Elewana Newsletter

The addition of Elephant Pepper Camp, Elewana’s popular Masai Mara property, means there is even more choice of places to stay with the fantastic pay three, stay four offer. Guests can claim a complimentary fourth night when booking three nights at select Elewana properties across Kenya and Tanzania. What’s more, children under 12 stay for free. Camps and lodges featured in the offer include:

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

The special offer is valid for travel until 31 May 2024, with booking window from now until 30 May 2024. To take advantage of this offer, the booking must combine two properties from the featured list. The offer is not combinable with any other promotion and only applicable to new, non-resident bookings. Bookings are subject to availability with blackout dates from 20th December 2023 to 5th January 2024 and 29th March 2024 to 1 April 2024. Terms and conditions apply. For enquiries or to make a booking, contact your preferred travel agent or get in touch with us directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It pays to stay longer with the Elewana Collection. Not only will guests be able to enjoy a fantastic selection of both beach and bush properties, but they can also save 10% on bookings of six nights plus, 15% on bookings of nine nights plus and 20% on a booking of 12 nights plus. Circuit discounts are valid for all seasons on both game package and full board rates; however, they are not combinable with any other special offers.

Condé Nast Traveler has announced the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards with Elewana Collection properties recognized with six prestigious awards. Elsa’s Kopje Meru secured the #7 spot in the “50 Best Resorts” overall global list as well as the #1 in Top Resorts in Central & Eastern Africa. Arusha Coffee Lodge won the #13 spot in the “50 Best Resorts” overall global list and #3 in Top 15 Resorts in Central & Eastern Africa, while Elephant Pepper Camp Masai Mara, ranked #29 in in the “50 Best Resorts” overall global list and #4 in the Top 15 Resorts in Central & Eastern Africa.

More than 536,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers enthusiastically shared their recent travel knowledge of the top hotels, cruises, countries, cities, resorts, trains, airlines, airports, spas, islands, luggage, villas, and tour operators. The Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. The full list of winners can be found here.

“It is a great honour to have once again received these prestigious awards for our Elewana Collection properties, including top accolades in the overall 50 Best Resorts category which is incredibly exciting,” said Karim Wissanji, CEO & Founder, Elewana Collection. “We’re very grateful to our esteemed guests for having chosen us amongst all the formidable nominees. This significant recognition is a testament to our goal of providing authentic and memorable safari experiences, together with the highest quality of luxury, comfort, and service.”

Take an exhilarating ride through the African plains on two wheels with the introduction of e-bikes at Lewa Safari Camp and Kifaru House. Guests will be accompanied by a guide and a ranger as they tour the conservancy at one with nature. The e-bikes are available to hire with fees ranging from US$55 to US$90 per person, depending on the duration of the ride. It is also advisable that guests book in advance, although the bikes can be hired when at the property, based on availability.

Kenya Wildlife Service has announced new amended entrance fees for parks, reserves, and conservancies applicable to all guests visiting from January 1, 2024. This includes Masai Mara National Reserve and all KWS parks, reserves, sanctuaries, and marine reserves. The entrance fees provide funds which are critical in supporting the conservation and protection of wildlife, as well as helping communities, supporting park operations and upkeep, and helping with infrastructural developments. They also sustain staff members who remain committed to protecting these beautiful environments and the wildlife that make their home here, ensuring a positive impact that will last for future generations.

Please see amended fees that are relevant to Elewana properties in the table below.

Located in the Mara North Conservancy and at the heart of the Masai Mara ecosystem, Elephant Pepper Camp is the perfect base from which to explore the wonders of the Mara, including the annual great migration from July to November.

Thanks to its remote location, guests will bear witness to incredible wildlife that makes its home here including lion, leopard, hyena, elephants, buffalo and more. Accommodation includes eight spacious, luxury safari tents and two honeymoon/family tents and culinary menus include dishes which feature ingredients which are harvested in the property’s three beautiful kitchen gardens. During their stay, guests can experience game drives, guided walks, bush breakfasts and sundowners, along with evening game drives, some activities of which are not available in the National Park.

Earlier this month, Land & Life Foundation and PARC celebrated the rehabilitation of a borehole in Borana conservancy with a newly installed solar pump. Land & Life Foundation organised for six Maasai women from two different women’s groups in Amboseli to attend the celebration and witness the commissioning of the solar powered borehole. PARC and Land & Life Foundation will be doing the same rehabilitation for the Esiteti Primary School borehole in Amboseli, Kenya which will provide water to the school and surrounding communities.

During their visit to Borana, the women were introduced to an incredibly inspirational group of women based in Laikipia - the Chui Mamas. The Chui Mamas are a women’s empowerment group made up of Maasai women from the Laikipia region who engage in income generating activities such as beading, soapmaking, dressmaking and tailoring. The area they come from has been subject to high levels of human-wildlife conflict, but the Chui Mamas understand the need for co-existence and therefore are also involved in conservation education helping to sensitise the communities in their area.

The women from Amboseli spent a day with the Chui Mamas and visited the Chui Mama’s Centre where they exchanged ideas and skills that could be replicated in Amboseli and will help to uplift women in the region. They learnt about soapmaking, dressmaking, beading and how best to retail them, how to set-up shambas to grow vegetables, and probably the most interesting - how to make paper from Elephant dung!

Lewa Conservancy celebrated World Rhino Day last month and along with a six km walk to honour the majestic animals and celebration, they also shared the thrilling news delivered from the IUCN that rhino populations in Africa are experiencing a remarkable resurgence, thanks to anti-poaching crusaders and cutting-edge biological interventions. This outstanding revelation underscores the incredible impact of Lewa’s collective efforts to safeguard these magnificent creatures.

One of the most noteworthy discoveries in the findings was the resurgence in the population of black rhinos, which has reached a total of 6,487 individuals. This represents a significant 4.2% increase from the count in 2021. Additionally, the beloved white rhinos, now numbering around 16,803 individuals, have witnessed a remarkable growth of 5.6%. This marks their first population increase since 2012. This heartening news is a testament to the unflagging dedication and tireless efforts of conservationists across the continent.

We chatted with Moses Kagari, General Manager of Elephant Pepper Camp, about what makes this much-loved camp so special and why guests return again and again to the award-winning property.

Congratulations on the recent Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Award win for the property!

Much appreciated! This win is indeed very humbling. My team and I are deeply excited, and we are extremely motivated by this recent accolade. I dedicate this win to our staff and to our guests.

What do you think makes Elephant Pepper stand out as a property?

Some of the attributes that make Elephant Pepper Camp stand out are:

• We have the best location! Next to the camp, there is a natural water hole, a salt lick, a swamp, and an Elephant maternity location. The area is green throughout the year. This means that our guests are able to watch different animals so close to the camp while they are having their meals in the restaurant or from the balcony of their rooms.
• The Camp has the best food; some of which is grown in our three kitchen gardens. The staff at our camp have made Elephant Pepper a home away from home for all the guests who stay with us. The majority of our staff come from the local community include the Maasai, and they are wonderful to interact with and very professional.
• We have also opened the back of house area to guests so they can see how things operate - our charcoal fridges, how the solar system works, how we manage our bookings and how beautiful our kitchen gardens are.

How do you encourage trust and loyalty amongst your guests?

As our camp is small, we offer our guests excellent and personalised customer service. We ask our guests for their feedback, and we take it positively and act on it. The Management is very transparent and ever present throughout our guests stay. We treat our guests like royals and as our friends. It is like we are hosting them in our own homes. By doing all this, we have created a very strong relationship with our guests. This has resulted in our camp having a lot of repeat guests.

What would you say are the top qualities of your staff?

Our staff are very professional, very friendly, and extremely passionate about their work. They are very welcoming as well.

What do you think are the property’s strongest selling points?

The camp has the best food, wonderful staff and is in a superb location where animals are plenty, day, and night. The sound of lions and hyenas, particularly at night, is ever present.

What is your favourite part of the property?

My favourite part of the property is our kitchen gardens. The beauty and variety of plants in the gardens is an amazing sight to behold. Our gardener has a green thumb!!!

What do you consider to be the best aspects of your job?

I am a people person and I interact with our guests at all times. I enjoy it when the guests tell me how happy they are, what animals they have seen, showing me the photos of what they have captured, how great the staff are and how much they love our food. This is the best aspect of my job.

What are some unique experiences that guests can have while on property?

Elephant Pepper camp offers walking safaris with an armed guide. He is very experienced and extremely knowledgeable. He is a walking encyclopaedia! We also offer bush breakfast at the banks of Mara River allowing guests to take their breakfast while watching the hippos.

We take our guests for sundowners in an elevated place in the Conservancy where they see the sun setting. To enrich the experience, we organize a spear throwing competition, teach them to light a fire without using a matchstick, and also arrange bow and arrow shooting exercise.

To top it off, our Maasai guides proudly tell the guests about their culture. This is a highlight for many guests, particularly the Q&A sessions that follow.

Being in the Conservancy, we are able to take guests out on a night game drive. We have invested in professional lights and our guests come back very happy after seeing the nocturnal animals such as the white-tailed mongoose and the aardvarks.

Any interesting/exciting wildlife experiences in recent months?

Close to the camp, there is a cheetah that has two young cubs. It is very interesting to see the cheetah hunt, how it takes down an impala after a chase, and how it calls out to the cubs to come and take the meal. It is awesome.
Also, very close to the camp, we have 14 ostrich eggs in one place! This is an amazing sight.