If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of life, the madness that is the concrete jungle, the stress that comes with life, then look no further than Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp. It is located near the famous Kimana Gate, Amboseli National Park in Kenya. The word Tulia is a Kiswahili word that encompasses calmness, peace, relaxation, tranquility and serenity, all virtues exhibited by the camp. I like beautiful things and Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp chose to offer me many beautiful things.
Walking through the restaurant area was quite mind boggling because even though the general weather outside was blazing hot, this area remained extra cool through out, without using an AC. It is only after attempting to be inspector gadget that I learnt, that this was one of the many ways the camp had incorporated being eco friendly. In this case, they protected an ancient tree by incorporating it into their design instead of cutting it down. The tree in return had stretched out its leafy branches vastly, providing not only a wide shelter above the restaurant area but also offering a home to hundreds of multi coloured birds. In return, the birds provided free entertainment with their harmonic chirping and flawless dancing as they flapped their wings forward and backwards.
This restaurant was one of my favourite hangout areas due to the culinary experience it offered us. All meals are freshly prepared on order and thus we got the luxury of listening to the sizzling of the various ingredients as well as the aroma of it all tickling our noses. As if that was not enough, we also got to watch the chef whip his culinary magic via the live cooking sessions they offer. Last but not least, our taste buds would buzz with excitement on every single bite as all the meals were savory, succulent, delicious, delectable and more. The chefs get 10 stars on all the meals as I enjoyed all my starters, main meals and desserts.
The staff at Tulia need a round of applause for the excellent service which I would term as going over and above the client expectations. The team would greet us daily with bright smiles that seemed to truly be from their heart and I am a sucker for smiles. They were also super helpful on so many fronts from freely offering information on the community, the environment, intel on the meals and more. These guys really heightened mine and my squads experience as we were made to feel special, pampered and well taken care of, with our only task being to relax, to Tulia. Asanteni sana
Part of the reason one leaves their home to travel is to have a change of scenery, a change of views. Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp took this memo and ran away with it. The property is built in such a way that all guests, regardless of where one is, gets unobstructed breath taking views of the World’s Highest Free Standing Mountain and the Highest Mountain in Africa -Mount Kilimanjaro at 5895m. During our visit, the clouds were on leave and thus we had almost all day, unlimited access to enjoy ogling and taking pictures of it. It is a beauty, fascinating, breath taking and its shimmering snow capped Kibo cone whose highest peak is Uhuru at 5895M, converting everyone into an orophile. We also got to see its other beautiful peak Mawenzi at 5149m, that people hardly know of, standing right next to it.
For me, the view was very nostalgic as it had me going down memory lane to when I successfully hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro a couple of years back. The memories were bitter sweet, a combination of the challenges I faced like walking over 15 hours on the last ascent day, loosing a toe nail, being slapped by ice for hours to the overwhelming euphoria I felt upon laying on the snow, being awed by the beautiful glaciers and crater, to officially successfully hiking Uhuru peak. You can read more on this here https://wangechigitahitravels.com/conquering-mount-kilimanjaro/.
The property has only 20 rooms thus creating an intimate feel to the whole experience. The rooms are all luxurious and classified under Deluxe, Superb and family superb tents. The rooms are very spacious and all have a lounge area both within and outside the tent. They have no television, are solar powered and are well spaced, with each having a private walkway to the room. All the rooms have unobstructed views of Mount Kilimanjaro and offer the perfect ambiance to recluse from the world. One is thus able to easily disconnect from the world, be soothed by the chirping of the birds, the fragrance of the flowers lining the walkways and to Tulia compeletely. The level of privacy the camp accords, ensured that we left the camp, never knowing who our immediate neighbours were-bliss I tell you, bliss.
The Deluxe Tents are the most luxurious as in addition to the above mentioned attributes of all the tents, you can enjoy a dip in the private, exclusive, plunge pools in each tent. Additionally, you can also enjoy watching animals quench their thirst at the nearby watering hole whilst also having the alluring view of Mount Kilimanjaro as the perfect backdrop, all without leaving the tent.
The superb family tent is the largest tent available as it has two en suite rooms separated by an opaque canvas and a shared lounge area, perfect for families and friends. The rooms each have a zip abled “door” to provide extra privacy when necessary and a shared well-furnished mini lounge, where the guests can commune together for games and catch up or remain dazed watching the clouds play hide and seek with Mount Kilimanjaro.
For the night owls here, you can extend your night by enjoying the crackling fire at the bonfire pit as you trade stories and attempt being astronomers as you identify constellations in the sky.
Our guided walk that ended up with a sundowner was by a very friendly and interesting gentleman called Mr. Katoo. He educated us on the vast fauna and flora of the area and even took us to visit a well-known hyena hang-out. To date, I am still not sure if I was happy or disappointed that we did not find them home.
I am an opcarophile and so when the sunset started showing off by painting the skies red, I was excited and mesmerized , my whole being in complete Tulia.
I got to have my first experience in a hot air balloon while here and I also got to hang out with wild life in Amboseli National Park, all stone throw away experiences from the camp. These two experiences will be shared shortly as they need their own articles to effectively showcase the experiences. Subscribe to this website and associated social media pages, to ensure you are notified immediately they are uploaded.
Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp, receive your flowers, you and your staff out did yourselves. Thank You so much for an amazing experience that ensured from the moment we arrived, to when we reluctantly had to leave and return to life, we were in a state of “Tulia’. We felt rested, calm, happy and were floating in peace and serenity, our systems actually reset to zero mileage. Thank you for having Tulia not only as part of your name, but, as your lifestyle, that allowed us to truly Tulia.
