Tawi Lodge Amboseli
The mountain and the countless elephants you will encounter will impose themselves as the backdrop of your stay at Tawi Lodge Amboseli. In the dry south Kenya landscape, the lodge is hidden in the middle of trees, plants and garden. The gold rating awarded by Eco-tourism Kenya does not have to mean less comfort.
Accommodation
Tawi lodge has 13 fine cottages with 4 post beds, private wooden deck, chimney, showers and pretty baths. We would be serving you gourmet food throughout with fine wines from our cellar. There are 4Â lounges with deep couches, 2 bars to have a drink, read, relax by the fire place and a water hole known to attract all the wildlife of the area.Â
Reaching Tawi lodge
You can fly to Tawi Lodge by plane landing at the airstrip, or should you wish to charter your own plane, there is a private landing strip. In both cases, we will come to pick you up with our jeep. By road, Mombasa road to Emali, at the exit go right on the Loitokitok road to Kimana, a few 100 meters after exiting Kimana turn right at all the signposts. You will find a large Tawi sign board about 15kms into the track. You do not usually need a 4×4 to reach the lodge. But it is safe to give us a call before hand to ask about the actual state of this last portion as heavy rains can make it tough.
The lodge
Under the shade of the huge Tortillis accacia trees, you have a vast view of Kilimanjaro and the wetlands where the wildlife come to drink and play. It is such a super experience to enjoy your drink while seeing the life of the big elephants playing in the mud just a few meters in front of you. You will notice the attention to detail and the excellent and friendly service while dining.
Dining
We grow the food produce in our own gardens watered from the Kilimanjaro surfaces through volcanic rocks. It creates a very fertile soil. The spices from the coast with sooth your senses. Meanwhile, before and after dinner, relax by the campfire, or at our very special tree-bar, sit on the sundowner couch and listen to the magical sounds of the African bush all this under the vast African sky where the stars seem brighter than anywhere else.
Cuisine
The sous chefs will use some of our freshly grown produce and the local people’s products to offer you a blend of Kenyan-Swahili and European gourmet 3 course lunches and 4 course dinners. Breakfast or dinner in the bush are also some experiences you should try. Tawi lodge can cater to special diets or needs if you wish. Regular food & wine paring events take place with the old Kenyan dinner in the boma, nyama, and Maasai traditional dances.
Game drives
Amboseli’s fragile and beautiful ecosystem displays a wide variety of wildlife, with more than 50 mammal species. The elephants are no doubt the kings of the park. You will see them in big numbers. We will take you close to the wildlife rich spots in the bush during the game drives. This gives you a chance to view wild animals in their own abode as they go about their daily lives.
A lodge of peace
You can see the water hole from all our rooms, main lodge, bars, dining room, lounges and spa. The elephants, zebra, Impala, kudus, gerenuk and the local wildlife like the waterhole very much. Some of the 400+ bird species in the Kenyan ecosystem nest in our trees. You are really in an oasis. The Tawi style is a blend of modern comfort and Kenyan tradition. Tawi lodge is located on a private area of 6,000 acres just five minutes from Kimana Gate, the eastern entrance to the national park. Tawi lodge is at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s largest free-standing mountain.
Cottages
Each cottage has its own wooden-deck veranda. They all have a vast view of the highest mountain in Africa, even from the comfort of your bed or your bathtub. Double or twin cottages, all have en suite bathrooms fitted with both a bath and shower. Each cottage has its own fireplace. Solar powers the lighting and water-systems.
Pool
Filled from our bore hole, solar heated yet very cool for fresh morning, afternoon or evening dips. If your timing is right, you will enjoy your swim while looking at the elephants bathing in the nearby water hole right in front of you. There is also a wading pool for the smaller ones.
Bars and lounges
Four different lounges with deep soft sofas, bush chairs, recliners serviced by 2 bars for a drink, a read, relaxing by the fire place or the wildlife water hole. You can also choose our bush lounge for a magical sundowner drink and bitings. This one is on a different spot everyday with view on the Kilimanjaro. The sounds of the African bush, birds and the wildlife surrounds you.
Eco-tourism gold rating
Tawi lodge Amboseli is proud of its gold rating. This means we are making sure the magic remains and people can seen it in awe for years to come. Solar powered mainly, water conscious even though the mountain keeps us very well supplied are not our only efforts. We give Maasai land owners money through the lease of their land which in turn preserves a vital natural place for the abundant wildlife to roam as they please, as they need. The whole community also gains with schooling and other projects.
Sustainable tourism
Tawi lodge has a rule which is committed to ensuring social and safe lasting business practices, environmental protection, community care and compliance with all applicable clean rules.
Environmental conservation
The lodge has an environmental day on monthly basis. Tasks include environmental cleaning, litter collection and sensitisation talks to the staff. The lodge blends in with the local natural surroundings. The building designs are influenced by local Maasai architecture. Guests are urged to engage in low impact activities such as guided nature walks, camel rides and bird watching within the conservancy to reduce on carbon footprint on reduced vehicle use.
Solid waster management
The facility issues its visitors with a re-usable water bottle for use during game drives and as a take-away souvenir. Glass bottles are also reused within the guest tents as drinking water cisterns. The initiative is aimed at plastic waste reduction. Tawi lodge uses the highest quality locally made biodegradable bathroom soaps and shampoos. Organic waste is composted. Ash obtained from the booster kuni boilers is used as a catalyst in the composting process.
Waste water management
Water effluent tests are conducted in compliance with Kenya’s regulation.
Water management
The main source of water for the lodge is from a borehole; the water is solar pumped and stored in reservoir tanks with a total capacity of 122,000 litres.
Energy management
Solar is the main source of energy for the lodge. 19 large solar panels fixed with power inverter systems. The solar energy is used for lighting, water heating, running the refrigerators and other electrical needs throughout the premises. There are twenty two solar boilers for water heating each with a capacity of 300 litres. The facility swimming pool is also completely solar run. Wind energy supplements solar power. Energy saving and LED bulbs are installed throughout the facility. The lodge has a backup generator for emergency purposes and to ensure guests are always comfortable should there be a need.
Community
The leased land for Tawi lodge and conservancy benefits directly the landowners who accepted to keep it intact for Conservation. In 2014, over KES 4 million was paid to land owners in lease and bed night fees. More than 75% of our staff are from the surrounding communities are trained to work in the lodge. Many would otherwise be with very little revenue as the region is not populated with sufficient density to provide an occupation or economic welfare for all.
Training and education
Lemong’o school sits on the edge of our conservancy.  We accompany and help young Maasai from the ages of 3 to 9, in reaching primary school level. Constantly providing for the most basic needs, a water tank, a fence to protect children from wildlife, notebooks, pencils, blackboards, chairs, etc. is necessary to answer the government’s financial short falls. The community has shown they understand its need and importance by coming together to finance a teacher. We also help by arranging for volunteers to come and teach about basic notions on hygiene, respect for the environment, wildlife and by transmitting any help you wish to invest, funds or material, to them.
Benefits to staff and local community
The lodge purchases perishables such as fruits and vegetables from the local shopping centers. Additionally, Tawi lodge buys meat for staff, milk and other staff provisions from the local Namelok and Kimana towns. Approximately 75% of the permanent employees are from the local area; in addition, all casuals are hired from the local Kimana area. Tawi lodge pays bed night and lease fees to landowners which goes into supporting community projects in education, medical care and provision of clean water.
Elephants
The elephants are no doubt the kings of the park and they are available in big numbers. These elephants can be seen and photographed easily because of the flat terrain. The elephants in Amboseli, which are also considered to be among the biggest in the country, mainly enjoy the swamps, in which they get cool waters that they share with hippos that hide beneath the papyrus.
Wildlife
A large resident population of wildbeest together with Burchell’s zebra, also have a home in the park. Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, bufallo, warthog, black rhino, Maasai giraffe, impala, waterbuck and dik-dik, are also among the grass-eaters there. Baboons and vervet monkeys live in the scarce woodlands. Lions, spotted hyenas, wild cats, jackals and caracals represent the carnivores. Cheetah and leopards are not so common. As far as birds are concerned, there exists more than 400 species, including pelican, flamingo, kingfisher, African fish eagle, ibis, secretary bird, crowned crane, grey and Goliath herons, cattle egret, black-winged stilt, little grebe, Egyptian goose, martial eagle, pigmy falcon, Maasai ostrich, marabou stork, white-backed vulture, lappet-faced vulture, yellow-necked spurfowl, kori bustard, hornbills and many others.
