Elewana Collection Announces the Opening of Elewana Loisaba Lodo Springs in June 2019, a New Five-Star Luxury Tented Property Located in Loisaba, Kenya

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Elewana Collection is proud to announce it will open Elewana Loisaba Lodo Springs on the 15th June 2019 bringing the total number of destinations to 16 award-winning luxurious camps, lodges and boutique beach hotels in Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya for the luxury safari camp and lodge operator.

The new high-end tented property will complement the existing product located in Loisaba Conservancy including Loisaba Tented Camp and the Loisaba Star Beds. The announcement underpins Elewana Collection’s dedication to conservation in Northern Kenya and its position as one of the largest sustainable tourism operators in East Africa.

Designed by renowned architects Chris Payne and Jan Allen with landscape architecture by Jo Silvester, Elewana Lodo Springs will offer an ultra-private experience with just eight individual, spacious tented rooms with impressive views that reach across the magical landscape of northern Kenya stretching out to Mount Kenya. Service is paramount, with every tent assigned an Elewana Guest Ambassador to serve and cater to every guests’ need, as well as a dedicated safari vehicle and driver and a highly qualified Elewana field guide who will accompany guests for the duration of their stay.

Karim Wissanji, CEO of Elewana Collection, speaks passionately of Elewana Lodo Springs, “Elewana Lodo Springs is a different kind of bespoke safari experience - it has been created to speak to the discerning well-seasoned high-end traveller who has come to expect responsible conservation practices without forgoing luxury and privacy. Beyond this, the opening of Elewana Lodo Springs is a demonstration of Elewana’s commitment to sustainable conservation across East Africa.”

The opening of Elewana Lodo Springs is testament of the success of the 57,000 acre Loisaba Conservancy, enabled by The Nature Conservancy funding the transition of the Conservancy to the Loisaba Community Trust in 2015. The transition secured the land to ensure that the Conservancy delivers vital benefits and support for neighboring communities, the wildlife, and all Kenyans for the foreseeable future, achieving optimal standards of sustainable conservation. It also ensured Loisaba’s role as a critical sanctuary and corridor for elephants and other wildlife long into the future, as well as providing refuge for one of Kenya’s most stable lion populations and an abundance of other wildlife including Grevy’s zebra, wild dog, leopard and cheetah.

Matthew Brown, Africa Director for The Nature Conservancy says: “The vibrant grasslands of northern Kenya are home to elephant, zebra, giraffe, lions and local livestock herders. The Nature Conservancy, Elewana and Loisaba Conservancy have partnered to create Elewana Lodo Springs, the newest and most exciting tourism experience that will generate local jobs and help contribute to critical wildlife and habitat protection. Personally, I find it really exciting that every visitor will be contributing to global species conservation and local livelihoods.”

“Loisaba sits on a vital Elephant Corridor connecting the famous Laikipia Plateau, home to several critically endangered large Mammals and breathtaking landscapes, to Kenya’s Northern Rangelands. Tourism revenues form an integral part of protecting this globally significant landscape,” says Tom Silvester, CEO of Loisaba Conservancy, “We are delighted that our partnership with Elewana Collection has enabled us to invest in Lodo Springs where every guest who stays will contribute to securing Loisaba’s future.”

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Stunning new look unveiled at Elewana Sand River Masai Mara

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Elewana Sand River had a number of major improvements done during 2018 and we are delighted to unveil the stunning new look. Elewana Collection has been working with The Landscape Studio to sculpt and mould the ground in and around Elewana Sand River to create a beautiful and vibrant change to this property.

The Landscape Studio is an internationally recognised landscape architecture and design firm based in Nairobi. They strongly believe that there is beauty in simplicity. That lucid, soft gestures can provide elegant and timeless spaces. That these spaces can host nurturing experiences and build lasting memories.

The main area at Elewana Sand River has undergone extensive changes with a new entrance and beautiful pathways that meander between tents using a combination of grey and red Mara Stone, which enhance the visual effect and compliment the surrounding natural area of the Masai Mara.  Further to the striking effect of the stone, various indigenous plants have been incorporated into the design including several grasses, Rose Natal Grass, Yellow Thatching Grass and Common Thatching Grass and a variety of trees and shrubs such as Hillii Flash and Bushman Poison.

The swimming pool that was centrally located was removed and a stunning infinity pool has been built near the banks of the Sand River, which is perfect for relaxing and reading your favourite book on the sunbeds during the heat of the day with a refreshing dip in the pool to cool off from time to time.

The luxury safari tents have new decking and the shade netting above the flysheet has been upgraded for better insulation and the colour now blends in with the surrounding environment. The stylish interior remains the same and the ensuite bathrooms still have the lavish freestanding Victorian style bath but guests can now choose whether to enjoy a leisurely bath or venture out for a rain shower ‘under the stars’, which is adjacent to the bathroom on the deck.

A new fleet of custom built 4x4 vehicles will be replacing the current fleet at Elewana Sand River in the coming months, driven by our dedicated team of professional Elewana guides that will enrich the high standard of comfort that guests can experience at one of the Masai Mara’s premier camps.

The refurbishments are now finished and we look forward to hosting you in the near future. Have a sneak peek at some of the changes….

Horse riding no longer offered at Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp, Masai Mara

We would like to advise our Partners that Ride Mara suddenly announced at the beginning of January that they will be relocating all their horses and equipment therefore Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp will no longer be able to offer Guests horse riding, as from the end of January 2019. We apologise for this sudden and unexpected news and to those who were looking forward to this activity during their stay.

LIVECAM: Wildlife activity at the Waterhole

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Elewana Tarangire Treetops has had a variety of animals visiting the waterhole this last month and the area is looking so green. Check out the time lapse video from the webcam and see what you can spot.

Head over to our LIVECAM and have a look at what might be at the waterhole right now …

Situated in a community led Wildlife Management areas, known as Randilen, guests of Elewana Tarangire Treetops enjoy a secluded and private safari experience. The luxury tree-top rooms, elevated above the ground afford incredible views over the tops of surrounding marula and baobab trees. With a wide private balconies, each are lavishly furnished using natural materials that are blended with contemporary Africana décor, to provide guests with a unique and most memorable safari experience.

Elewana Collection properties closed in April & May

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Please note that the following properties will be closed from the 1st April to the 31st May 2019;

Explore the vineyards around Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro

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Shangri La Coffee Estate, home to the Manor at Ngorongoro have started experimenting on growing wine grape varietals on the slopes surrounding the estate.  Elewana The Manor hope to serve some of these in our restaurant in the future. The vineyard managers have reported that the first harvest is due this year, and the fruits and root-stocks are doing well.

On average, developing a vineyard can take up to two years to produce fruit and four years for the delivery of the first bottle of wine. The annual growth cycle of grapevines follows the same process each year, beginning with the bud break, which culminates in the leaf fall followed by dormancy. From a winemaking perspective, each step in the process plays a vital role in the development of grapes with ideal characteristics for making wine. Viticulturalists and vineyard managers monitor the effect of climate, vine disease and pests in facilitating or impeding the vines progression from bud break, flowering, fruit set, veraison, the ripening of the grape for harvest, leaf fall and dormancy, where constant monitoring to evaluate whether the use of viticultural practices are required, such as canopy management, irrigation, vine training and the use of agrochemicals. The stages of the annual growth cycle usually become observable within the first year of a vine's life. The amount of time spent at each stage of the growth cycle depends on a number of factors, these being the type of climate (warm or cool) and the characteristics of the grape variety.

The harvesting of wine grapes (Vintage) is one of the most important steps in the process of wine-making. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape, measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to produce. The wine making process has five basic stages beginning with the harvesting or picking, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, and aging and bottling. Wine makers typically follow these five steps but add variations and deviations along the way to make their wine unique.

More play at Elewana The Manor Ganako Primary School with the new recycled playground!

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510 children at Ganako Primary School were overwhelmed when we opened their new playground - fully built with recycled goods. A team of Elewana guides and maintenance team at Elewana The Manor, as well as interns from the Watoto Foundation, built some great Swings, Rocking Horses, and Slides all made out of old recycled tyres and metal pipes collected from around the area and even an old Landrover body, that are otherwise unused and unwanted, in order to bring a new element of fun to the children during recess!

Not only will this project enable the children to have more enjoyment in the coming years, it also ensures that the environment is kept clean by using discarded materials for a better cause, thereby contributing to the welfare of both the surroundings and the community, a concept the Elewana Collection believes strongly in.

Three students received branded Land & Life school bags, as they had written wonderful essays about the importance of protecting the environment. In addition to this, the school received two boxes of books, toys and posters that had been donated by families and friends of Elewana and Sopa Head Offices.

Guests staying at The Manor at Ngorongoro Crater are able to visit the children at Ganko Primary School and will witness their amusement from the new playground!