Elerai Luxury Tented Camp, Kenya

About This Property

Elerai Camp is a luxury tented camp on a private 5,000-acre conservation area, about 12 km southeast of Amboseli National Park and directly at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Its position is a major attraction: the camp looks across towards Amboseli in one direction and towards Kilimanjaro in the other.

The camp is particularly appealing because it combines private-conservancy activities with easy access to Amboseli National Park. Guests can enjoy game walks, night drives and sun downers on the conservancy, activities that are restricted or unavailable inside the national park itself.

Accommodation consists of 12 Deluxe Tents and five Cottage Rooms. The Deluxe Tents are raised on cedar-wood floors and have large verandas with daybeds, en-suite bathrooms and impressive Kilimanjaro views. The Cottage Rooms are more substantial, with large sliding doors opening onto private balconies overlooking the plains and Amboseli. Their bathrooms feature natural rock, a bathtub and shower, with hot water supplied by solar systems.

One of Elerai's standout features is its waterhole, which can attract elephants, giraffes, zebra and other wildlife. You can relax around the waterhole while watching wildlife, rather than having to be out on a game drive all the time.

The camp has an infinity pool overlooking Mount Kilimanjaro, a comfortable lounge, dining areas and a terrace where dinner can be enjoyed under the stars. Meals are à la carte and the kitchen uses locally grown produce.

For safari activities, Elerai offers day and night game drives, guided game walks, bush dinners and sun downers. The night drives are particularly interesting because they offer opportunities to look for nocturnal species such as serval, genet, civet, aardwolf, porcupine and bushbabies.

Elerai also has a strong conservation and community focus. The private conservation area forms part of the Kitenden wildlife corridor connecting the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve with Amboseli National Park, and the camp supports local Maasai community and wildlife initiatives.

Of the Amboseli properties you've asked about so far, I would put Elerai somewhere between Tawi and Angama in character. It has a beautiful, intimate private-conservancy setting and exceptional Kilimanjaro views, while retaining a more traditional safari-camp feel than Angama.

Its biggest strengths are the private conservancy, proximity to Kilimanjaro, waterhole, excellent views, walking and night-drive opportunities, and relatively intimate size. If you particularly value being able to sit at camp and watch wildlife, Elerai is a very appealing option.