Kambi ya Tembo

Kambi ya Tembo occupies a rise in the Sinya concession of West Kilimanjaro, a 600 square kilometre private wilderness that borders Kenya at Amboseli National Park. The outlook is exceptional: the Amboseli plains fall away to the north, Kilimanjaro rises behind the camp, and Mount Meru, Ol Doinyo Longido and Ol Doinyo Orok stand on the far horizon. This is elephant country, and the camp is named for it. Sinya is one of very few places left in Africa where you can watch bull elephants over 50 years old still carrying enormous tusks. The camp has 14 tents at ground level, spaced for privacy, each with a private porch facing either Amboseli or Kilimanjaro. Inside, guests choose between a king bed or two singles, with an en suite bathroom and built in shower, mosquito nets, a fan, a tea and coffee tray, mineral water and an internal phone. One side of the tent rolls away for uninterrupted views. Power runs 24 hours on solar with a generator on standby, and the solar hot water is reliable. The main building sits at ground level with views to the plains and the mountain. Meals are relaxed and served either in the dining room or outside on the deck, and in the evening drinks and appetisers are brought out around the camp fire. Because Sinya is a concession rather than a national park, the activity list is unusually broad: game drives at the foot of Kilimanjaro, night drives, walking safaris escorted by Maasai warriors, visits to the traditional bomas scattered across the concession, sundowners on the ridges, and full day treks on the Shira route inside Kilimanjaro National Park at 3,000 to 3,200 metres.