Elewana Newsletter

Offer available at the following properties;
Tanzania: Arusha Coffee Lodge, Serengeti Migration Camp
Kenya: Elsa’s Kopje Meru, Loisaba Star Beds, Loisaba Tented Camp, Loisaba Lodo Springs, Tortilis Camp Amboseli

• For travel until 31st August 2023
• Booking window from 23rd May 2023 to 30th August 2023
• Must always combine at least 2 properties - one of which must be featured in this list
• Offer applicable to non resident bookings only
• Not combinable with any other offer
• Applicable to new bookings only and subject to availability
• Terms and conditions apply

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

Offer available at the following properties;
Tanzania: Arusha Coffee Lodge, Serengeti Pioneer Camp, Tarangire TreeTops, The Manor at Ngorongoro
Kenya: Elsa’s Kopje Meru, Loisaba Star Beds, Loisaba Tented Camp, Sand River Masai Mara, Tortilis Camp Amboseli

• For travel from 1st September 2023 until 31st May 2024*
• Booking window from 23rd May 2023 to 30th May 2024
• Must always combine at least 2 properties - one of which must be featured in this list
• Offer applicable to non resident bookings only
• Not combinable with any other offer
• Applicable to new bookings only and subject to availability
• Terms and conditions apply

*Blackout dates: 20th December 2023 to 5th January 2024 and 29th March 2024 to 1st April 2024.

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

Guests can save up to 20% off net contract rates when booking 90 days in advance of arrival.

Save 10% off reservations of four plus nights, 15% off seven plus nights and 20% off 10 pus nights with Elewana’s Early Bird special offer.

All bookings must be guaranteed with a non-refundable payment of the entire stay upon booking confirmation. The offer is applicable when combining one or more properties, excluding Arusha Coffee Lodge. The offer is subject to availability and valid until 31 December 2023, with blackout dates from 1st July - 31st October and 20th December - 5th January. The offer cannot be combined with any other special offer and is valid for non-resident rates only.

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

Combine beach and bush properties and save 10% on a booking of six nights plus, 15% for nine nights plus and 20% on a reservation of 12 nights plus. These discounts are valid for all seasons, both on game package and full board rates. Circuit discounts are not combinable with any other offer and terms and conditions apply.

Elewana’s General Manager at Elsa’s Kopje flew to Cape Town to receive the well-deserved award in recognition of her exemplary work at the lodge in Meru National Park.

On receiving this accolade Grace commented “I am humbled, honored and grateful for being recognised by We Are Africa. This is an Elewana Collection & Land & Life win, a win for all the girls who come from small towns and villages, a win for all women and mothers working long hours and distances from their families. It is a great recognition for the team at Elewana Elsa’s Kopje, Meru who have worked hand in hand with me to delivery excellent service to our guests. Teamwork, consistency, commitment, collaboration, and empowerment is key.”

On Safari with Jane McDonald aired on Channel 5 in the UK on the 27th April 2023 to an audience of approximately four million viewers. The 60-minute show follows Jane as she discovers the magic of Loisaba whilst staying at Loisaba Lodo Springs plus a night at the Star Beds. The one-off show highlights many of the activities available on the conservancy including a morning out with the resident sniffer dogs, an excursion to a local village and of course, game drives.

Residents in the UK will be able to view the show on Channel 5 catch up until March 2030.
https://www.channel5.com/show/on-safari-with-jane-mcdonald

We are delighted to announce that Loisaba Conservancy has been included in the first ever Green Travel List published in the April/May issue of Wanderlust magazine. Due to demand from readers, the magazine felt it was “the right time to compile a different kind of ‘hot list’”.

The Travel Green List is dedicated to showcasing the most innovative champions of sustainable travel, including destinations, accommodations, and tour operators. The newly appointed sustainability editor worked with a team at Wanderlust to sift through hundreds of potential entries and ideas from all over the world. With this in mind, it is a huge testament to Loisaba’s conservation efforts that it was included as the only entry from Kenya.

A short new film is available to download showcasing all that this magical camp has to offer guests throughout their stay. From the luxurious accommodation to the stunning landscape and breath-taking views of Mount Kilimanjaro to the fresh and appetising food and relaxing spa treatments and pool area.

The video can be viewed here and downloaded from the trade pack.

We’re excited to share that Elewana Collection properties have been nominated for the prestigious Condè Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2023.

We would appreciate your support in helping our properties win with your votes. Participants can vote for more than one property and vote more than once, with every vote counted. Elewana Collection properties have been shortlisted in the "Resort" section where one can find them by doing a search under the property name.

US participants who cast their vote will be entered for a chance to win a 65-day journey from Buenos Aires to Milwaukee with Viking, while UK participants can enter for a chance to win a seven-night stay for two at the InterContinental Maldives. Voting is open until June 30, 2023.

Loisaba Lodo Springs is Elewana’s newest camp in Loisaba Conservancy, having opened in 2019, and offers an ultra-private experience with eight individual, generously spacious tented rooms with impressive views that reach across the magical landscape of northern Kenya stretching out to Mount Kenya. The luxury camp sits on the western edge of one of Kenya’s most important elephant movement corridors and is a short drive from Elewana’s other two camps, Losiaba Lodo Springs, and Loisaba Star Beds. The three camps are the only properties located in the Conservancy, which is also a haven to several critically endangered large mammals, including Grevy’s zebra, wild dog, leopard, and cheetah, as well as a kaleidoscopic variety of birds.

Service is paramount at the property, with each room assigned an Elewana Guest Ambassador to serve and cater to guests’ every need. The airy en-suite rooms are custom-designed and bathed in natural light with large floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, polished wood floors, stylish up-cycled antique and vintage furniture in warm hues recalling the surrounding landscape. Wide verandas offer breath-taking views overlooking the Laikipia plains below. During their stay, guests can enjoy game drives, night game drives, horseback riding, bush walks, camel riding, mountain biking, and visit the wonderful Loisaba Conservancy anti-poaching dog sniffer unit.

The 57,000-acre Loisaba Conservancy within Laikipia County is owned by Loisaba Community Trust, a Kenyan Trust incorporated under the Perpetual Succession of Trustees Act and is committed to wildlife and ecological conservation. The Loisaba mission is to protect and enhance critical wildlife diversity, abundance, and habitat in the Loisaba landscape, as well as support sustainable livestock production and improve the lives of neighbouring communities.

The Land & Life Foundation’s Wildlife Warrior program has helped several young students in supporting their secondary and tertiary education through financial funding. Dancan Murithi, who hails from Tharaka-Nithi County, is one such star student who received support from the Land & Life Foundation not only for his secondary school education school fees, but also financial aid to assist him in completing his tertiary education.

Dancan graduated with a degree in Tourism Management at Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi in 2022 and after a 3-month internship at Lewa Safari Camp and working as a barman for 6 months, he was recently promoted to assistant storekeeper at the property.

Dancan attended Ura Gate Primary School in Meru, a school supported by Elsa’s Kopje thanks to their collaboration with the Land & Life Foundation, where he first met with the L&L team who spoke with him and his classmates about the importance of conservation. They shared that secondary school sponsorships would be available to the top performer in KCPE and the top performer of the Wildlife Warrior exam set by the Land & Life Foundation. Dancan, who performed the best in KCPE in his year was offered full sponsorship for the 4 years of secondary school, along with his classmate, Doreen, who came top in the Wildlife Warrior exam.

Dancan joined Ikawa Secondary School in 2014 and maintained an average C+ grade for the 4 years. In 2018, he was accepted into the Catholic University of Eastern Africa to study Tourism Management, of which Land & Life sponsored 50% of the fees. After he successfully graduated University in early 2022, Dancan updated his CV and applied online for an internship at Elewana. He was given an opportunity at Lewa Safari Camp to gain work experience in all the departments over the course of 3 months. The management were impressed with his personal skills when interacting with the guests and offered him a job as a barman after his internship. After working as a barman for 6 months, he was soon after offered a job as assistant storekeeper at the Camp.

He shares more about his experience in his own words.

What skills has Elewana taught you?

Before joining Elewana, I was quite shy and nervous. The experience at Elewana gave me confidence, and built my communication skills, especially when talking to the guests. I enjoy meeting new people and engaging with them and can even speak some French.

In your view, what are some of the challenges to the youth in your community?

There is a lack of understanding amongst the youth on the importance of biodiversity and conservation. After the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is general mistrust of job security in the tourism industry, and less and less youth are keen, or willing to apply for jobs in this industry. It is also viewed as an industry with few job opportunities.

What ideas do you have on how you can give back to your community?

To spread awareness on the importance of sustainability, and the preservation of wildlife and the natural environment. To stop the misconceptions of the lack of opportunities and job security in tourism and conservation. For more youth to be able to pursue tertiary education in tourism and wildlife management.

Saving Meru’s Giants, in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), aims to protect elephants while working with local communities and partners to raise awareness and change attitudes by monitoring human-wildlife conflicts. One of these partners includes the Born Free Foundation Kenya, which helped to support KWS Problem Animal Control (PAC) this past winter with financial resources to drive elephants out of farms. The Problem Animal Monitoring Unit (PAMU) reinforced the strength of the operation, helping to avoid conflict with stray elephants that were migrating from Isiolo and Nyambene to Meru National Park.

Thanks to the Born Free Foundation’s assistance, the teams recorded 130 snares being removed, 31 new elephants identified – bringing total to 244, 12 new giraffes identified – bringing total to 230, and resolution of 18 human-elephant conflict incidents. They also noted that 9 beehives have been colonised: 4 in Ntukai, 4 in Mpeketoni and 1 in Kindani. They remain involved in the continuous monitoring of elephants to understand their behaviours and work with communities to nurture tolerance and implement mitigation measures to reduce human-elephant conflicts.

Our interview this month with Elewana’s Guide & Activities Manager, Charl Grobler, highlights the latest news on unique activities guests can experience whilst on safari along with new experiences that are being planned for the coming months.

What are some unique activities which guests can enjoy at Elewana properties?

E-biking has been a great success in Loisaba. Imagine e-biking in a Big 4, soon to be Big 5 (with rhinos coming to Loisaba later this year) Conservancy!

We now offer night game drives in Meru National Park while staying at Elsa's Kopje. Due to the generally high daytime temperatures, the night game drives are action-packed with wildlife moving around during the evening coolness. This is a great place to see African Wildcat, Honey Badger, and Aardwolf.

With Elewana, it doesn't matter if one has meals in camp or out in the wilderness. We make a great effort to ensure that guests are well-fed. A highlight is a picnic lunch in the middle of the Maasai Mara or a bush breakfast under a tree in Lewa.

What are some of your favourite guided experiences for guests to do whilst on safari?

I love the cultural visits we provide in places like Amboseli, Lake Eyasi, and Loisaba Conservancy. They are truly unique and authentic and a great chance to immerse yourself in East Africa's culture. Our guides are incredibly proud of their heritage and the people are colourful and welcoming.

A walking safari is the ultimate safari thrill. Your senses are heightened, and it gives you a closer view of nature. Randilen WMA and the Serengeti are my favorite walking destinations, very unique and wild places.

What types of activities would you suggest for multigenerational families?

Horse riding is a great activity for the entire family, it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an experienced rider, we have a suitable horse for you. Generally, wildlife is very relaxed around horses, especially zebras.
Safari Bingo! Before going out on your safari get your guide to choose 15 birds and mammals that you could see on your safari.

Try your hand at our Maasai Olympics at Elephant Pepper Camp, where you can learn how to through a spear, shoot a bow and arrow, or throw a rungu.

How about the best activities for first-time safari goers?

Seeing your first leopard is on everyone's bucket list. They are notoriously hard to find. Spend an afternoon with our sharp-eyed guides and focus on looking for leopards. The guides have a few tricks, but look for the leopards in the trees, you will often see a tail hanging vertically before seeing the rest of the leopard.

Sundowners with a gin and tonic and an African sunset is an absolute MUST!

Are there experiences that you recommend that are only available at certain times of the year?

The great wildebeest migration happens throughout the year, but to see a crossing you will need to be in northern Serengeti or Masai Mara from mid-July to mid-September.

East Africa is great for birding throughout the year, but November to April is breeding season and the best time to spot migration birds.

What are some new experiences which guests will enjoy this summer and fall with Elewana?

Guests visiting Kenya will experience our newly adapted vehicles with drop-down windscreens. Each vehicle throughout our properties will have new Vortex 10x42 binoculars.

Brand-new vehicles have also been added to our Tanzania fleet. Guests at Arusha Coffee Lodge can look forward to new mountain bikes and a new running track.