel and taste of interactive Swahili cooking. Sustainable cooking will be demonstrated during dinner. Guests can also relax on our star gazing deck after dinner to watch the stars and enjoy a delicious night cap.

We are delighted to announce the imminent translocation of 21 rhinos to the Loisaba Conservancy. A partnership between Kenya Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Space for Giants and Elewana will ensure conservation of the precious species for years to come.

Over the coming weeks, rhino will be carefully moved from Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lewa Downs and Nairobi National Park, where they have become overpopulated to a highly protected, specially prepared area spanning around half the 58,000-acre Loisaba Conservancy. Black rhinos are solitary animals and without enough room to disperse, they will not effectively breed. With some of Kenya’s existing 16 sanctuaries nearing maximum capacity, there is an urgent need to create new ones offering ideal conditions: the right habitat, effective security, and strong support from neighbouring communities.

The operation is the result of a remarkable turnaround for the rhino population in Kenya, which raised numbers in the country from 240 in 1984 to around 940 today. Kenya’s success, thanks to heightened security and efforts to bring poachers to justice, means it now hosts the third-largest rhino population in Africa, after South Africa and Namibia.

Karim Wissanji, Group Chairman & CEO of The Elewana Collection said: "Preserving vast expanses of habitat for rhinos in Kenya is a testament to the unwavering commitment in safeguarding this iconic species. The return of rhinos to the Loisaba landscape, supported by Kenya Wildlife Services, reinforces Loisaba’s role as a sanctuary for wildlife and stands as a momentous achievement. The Elewana Collection is honoured to be part of this inspiring story of conservation excellence”

Tom Silvester, CEO of Loisaba Conservancy, said: “We’ve been preparing for this day for years — installing low-profile fences, hiring and training a security team, and ensuring the habitat was just right. It means so much to all of us here at Loisaba Conservancy and to people in the surrounding communities to have the ‘big 5’ back in this landscape after all this time.”
 
Munira Bashir, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Kenya Program Director, said: “Kenya needs more space for its rhinos simply because it has been so successful in ensuring the survival of this amazing species. Securing this habitat at Loisaba and bringing rhinos back to this landscape with support from the government of Kenya is an incredible conservation success story that The Nature Conservancy is proud to be a part of.”

Loisaba Tented Camp is located on a 600ft escarpment where every room enjoys spectacular views stretching across the Laikipia Plains to Mount Kenya. The 58,000-acre Loisaba Conservancy spans three eco-systems offering a variety of beautiful landscapes and incredible game viewing, including the opportunity to see the rare Northern species including reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra and one of the best places in East Africa to see wild dog. An area of approximately the same size as Lewa Conservancy, the Mara North Conservancy, or Samburu and Buffalo Springs combined, the Loisaba Conservancy has only 24 rooms across Loisaba Tented Camp and the neighbouring Star Beds and Lodo Springs. This allows for some of the greatest exclusivity to wildlife sightings available in Africa.

The camp comprises six stylish and extremely spacious ensuite tents (three double/three convertible twin/double), three family combinations each consisting of two ensuite tents with adjoining walkway. The Private Residence houses three ensuite tents (one family combination and one convertible tent) complemented with a private bar, dining area and infinity pool.

The bar and restaurant allow guests to absorb the incredible landscape whilst enjoying a sundowner or choosing from the small à la carte menu where the chef endeavours to source ingredients from a 50km radius, including fresh produce from the camp’s well stocked gardens.

Aside from game viewing, Loisaba Tented Camp enjoys two infinity pools (one for guests in the Private Residence) and a plethora of activities including bush walks, mountain biking, camel riding, lion tracking, horse riding (for experienced riders), fishing, local village excursions and the opportunity to spend a morning with the resident sniffer dogs.

The Loisaba Conservancy is the result of substantial support by The Nature Conservancy and the consequential transition in the ownership of the 58,000-acre wildlife conservancy and wilderness to the Loisaba Community Trust. TNC’s move to help secure the land ensures that the conservancy delivers vital benefits and support for neighbouring communities, the wildlife, and all Kenyans for the foreseeable future. It also ensures Loisaba’s role as a critical sanctuary and corridor for elephants and other wildlife long into the future, as well as providing refuge for one of Kenya’s most stable lion populations and an abundance of other wildlife including Grevy’s zebra, wild dogs, leopard and cheetah.

The translocation of 21 rhino to the conservancy this year will mark an historical moment for the conservancy and the local community, as they welcome back these magnificent mammals just over 50 years since the last one roamed the region.

The Land and Life Foundation will begin 2024 with three focus areas to include environmental management and conservation, impact driven community development and social enterprise growth to drive policy.

Land & Life will work with the Elewana Collection and local communities to achieve net zero emissions and support efforts to ensure that communities participating in conservation are reaping the benefits from this. There will be support for human wildlife conflict mitigation programmes, as well as tree planting and reforestation projects.

Impact community development projects will focus on creating innovative renewable energy solutions such as the solarization of community boreholes to ensure continuous access to water. The trust will facilitate the planting of fruit trees and vegetable gardens in and around community schools and assist with the development and growth of more sustainable land management practises. There will be scholarships for students that are excelling to attend high school and beyond, as well as support and mentorship programmes with staff at Elewana properties.

Elewana’s Commercial Director, Gordie Owles gives us an insight into what clients can expect from 2024.

Tell us about what’s new for this year

The big news for this year is the launch of the Explorer brand, starting with the opening of Serengeti Explorer in May. Since the pandemic we have seen a pattern towards people travelling in larger groups, whether that be friends or family. Initially this was perceived as a response to pent up demand and the need to spend time with others, however it looks as though this trend is here to stay with the average size of group being four to six people. The Explorer brand will respond to this change in dynamic and cater to the needs of those slightly larger travelling groups.

It's our observation that the intimate safari camp over multiple nights can, for some, be limiting. The Explorer concept allows those groups to operate more individually for a few days and as such, offer a different experience to enhance the overall itinerary. By offering a wider spread of activities and ways to experience the wilderness, Explorer will complement the offering of small camps and lodges.

Do you anticipate a change in booking patterns and do you foresee certain times of year becoming more popular

Thankfully we are seeing a movement away from the traditional peak season booking window. This is great news as it is absolutely critical to the long-term sustainability of the safari holiday. Rainfall hasn’t changed much over the last 20 years, however there is a more unpredictable weather pattern in effect. It is therefore no longer viable or sensible for many to pay the expensive peak season rates, especially when travelling without children. Elewana has responded to this by keeping Elephant Pepper Camp open in April and May to cater for the noticeable increased demand in this traditional low season period.

What changes are on the horizon across the Elewana Collection

What is positive is that we are currently working on an accessibility audit. It is really encouraging that more people with disabilities now have the confidence to travel. We must make sure that we respond to this positive trend by ensuring that our camps and lodges are well equipped to accommodate their needs.

What are you most excited about for 2024

It is probably the move away from peak season bookings. Too much demand over a narrow window of dates not only pushes up prices but is bad for the industry as a whole. This exciting trend is good for conservation, employment opportunities and over time will help stabilise safari prices opening it up to more travellers.

Your top tip for 2024

Properly research your trip and the times of year that work for that region. If you are travelling without children, avoid the school holidays. If you are travelling with kids, consider the Easter break, October half term and Christmas.