highs * The incredible history behind the Adamson Family and Elsa the Lion - a must read for any guests going here. * Spectacular scenery - vast open spaces with no-one else in sight. * Fabulous rooms and decor. * Visits to the Tharaka tribal village - very unspoiled and authentic cultural experience

lows * Sometimes game can be a little scattered only meaning you have to work a little harder at finding it - but you are always pleasantly rewarded. * You won't want to leave the camp!

The 9 stone and thatch guest cottages are crafted around the natural features of the hill. Paved paths, lit by lamps at night, lead from each cottage to the comfortable open bar, lounge and dining room. There is a sense of space, style and pure relaxation. The ultimate ‘pool with a view’ looks out across the plains, perfect for chilling out after a game drive or guided walk in the bush. Every cottage is uniquely designed. The generous double or twin beds are romantically swathed in netting. The bathrooms are sumptuous: showers or baths made out of stone, modern flush toilets, bidets and double basins. One double cottage is set slightly apart from the others, ideal for families with children or a group. It has a double bedroom and a twin bedroom (bathrooms en-suite). Elsa’s Private House was completed in June 2005. Built by the original designer of Elsa’s Kopje. Elsa’s Private House is set apart from the rest of the lodge, providing complete exclusivity and privacy. The house consists of one double bedroom with en-suite bathroom with a large bath-tub. There is a spacious twin room, with en-suite bathroom. The living area spills into your very own private swimming pool. The pool falls neatly into the horizon beyond the Meru plains. Elsa’s Private House provides guests with their very own piece of Kopje paradise. One of Kenya’s best pools with a view! The atmosphere induces a feeling of peace thanks to a highly trained, unobtrusive team of staff and a skilled host who manages the lodge. Each cottage is attended by a butler who also waits on the guests at mealtimes. The food is traditional Northern Italian cuisine blended with a selection of local and international dishes, fresh baked bread, crisp salads and locally grown vegetables.

"If you've got a digital camera--bring a lot of memory. If you're using film--bring lots and lots of rolls with you. Because even if you couldn't see giraffe, Cape buffalo, elephants, waterbuck, hyrax, and blue and orange geckos (from the pool...from your private deck...from your outdoor bathtub carved into the hillside...as well as from the Land Rover), you'll find the scenery absolutely out of this world. Check my photo album, and you'll see what I mean!" Michael, TheBigDay co-founder

"Elsa’s really is a hidden jewel – we will be back"

"Words can not describe the view from our cottage! This is a very special place"

"Thank you for making our stay so memorable"

Elsa Kojpe has made an agreement with a group of farmers living just outside the Park boundaries off Kanjoo Gate. The scheme is that we provide them with seeds of vegetables or fruit that they will not produce for local consumption but are very much used at our lodge. We supervise quantities, rotation, and quality and we go and collect the crop every week paying an agreed price. On a small scale this is community based conservation in action. They directly benefit from us being here (and we are here because of wildlife) and we avoid having to buy and transport produce from Nairobi. The shamba that they've put aside for us is quite nice in an interesting rural area at the Nyambeni foothill. We can bring guests to visit the site on request. With the Tharaka people living at the southern boundary of the Park we have a few different exchanges:
* We buy from them handcrafts to be sold in our shop;
* We bring interested guests to their dancing performance for a fee which goes to them directly;
* We finance the building of a local school through clients' donations and with direct funds coming from us.

Activities include game drives in open-sided safari Land Rovers, driven by knowledgeable driver-guides, all members of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association. Guided walks are led by a Professional Safari Guide and accompanied by a Ranger. Other attractions include bush breakfasts and sundowners and visits to the Tharaka tribal village on the Southern Boundary of the Park. Other activities include:

• Swimming pool
• Guided bush walks
• Game drives in 4-wheel drive vehicles
• Night game drives
• Bush breakfasts
• Day excursions to the Tana River with packed lunches
• Bush sundowners
• Line fishing (Catfish and Barbel)
• Massages

The suggested guideline for tipping is $10 per person a day at each property visited.  The tips are collectively gathered from all guests after their stay at each property and distributed amongst the staff, you either give the tips to the manager or usually there is a staff tip box within which to put your tips. The tips are then divided equally amongst all the staff on the property. Many people like to leave a little extra with their dedicated guides on game drives as they spend so much time with them and it is perfectly fine to give the tip directly to the guide. For guides we suggest approximately $30-$50 total for a stay of 3 days. If you feel your guide has been exceptional, some guests will sometimes give up to $100.

The best months for travelling to Kenya are June through the end of October and then December through the end of March. July, August and September, are the busiest times along with the Christmas holidays as this is when school holidays fall. If you prefer to travel when the game is still superb but it is not so busy then I recommend the following months, June, September, October, November, February, March, April and May!