Elewana Newsletter

Elewana has partnered with the Born Free Foundation in offering a new itinerary for 2023 which features 3-night stays each at Tortilis Camp and Elsa’s Kopje – the birthplace of Elsa the lioness and the home to Joy and George Adamson, who adopted and raised the orphaned lioness cub and later released her into the wild. They wrote the bestselling novel, Born Free about the experience, that was turned into a hit 1966 movie of the same name starring actors and real-life couple, Bill Travers, and Virginia McKenna. Twenty years later, McKenna and Travers founded the Born Free Foundation to ensure the welfare of all animals worldwide and keep wildlife in the wild. Having achieved remarkable conservation results through its work with lions and rhino over the past 14 years, they’ve launched a new campaign 'Save Meru's Giants', focused on protecting elephants and reticulated giraffes.

The charity has also had a huge impact over the years in Amboseli. Over the years it has worked tirelessly to reduce conflict between predators and livestock owners by constructing ‘Predators-Proof Bomas’ to help protect sheep, goats, and cattle from attacks by lions and other predators in the night.

The Born Free itinerary includes a $500 per person donation on the main itinerary which features 3 nights at Tortilis Camp and then 3 nights at Elsa’s Kopje where guests will enjoy a visit to Kora National Park - the final resting place of George Adamson. Guests can also add 3-nights extension in the Masai Mara for the ultimate safari.

Rates start at $4,413 per person sharing (with supplement of $2,673 for the Masai Mara extension) and include meet & assist at KBO, airport transfers, scheduled domestic flights, AMREF Flying Doctors Membership, full board accommodation, beverages and house beer/wines/spirits, laundry, park and conservancy fees and safari activities including shared scheduled game drives, bush breakfasts, sundowners, and guided bush walks.

For more information, contact our reservations department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 10% Circuit discount applied at Elewana Collection properties. T&Cs apply.

Loisaba has added e-biking activities to the wide array of activities which visitors can take advantage of to explore Loisaba Conservancy during their stay at Elewana’s properties, including Loisaba Tented Camp, Loisaba Star Beds and Loisaba Lodo Springs.

The Electric bikes will allow guests to experience wildlife and explore the Conservancy in a new and unique way. With the ease of an e-bike, visitors can venture out into the rugged terrain of Laikipia and feel the exhilaration of conquering the hilly landscape. E-bikes are as easy as riding a bicycle and guests will be escorted by Elewana’s guides and a ranger who will accompany them in wildlife viewing and take participants to some of Loisaba’s most scenic vantage points, making stops amongst points of interest and ensuring everyone stays on track. The routing and duration are tailor-made to requirements and a scrumptious bush breakfast or evening sundowner over the conservancy is often included. Cost is $80 per bike for half a day and the activity can be booked directly at the camp.

The stunning island location and ‘open-to-nature' approach of Kilindi already ensures guests will enjoy a serene holiday. Add to this their latest schedule of Mindbody practices and holistic therapies, elevating the property’s 'barefoot' appeal which so many crave. Release stress and nourish the body through a variety of classes and practices which include mindful stretch, partner yoga, gentle hatha yoga, sun salutation flow, and yin yoga. Explore your true wellness potential through holistic therapies which facilitate innate techniques to heal and balance one as a whole - mentally, emotionally, and physically, such as kinesiology, yoga nidra meditation, and sound therapy.

For bookings or further information, contact Tarnah +27 76 685 3758 (Whatsapp) or speak with your Kilindi ambassador upon arrival.

Elewana Afrochic Diani Beach will close on the 23rd October 2022 and remain close until December 2023 for an extensive renovation project. The boutique beach hotel on Diani's white sandy beach has announced an exciting renovation and refurbishment that will centre on enhancing the overall property experience through a significant investment in the property's design, its exterior and interior aesthetics, as well as the gardens and recreational areas. Once reopened, the new contemporary design of Afrochic Diani will promote the work of local African artists, designers, and artisans.

With ELEWANA DISCOVERY, our rewards program, explore the newest escapes and get rewarded. Check into any of our 16 properties you’ve never experienced before and just for discovering something new, we’ll reward you with D$50 at the end of your stay. Register now and take advantage of this exclusive opportunity!

Receive up to 20% off net contract rates with Elewana’s Early Bird Bookings special offer. For reservations made with a minimum of 90 days prior to arrival, book a four plus night’s stay and receive 10% off, book seven plus nights and receive 15% off or book a 10 plus nights and receive 20% off. The special offer is applicable when combining one or more properties, excluding Arusha Coffee Lodge. All bookings must be guaranteed with a non-refundable payment for the entire stay upon booking confirmation and cannot be combined with any other special offer. The offer is subject to availability and blackout dates apply (1st July - 31st October and 20th December - 5th January). Valid for non-resident rates only until 31st December 2023.

Enjoy a 25% discount on Kilindi Zanzibar rates when booked with three or more nights at any Elewana property in the bush. Minimum stay at Kilindi is three nights. This offer is valid during high season and T&Cs apply and not valid for resident rates. For more information click here.

Land & Life Foundation has embarked on a global sustainability initiative to ensure all the brands included in the charitable organisation’s portfolio, including Elewana, SkySafari, Sopa, and Cheli & Peacock, are actively working towards making a positive impact on people and the planet. Whilst L&L, as the sustainability arm of all the brands, has always had a focus on leaving a gentle footprint, the foundation will now concentrate on creating baseline data to measure their carbon footprint in line with the international GHG Protocol standards to enable the group to take active measures in reducing their carbon footprint. They are building strategic partnerships to enable the group to become Carbon Neutral and look forward to sharing more insights on this journey in the near future.

In celebration of World Rhino Day on 22 September, we would like to honour our conservation partners including Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Loisaba Conservancy, and the Born Free Foundation’s efforts in Meru National Park for the incredible work that they do in protecting these highly threatened animals. This special day celebrates all five species of rhino and is a call to action to help save the animals, as their populations continue to decrease at an alarming rate around the world. It is estimated that a rhino is poached every 8 hours, and at this rate, rhino could become extinct in 15 years.

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is one of Kenya’s leading areas for the conservation of this species and for the last three years not one rhino has been poached. Starting out with 15 black rhinos in 1984 as the Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary, Lewa's rhino population has since risen steadily, making the Conservancy the pioneer rhino conservation success story in Kenya and East Africa.

Loisaba’s mission is to protect and enhance critical wildlife diversity, abundance, and habitat in the landscape, which sits on the western edge of one of Kenya’s most important elephant movement corridors. The Conservancy is currently in the process of becoming a rhino sanctuary, working closely with KWS and The Nature Conservancy to protect the endangered species and their habitat, as well as create jobs in the local community.

Born Free works to protect rhinos in Meru National Park and globally on the ground to improve law enforcement in source, transit, and destination countries, reduce demand through consumer education, and persuade governments to take action to enforce trade bans.

We talk to Elsa’s Kopje’s General Manager, Grace Leonard about the property’s connection with Born Free and conservation history.

Please tell us the story behind the camp's name

Elsa’s Kopje was named after the orphaned lioness, Elsa, reared by Joy and George Adamson who eventually returned her to the wild in Meru in 1958. George and Joy lived near where Elsa’s is located in a camp they name 'Kampi ya Simba' (Camp of Lions). Legend has it that George and Joy would take hikes with Elsa the Lioness to Mughwongo Hill back in the 1950s. They would make it in time for sunrise thereafter they would take her back to camp. When you visit Elsa’s, you will see a display of photos of George and Joy Adamson taken at Mughwongo Hill. Elsa’s Story inspired Joy’s renowned book, “Born Free”, made famous by the Hollywood film that premiered in 1966.

How can guests immerse themselves in the Born Free history when staying at Elsa’s

The management and guides at Elsa's Kopje Meru always share the Born Free story. For guests that want to explore the history in detail, we can arrange visits to the following locations:

• Elsa's Grave: Elsa's is Buried here, and part of Joy Adamson ashes were spread here
• Pippa's Grave: Pippa the Cheetah is buried here, and the other part of Joy Adamson’s ashes are spread here
• Georges Pool: This was George Adamson's favourite sundowner spot
• Old Kampi ya Simba: This is situated 500 meters from Elsa's Kopje grave
• George Adamson Fig Tree: George used to take his lions here to drink water whilst he smoked his pipe and had his breakfast
• George Adamson Falls and Tana River Bridge
• George Adamson Grave in Kora National Park: He is buried next to his brother Terence, Boy the lion and Mugie
• Kampi ya Simba: George's Camp in Kora National Park

Are guests likely to see relatives of Elsa on safari in Meru

It is certainly rumoured that relatives of Elsa’s roam the plains of Meru National Park today.

Could you tell us about the ongoing relationship that Virginia McKenna has with Elsa’s Kopje

We are so delighted that Virginia McKenna has visited the property for years since she filmed Born Free. In the earlier years, she spent time here with her husband and fellow actor, Bill Travers, and most recently she returned to the property for the 60th anniversary of the film.

What is your favourite part of the Born Free history

Post 1960s, the Born Free story created a change in attitude towards animals and spurred a conservation movement, which was quite different from the old colonial style of keeping land aside for hunting. It started the parks and private concession where animals are kept aside and protected by us. There was also a change of attitude towards 'caging' the animals - case in point, the lions that were actors in the Born Free movie were supposed to be sold to zoos around the world so that the producers could recoup some of the production costs. For Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, this was against the story of what the Born Free movement was all about, and they lobbied hard to have all the lions released into the wild. Eventually, the producers agreed to release the lions, Boy, Girl, and August, who were kept at Kampi ya Simba for rehabilitation.

Make sure that you are following the Elewana Collection on Instagram @elewanacollection to see a new selection of videos and images that capture the properties from a perspective never seen before. Amazing aerial footage, time lapses and stunning stills are regularly being posted. Please do share across your own social media channels to spread the word.

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