The name ‘Kipalo’ means ‘the place to return to again and again’ in the local Taita language, taken from the ancient elephant rubbings on the rock and baobab trees surrounding the Lodge. H12 Kipalo Hills is a comfortable camp with delicious, fresh innovative cuisine and eight double mobile tents with en-suite flushing loo and traditional safari showers. High on a rocky plateau lies the spacious, airy lounge and swimming pool - a welcome treat for guests in the dry heat. The waterhole below the camp attracts a range of wildlife including elephants, buffalo and leopards which can be spotted as they descend on the area for an early morning drink. H12 Kipalo Hills enjoys easy access to both Tsavo West and East National Parks for game drives, renowned for the largest population of elephant in Kenya.

The Tsavo area is also a bird haven and every room comes with a complete bird list. Fly-camping down on the Galana and Tsavo Rivers are exciting opportunity to sleep out under the stars for a night or more. The joint area of these national parks form one of the largest and most diverse National parks in the world, making up 4% of Kenya’s land area, the size of Israel. This wilderness features extreme diversity of landscape, from fields of baobabs to huge rocky kopjes framed against vast blue skies. The Yatta Plateau and its lashes of lava flows stretch 300km to the ends of Tsavo, and is the longest lava flow in the world. Tsavo is a vast untapped arena of arid bush, split by the azure and emerald meandering Galana and Tsavo Rivers, a water-haven and lifeline to the resident wildlife. Beyond the stunning landscape and wildlife, Tsavo is rife with a fascinating history – from its part in the First World War, to the first Railway, ‘The Lunatic Line’, and the famous Man-eaters of Tsavo.

Kipalo Hills has seven double or single en-suite tents, plus one honeymoon suite which can also be used as a spa-treatment and massage area. All the tented rooms have stunning views opening up across the plains of Tsavo to the peaks of Ngulia Hills and Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance. They are all a short 1 minute walk from the main mess area and swimming pool along established trails which are lit at night. The rooms all have electricity and charging facilities (no hairdryers please!); hot and cold plumbed water, flushing loos and traditional safari showers.

Each of the eight luxury double mobile tents has an en-suite flushing loo and a traditional safari shower. The tents are either twin or double with room for an extra bed. The tents are located far apart and all enjoy wonderful views of the spectacular scenery and impenetrable wilderness across the Mbulia Conservancy plains that stretches as far as the eye can see!

Each of the tented suites have uninterrupted views overlooking the thick bush, red earth, and rocky outcrops which can be enjoyed from their private verandahs. Our favorite spot is the beanbags by the pool that overlook the land below and, on a clear day, Kilimanjaro to the west. The common area is large and open with endless places to curl up with a drink and a good book. The tents are simple and sweet with bucket showers, flush toilets, and they get a gorgeous breeze in the nighttime. Kipalo Hills has character and it's evident through the staff. The camp was built by locals, is staffed by locals, and the guides, trackers, and rangers are all locals that take pride in their jobs that protect the local wildlife through tourism. The staff there are extremely sweet and any guest will feel right at home at Kipalo Hills.

Although Tsavo boasts the highest population of elephant in Kenya (Tsavo is huge!), game-viewing can often be challenging since the terrain can be quite bushy. The real highlight of a trip to Kipalo is walking through the conservancy with an ex-poacher who has an unmatched knowledge and a developed appreciation and commitment to the land. We recommend three days at Kipalo Hills where you can spend one day in Tsavo East National Park (which would include a visit to the Voi unit of the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage), one day in Tsavo West National Park, and one day walking in the conservancy. It's also a great place to just relax and enjoy Kenya's wilderness at the end of a busy safari. The drawback is that it's very remote and our wildlife sightings haven't been great so we either recommend it for relaxing at the end of a safari, for second time safari-goers, or for real fans of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust that want to see the older elephant orphants at Voi.

• Guided Bush Walks
• Day and Night game drives
• Sundowners
• Cultural Trips to local villages
• Boat trips
• Fishing
• Beach Walks and Mud Baths
• Cooking Classes
• Archery
• Skills of surviving in the wild