Going back a century in time, town & later the modern city of Nairobi grew up around The Norfolk hotel, which still has its own private tropical gardens. The hotel is still the traditional starting point for safaris & the Lord Delamere Terrace is modern Nairobi's most famous meeting place, where drinks & light meals are served continuously from morning until midnight.

Little if anything has altered with the exterior of the Norfolk Hotel since the height of the colonial era. The timbered walls remains covered in vines & creeper, the London taxi cabs that today deliver guests to & from the hotel look much as they did in the old photos that adorn the walls of the hallways & chart a history of the British rule in Kenya.

In the courtyard, the flag poles continue to proudly display the national flag & the crest of the Norfolk & the main interior hallway the long case clock, presented in 1936 by the drivers of the Nairobi to Johannesburg car race, ticks solidly marking the passage of days, weeks, months & the passing years.

The Norfolk was opened on Christmas day in 1904, giving rise to a tradition that has been maintained of it having an annual Christmas morning champagne cocktail party. The Norfolk has hosted the likes of Lord Delamere, Theodore Roosevelt, Sir Winston Churchill & Karen Blixen. Now extensively refurbished inside & throughout the guest rooms it retains that sense of history for the better. Ceiling fans, deep animal patterned cushions on luxurious armchairs & sofas combine with locally sourced rich grained woods to create a tranquil ambiance.

The Norfolk was expanded in 1999 & subsequently renovated in time for its centennial, which it celebrated in 2004. It has recently undergone another major refurbishment bringing this ´grand old lady´ up to a new standard of comfort without discarding any of her historic ambiances.

The hotel now offers accommodations in one hundred & sixty eight (168) guest rooms & suites, a heated outdoor swimming pool, health club with gym, sauna, steam room, beauty salon, book shop & gift shops.

Each of the four distinctly different styles of guest rooms in the Norfolk are luxuriously furnished, have plush carpeting & deep velour soft furnishings.

The guest rooms all have bedside lamps, dressing tables, built-in wardrobes & luggage racks.

Every room has a direct dial telephone, television linked to a satellite dish, electrical mosquito repellent & air-conditioning.

Deluxe Room
Luxuriously furnished with plush carpeting, Deluxe Rooms feature a veranda, a working desk with HSIA, as well as a private en-suite marble bathroom. The smoking rooms have a 4-piece bathroom (tub & shower). The non-smoking rooms have a 3-piece bath. An in-room safe is provided in select rooms.

Location: Acacia wing/Delamere wing/Mugumo/Acacia wing
Bed Type: one King or two Twin beds
Size: 210 sq. ft. - 285 sq. ft.
View: Courtyard/garden view

Fairmont Courtyard Room
Luxuriously furnished with plush carpeting, Fairmont Courtyard Rooms offer HSIA, a working desk & a private en-suite marble bathroom.
The smoking rooms have a 4-piece bathroom (tub & shower).
The non-smoking rooms have a 3-piece bath.

An in-room safe is provided in select rooms.

Location: Acacia wing/Delamere wing/Mugumo/Acacia wing
Bed Type: one King or two Twin beds
Size: 210 sq. ft.
View: Courtyard/garden view

Fairmont Gold
Luxuriously furnished with plush carpeting, Fairmont Rooms offer HSIA, a working desk & a private en-suite marble bathroom. Most of the twenty eight (28) Fairmont Rooms have two twin beds & 5 of them have a King bed.

An in-room safe is available in selected guest rooms.

Location: Kijabe wing /Delamere wing/Acacia wing
Bed Type: one King or two Twin beds
Size: 210 sq. ft.
View: Varies: Garden view/no view

Moderate Room
Moderate Rooms offer great value in a luxury hotel. These historic rooms in the Karura wing offer HSIA, 1 King or 2 Twin beds, a desk & a private en-suite bathroom. All guest rooms have carpeting & common amenities.

Location: Karura wing Bed Type: one King or two Twin beds
Size: 210 sq. ft

All guest rooms at The Norfolk Hotel offer the following amenities:

 Air-conditioning
 Bedside lamp
 Dressing Table
 Electrical mosquito repellent
 Hair dryer
 Luggage Rack
 Refreshment Center
 Safety deposit boxes
 Telephone (direct dial)
 Television with satellite
 Wardrobe (built-in)

Bathrooms offer:

 115/240 v shaving sockets
 Toiletries including shampoo, body lotion, bath and shower gel, insecticide
 Overhead showers/bath-tubs
 Flush toilets
 Washbasin with hot & cold running water

Shoeshine - guest shoes are cleaned free of charge

Dining & Cuisine

There are six restaurants in the hotel, one to suit every mood & palate.

The renowned Ibis Restaurant offers award-winning gourmet dishes in a comfortable setting. The relaxed setting of the Hibiscus Bar & Lounge is the perfect spot to unwind, while the Lord Delamere Terrace is the ideal spot for people watching. The extensive room service menu is always an option when a more private setting is preferred.

The Mount Kenya Safari Club was founded in 1959 by three very different driving forces. First there was the late William Holden, one of Hollywoods golden glamour boys. He was partnered by the highly eccentric American, Ray Ryan & in turn, the quieter Swiss Financier, Carl Hirschmann. Right from the very outset it attracted a glamorous clientele, many connected with royalty, others from the movie industry while still other folks who found the stars & personalities they may share the lounge bar with, irresistible. The Club today has modernised from its earlier beginnings, but still refrains from sweeping away all of the history in favour of the modern day.

The huge French windows made popular in William Holden’s prime & now coming back into vogue , remain, as do the white terrace furniture, the large cosy under-stuffed sofas & the roaring log fires that are lite each evening to make guests feel relaxed.

The sprawling grounds – huge would be a more appropriate word perhaps – are immaculately groomed with an abundance of blooming flowers, trees & shrubs. They are dotted with ponds, full of frogs which croak until the arrival of a marabou stork or egret intent on finding the source of the noise as a tasty morsel. The grounds seemingly stretch verdantly to the horizon back-dropped in the distance by Mount Kenya. There’s a beautiful guest pool, colonial cane furniture & a main lounge that is adorned with trophy heads of hapless animals, testaments to the prowess of countless famous actors & various luminaries who secured a kill in the days when hunting was permitted.

There are 12 cottages, 2 villas & 59 suites for guests, each with its own private bathroom, telephone, private terrace & log fireplace that is lit each evening dependant on guest preference.

The Mount Kenya Safari Club provides :

• Large range of accommodation styles from cottages to Riverside suites
• Club restaurant, members dining room, bush dinners & riverside cocktails
• Half & full day Mount Kenya excursions ( weather permitting )
• Outdoor swimming pool & health centre
• Tennis courts
• Horse trekking
• Fishing excursions for trout
• Golf course
• Jogging circuit
• Croquet & lawn bowling greens
• Bird watching
• Shopping gallery, art gallery & four specialist shops
• Beauty centre featuring massage / manicure/ pedicure

Meru National Park in the old Northern Frontier District is wild Africa at its most appealing. Animals are somewhat shy & unused to humans & the environment is rugged. Here one can find Elsa’s Kopje- aptly named after the orphaned lioness whom Joy & George Adamson reared & returned to the wild in Meru. It is very much a private hideaway perched high atop Mugwongo Hill, the site of the Adamson’s first camp. The Park is renowned for the low annual rainfall, yet here there are some 13 rivers and countless more streams that runoff the nearby mountains providing a verdant green series of strips set against the arid landscapes.

Elsa’s Kopje provides guests with accommodation in private cottages, sited well away from one & other, but each one enjoying panoramic views of the surrounding countryside & its ancient baobab trees. The open plan rooms are individual designed incorporating rock into the structures. Decorated with African-made furniture & complemented by brightly coloured ikat fabrics. White washed walls retain a simplicity but bring forth a certain stylishness. Two of the cottages have monolithic baths which would fit into any of New York or Rome fashion houses, yet here, fit perfectly. As George Adamson remarked …….” I felt a surge of elation as I left the artifical world for the last time & headed north to Meru …..” You will feel that same surge when you take time out to savour Elsa’s Kopje.

Elsa’s Kopje provides :

• 8 stone & thatched cottages , 2 with twin beds, each with private bathrooms
• 2 cottages have baths, 6 have showers
• Guided day & night game drives in 4 x 4 open safari vehicles
• Guided nature walks
• Bush breakfasts, picnics & sundowner drinks
• Access into the private bush airstripat Mugwongo Hill
• Guests swimming pool

Bateleur Camp at Kichwa Tembo is located on the western border of the Masai Mara National Park at the foot of the Oloololo Escarpment & nestlds into a verdantly lush riverine forest, with an outlook across the vast fertile plains. This luxurious & intimate camp provides for an unmatched experience of Kenya’s primary wilderness destination. This is a private concession of land leased from the local Maasai tribal landlords & directly in the path of the annual Great Migration of zebra & wildebeest herds headed from the Serengeti.

There are 9 spacious safari tented units, each having its own wooden shingled roof & built on a raised platform deck. They offer a classic elegance with wooden polished floors, crisp white linen sheets on double or twin configured framed downy beds above which, to add cooling are suspended ceiling fans. Individual tents are tended by a personal steward who attends to turndowns, cleanliness & laundry. There are glass walled showers & an en-suite bathroom with twin hand basins, flush toilet and forest views.

The main guest lounge area is adorned with large sofas, a treasure trove of antique books & memorabilia reflecting safari days of the 1920’s & 30’s. In the heat of the day, a 12.5m lap pool snuggled under the shade of the surrounding trees is available for all guests to utilize & provides a cooling retreat. Dinners are served under starry African skies ( weather permitting naturally ) with local gourmet cuisine served by your butler & followed with fine wines, a cigar or fireside after dinner port beside the roaring fire. When dinners are not served in camp, guest will be transported to a well chosen bush setting for a candle light banquet on the banks of the Mara River.

All game drive activities are hosted by a professional guide in 4 x 4 open safari vehicles or by way of nature & game walks guided by a traditionally clad Maasai warrior – naturalist who is only too keen to share his vast knowledge with those guests who wish to engage in walking activities. Evening game drives are accompanied by ‘sundowner’ drinks & traditional Maasai tribal dancing on the Escarpment overlooking the Masai plains. It was here the filming of “Out Of Africa” captured one of the enduring scenes of that award winning motion picture.

Bateleur Camp at Kichwa Tembo is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Access is by way of scheduled flights from Wilson Airport, Nairobi to Kichwa Tembo’s private bush airstrip 25 minutes from camp.

Bateleur Camp at Kichwa Tembo provides :

• Nine luxurious safari tented units, each with solid roof & en-suite bathroom facilities
• Daily guided game drives in 4 x 4 open safari vehicles
• Daily Maasai warrior-naturalist guided nature walks
• All inclusive of accommodation, meals, snacks, local alcoholic beverages & soft drinks

Kichwa Tembo Safari Camp offers guests the opportunity to experience first-hand the customs of the local Masai tribes peoples & to witness how these Nilotic pastoralists & their livestock co-exist with the wildlife & predators of the Masai Mara. They are the landlords & indeed, partners of this tented safari camp & living examples of how carefully controlled tourism enterprises can & do impact positively on the growth & development of the local community through sustainable joint ventures.

The name Kichwa Tembo means ‘head of the elephant’ & this luxury tented camp overlooks the game-filled Masai plains fed by the Sabaringo River. The Escarpment it is tucked into ( Oloololo – meaning zigzag in Swahili ) is on the western most boundary of the National Park bordering Tanzania.

Accommodation is provided in spacious safari tents, built on suspended wooden platforms a metre & a half above ground level & accessed by a set of wooden stairs. Each of the 40 tents has an en-suite bathroom & a private verandah. The central guest lounge encompasses comfortable seating, the well stocked bar & dining room. An outdoor ‘boma’ where dinners are served & interpretive centre make up the other communal guest areas.

Twice daily guided game drives are conducted in open 4 x 4 safari vehicles & as well, nature bush walks with a Maasai warrior – naturalist are offered during the late morning or early afternoon for guests who wish to participate. It is also possible to undertake a half day excursion to the nearby riverine forest to seek out exotic birds & primates.

Wildlife viewing is certainly not confined only to the period of the Great Migration, although that is a very special experience to witness. Black maned Mara lions are resident in the vicinity of Camp as are black rhino, cheetah, giraffe, serval, hyena, elephant & herds of grazing plains game, monkeys & numerous rare highland bird species. If guests wish, hot air balloon flights in the dawn & cooler early morning airs are available, offering a totally different perspective of the prolific game animals as one drifts all but silently above the plains below. Cultural visits to local Maasai villages, sundowner drinks on the rim of the Escarpment & intimate candle light dinners make this a unique & special place for an unforgettable safari.

Kichwa Tembo Safari Camp provides :

• 40 luxury tented accommodation unit , each built on a raised platform with a private bathroom & shower & its own private verandah deck.
• All inclusive of accommodation, meals, snacks, local alcoholic beverages & soft drinks.
• Two daily guided game drives in 4 x 4 open safari vehicles.
• Guided by a Maasai warrior – naturalist, nature bush walks.
• Swimming pool & lounge bar .
• Cultural visits to local Maasai villages.

The setting is magical – so much so that almost a century ago, it was reserved exclusively for Governors & Royal visitors. Enduringly, Governors Camp nestles into the forest along the banks of the Mara River taking advantage of the sights & sounds that come as a result of the ever present lure water provides to animals & the resident hippo & crocodile alike. The entire Camp is tented, under canvas, with all the amenities & luxury of a five star hotel. 38 of the units are set out unobtrusively spaced for privacy along the river, while others enjoy sweeping views of the plains. Each tent is large & spacious with twin or double bed configurations. They come with an en-suite bathroom, shower unit, plenty of hot & cold running water, flush toilets & bidets.

Breakfasts are prepared over blazing coals & served after guests return from their morning game drive activities. Mountains of bacon & fresh eggs, fruits, cereals & grains & a speciality of bush oven prepared breads awaits. Lunch is served on a buffet under the shade of trees along the river & the cordon-bleu dinners by candle light under canvass are a truly unforgettable experience.

Game drive activities are hosted by a professional guide & a tracker in custom built 4 x 4 Landrovers. Guests may embark on as many game drives as they wish during their stay, all included in the daily tariff. Then too, one may wish to head out with a guide & tracker on a walking safari – one of the true thrills of being in the bush, Your guide will be carrying a suitably heavy calibre weapon for guests extra security & the party will track game, never quite sure what’s around each corner. Catch the scents & sounds of the real & wild Africa, then at the conclusion, partake in a bush barbeque, complete with champagne.

Dawn hot air balloon flights are also on the menu of things to do. As the first pink tinges of sunlights approach crests the horizon, your hot-air filled orb lifts off and then drifts along at an altitude where you can hear the sounds of animals below, yet have the very best of birds-eye perspectives of the vast Masai plains as they unfold beneath you. Lions roars, baboons screeching in the canopy of tree tops, elephants crashing through dense underbrush – these sounds are undeniably Africa awakening. The flight will last approximately an hour, then, as tradition demands upon landing, a champagne breakfast cooked before your eyes on the burners that minutes before were propelling the balloon along, will be served in a suitable bush setting.

There are four distinctly different Governors’ Camps to choose from. Governor’s Camp as described above; little Governors’ Camp which caters especially to honeymooners. The comments we get back from guests who stay here focus on the friendliness & the privacy it affords them; Governors’ Ilmoran Camp which is known as a tranquil retreat. Top of the line in standards & featuring those little extras & touches such as the hand carved beds & verandah around each tented unit. Then there is Governors’ Private Camp. This is considered the jewel in the family crown of opulence & exclusivity. The personal attention is unsurpassed & the food is incomparable & their desert menu has been described as ‘sinful’.

Each camp has its own personality. The service & catering staff, rangers, guides & tracking teams are exclusive to one Camp, each Camp having a separate infa-structure. Backed by the combined resources of the Governors’ family, these tented camps are definitely in the upper echelon of service standard & experiences available in Kenya.

Governors’ Camps provide :

Governors’ Camp

• 38 riverbank safari tent units, each with en-suite bathroom, hot & cold running water, flush toilet, shower & bidet.

Little Governors :

• 17 riverbank safari tent units, each with en-suite bathroom, hot & cold running water, flush toilet, shower & bidet.

Governors’ ILmoran :

• 10 riverbank sited safari tent units, a private en-suite bathroom, flush toilet & bidet, shower with hot & cold running water. These tents feature hand carved twin or double beds. Each unit has a private verandah & directors canvas chairs.

Governors’ Private :

• 8 riverbank sited safari tent units that have been luxuriously appointed with featured handmade furniture. En-suite bathrooms, hot & cold running water, flush toilets, bidets & shower. The chef will discuss with each guest, their personal menu choices & all drinks ( except champagnes ) are included at no charge. There is a 4 guest, 3 day minimum reservation requirement to book at Governors’ Private Camp year round.

Situated on the edge of the Amboseli National Park, Tortilis Camp embraces a romantic hillside setting. Main lodge is open sided & the stunning views of Mt Kilimanjaro with its snow capped peak have to be experienced, to be believed. The mountain is visible from the bar & the dining room. As the mountain reveals itself & you are enjoying one of the many fine Italian pasta dishes Tortilis chefs specialize in, this is indeed food for the mind & soul.

The camp is exclusive with each of the seventeen dark green thatched roof tented units having a generously large stone verandah , comfy wicker chairs & a traditionally styled sofa-bed on which to relax outside. Inside, a large double or twin bedded configuration, African gourds that serve as lamps, thick floor rugs highlighting the wooden floors are standard. All of the units have a private bathroom, hot & cold running water, flush toilet & shower.

The Camp works closely with the local Maasai community, offering educational & cultural visits to their village as well as Maasai warrior – naturalists accompanying guests on bush nature walks. Game drives in custom 4 x 4 safari vehicles & bush sundowner drinks with canapés are included daily. Elephant are abundant & very habituated to the peoples (it is the site of the longest running elephant study program in the world) & guests are encouraged to observe the herds for long periods. The Amboseli herds are famous for elephant size & weight of their ivory tusks. A high concentration of hyena, lion prides, cape buffalo & waterbuck are also a feature of the region.

The Camp is surrounded by a electric fence so guests can feel safe & secure walking by themselves within during the hours of darkness, should they so wish. There are in excess of 400 species of birds sighted in the region, amongst which the pink flamingos. Many waders, warblers & one weaver bird specific are frequently seen. Perhaps though, the favourite is the resident Barn Owl who lives in the high rafters of the pitched roof bar & has a habit off swooping down as guests are engrossed sipping their sundowners drinks. At Tortilis you are definitely close to nature !

Tortilis Camp provides :

• 17 dark green thatched roof tented accommodation units, each with a private bathroom, flush toilet & shower with abundant hot & cold running water. They have a stone verandah, comfy seating & traditional African furnishings.
• Guided game drives in 4 x4 safari vehicles are conducted morning & evening ; nature bush walks a escorted by a local Maasai warrior-naturalist are available on guest request during daylight hours.
• Breakfast or dinner in a bush setting can be arranged on request.
• Children are welcome & baby sitting or child minding services are provided.
• Special meals for children are available with prior notice at time of reservation.

Denys Finch Hatton was one of Kenya's great adventurers & safari guides. He devoted his life exploring the wild in style. In his camp, dinner was served on fine china with silver and crystal, while the gentle strains of Mozart played in the background.

Here in Tsavo National Park, where he lived & died, this tradition lives on.

Finch Hatton's luxury safari camp is one man's dream; privately owned & managed to create the ideal setting in which to offer guests a unique opportunity to relive the golden era of the Out of Africa styled safari in absolute elegance, 5 star comfort, the finest cuisine surrounded by the spectacle of the great African wilderness.

Finch Hatton's lies at the heart of Tsavo West National park, part of Kenya's single largest game reserve. The camp surrounds a vast natural freshwater spring, flowing through three crystal clear pools, with tents along the water's edge.

Yellow barked Acacia Xanthophlea trees surround the tents. It is unfenced & wild with a wide variety of game on the surrounding plains. The springs are home to a resident pod of hippopotamus, which spend their days wallowing in the ponds & their nights grazing around the camp.

Nile Crocodiles & a healthy population of terrapins & water monitor lizards also live here & are often seen sunning themselves at the waters edge.

Bird life at Finch Hatton's is spectacular, with over 200 locally recorded species.

The camp accommodates up to 50 people, in twenty five (25) large East African safari tents with twin beds that can be made up as a double bed, lavish wood constructed en-suite bathrooms, brass fittings, large mirrors, WC, hot & cold running water & tiled showers.

Each luxury safari tent has a clothes rack, wooden Swahili chest, bookshelves & an antique writing desk. The tents have electricity, with shaver outlets for 110v & 220v, hairdryer & battery charger outlet for 220v as well as a fully stocked mini-bar fridge.

All tents have panoramic views of the surrounding springs & forests, large deck balconies with chairs, tables & daybed.

A guest laundry service is provided with a laundry basket in each luxury safari tent (there is a modest cost for laundry) & clothes are returned within 4 hours.

In the main lodge building there is an elegantly appointed bar, restaurant & a comfortable private library / lounge with an extensive selection of library of books & an excellent range of classic music - including Denys Finch Hatton's favorite selections of Mozart.

Breakfast & lunch are served al fresco on the open-air terrace, with views across the springs & hippo pools. Beyond one can glimpse the snow capped peak of Kilimanjaro.

Dinner is a formal 6-course meal served in the main dining room. The waiters, all of whom provide an immaculate guest dinner service, dress in traditional Kanzu & Fez.

The bar is open all day & pool service is also provided.

There is a gift shop selling a range of high quality pictorial Tsavo & Kenya safari books & gifts which is open throughout the day.

Ideally the generously large guest swimming pool is located in a shaded area surrounded by indigenous trees.

Guests can enjoy a swim or just relax with their books before the afternoon game drives.

Tsavo National Park is home to over 5,000 elephant- the largest population in East Africa & renowned for its herds of "Red Elephants", their skins stained by the local ochre dust & mud. Other commonly seen species include giraffe, Burchel’s zebra, eland, the cunning & dangerous Cape buffalo, thousands of impala, Red hartebeest, bushbuck, Water buck, Blue wildebeest & many more.

Tsavo National Park is also home to prides of lion & famous for the legendry of ´the Ghost & the Darkness – two man eating lions which in the late 1880´s marauded & killed railway workers who were engaged constructing the Mombasa to Uganda railway.

An easy hour's drive from Finch Hatton’s Mzima Springs, where a gushing & seemingly endless supply of fresh, crystal clear water has created an oasis for wildlife. It is home to several pods of hippo, Nile crocs & shoals of barbell & catfish.
A specially constructed underwater observatory provides visitors with a unique view into the underwater world of Mzima.

Early morning & late afternoon game drives free-ranging throughout the Tsavo National Park are provided in 4x4 safari vehicles, with a professional driver guide.

Customized drives to specifically seek out animal or bird species can be arranged upon request. Escorted Ranger hosted nature walks can also be organized. One of the highlights of a Finch Hatton’s afternoon safari game drive is to experience Sundowner's in the nearby scenic Chyulu Hills watching the breath-taking sunset with Kilimanjaro in the background.