Reviews of Elsa's Kopje

"This was our first visit to Meru National Park. As the remainder of our trip would be spent in the Mara Conservancies, I had wanted to balance that out with a place that had a different landscape and featured some of the Northern specialties. Meru definitely did not disappoint. The short rainy season had continued straight through the short dry season in Kenya this year, and Meru was flush with swollen rivers (which we could still cross, however, although there had been accessibility issues in the previous weeks), green foliage set against the striking red dirt for which the Park is known, complete with stretches of white wildflowers blooming in profusion along the roads.

The rains were generally intermittent light showers, mainly in the morning, and they didn’t particularly interfere with our drives. Interestingly, our guide Moses mentioned that the lions had taken to climbing trees to avoid the soggy ground and numerous insects that were flourishing (but few mosquitoes), and we did indeed find a lioness and several cubs up in trees, which were special sightings for me. The protected rhino sanctuary is also well worth a visit. A cordoned-off part of the National Park, it is completely wild in feel, and there are points within the fenceline that are designed to allow animals other than rhinos to traverse freely between the sanctuary and the rest of the Park, so there is plenty to see in the sanctuary besides just rhino. Reticulated giraffes browsing amongst the Dr. Seuss-like palms, gerenuk, a few Grevy’s Zebra (at a far distance), and Vulturine Guinea Fowl were a few of the Northern specialties that we saw. We also saw a lot elephants.

The chalets at Elsa’s are huge (ours was split-level), and the facilities are spread out. If you are mobility-challenged, it might be a bit daunting. The place is also a bit more formal in tone than we normally prefer, but I must say that the management did an excellent job in pairing us up with other guests who, like us, wanted to emphasize time on game drives rather than time in camp. Picnic breakfasts were prepared for us so that we could stay out all morning. There definitely were other guests in camp who preferred more pampering, and I have only praise for the balancing act that the management pulled off. A chef-catered bush breakfast and a few chef-catered sundowners with other guests were nice touches, and fortunately they blended in nicely with our game drives. If we had been required to abandon a sighting in order to make those, however (and we were not), I might feel differently." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya

"At Elsas' I was met with kindness and enthusiasm. Staff members were very accommodating and could anticipate what I needed. The guiding was excellent. He took his time to correctly identify the birds with me and pointed out small details that would differentiate similar birds. I had my own guide and we left early in the morning and returned at 7:00pm in the evening. The packed meals were outstanding. Being a vegetarian, I had at least 2 choices for every part of my packed meals. The presentation was excellent: even when it was pouring rain outside the four wheel drive. I feel that this lodge had the best meals I have had in all my trips to Africa: Philip, the chef created delicious and aesthetically appealing meals each and every time.

My expectations for a safari lodge were more than met. The room was spacious and always clean and comfortable. I had a wonderful thoughtful poem on my bed each evening: food for thought. I could hear the animals in the evening and did not see any other cabins once I was in my lodgings in the evening.

The manager and assistant manager took the time to visit with me and talk about the charity work that the lodge supports. The lodge used environmentally friendly materials every day and tried to lesson their impact on the environment.

My only suggestion would be to not use those juice boxes with the plastic wrap and straws - just put some juice in a glass jar and call it good. Cloth napkins were used and thus very little waste throughout the trip." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"This was our first stop in a four-camp safari in Kenya.
From the moment the plane landed, we knew that we were in a special place.
Our excellent guide Moses was there to greet us and his keen eye and really pleasant personality was a great asset throughout our visit.
Tonny, the manager, upgraded us to room #1, a larger size unit with a stunning view.
Food prepared by Chef Philip was excellent and service throughout was great.
However, Elewana should definitely invest some money in needed upgrades however. Screens and mosquito netting had holes, the room’s white decor had lots of marks and signs of squashed bugs, etc.
Looking at the big picture though, we really enjoyed our stay. Game drives were surprisingly interesting and productive especially given the weather and we left with lots of good memories" See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

"Elsas Kopje is set in a great location and both the relief manager and staff were welcoming and attentive.

Meru had experienced heavy rain for two weeks prior to our arrival so the game had dispersed deep into the bush. When you did see game on a drive the animals were very skittish. This is largely explained by the fact that Meru NP has a history of poaching which is still current though we were told the level of poaching is lower than previously experienced. We also found some of the game drives quite frenetic in the search for elusive game!

The relief manager had an excellent knowledge of both wildlife and birds and also the structure of the national parks and reserves in Kenya.
In summary, Meru is an interesting and attractive NP to visit but you have to be prepared for limited game sighting. That said on two separate occasions we had very good sightings of both white and black Rhino." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"We very much enjoyed our stay at Elsa's, and were really pleased to have chosen to visit Meru.

While it would be fair to say you need to concentrate on game drives to get the most out of them, we were delighted with the game we saw, particularly the 'northern specials' including very many of our favourite reticulated giraffes, plus several lesser kudu which we had not seen before. And it was also great to be able to visit the rhino enclosure where we had several close up white rhino sightings and an excellent if brief sighting of a black rhino mum and baby. We also very much liked the landscape, complete with doum palms and the way in which the hill on which Elsa's is located was such a dominant feature.

But perhaps what made the visit extra special was getting a sense of the strong commitment there has been to restoring the park and to maintaining it as a beacon of conservation, as was evident from things such as the condition of the roads under foot to the presence of KWS/IFAW surveillance planes over head. Many thanks to our guide Anthony who was great.

The camp itself was beautifully and cleverly moulded into the hillside and the accommodation was extremely comfortable though a little bit more clothes hanging and storage space would have been good. The camp seemed to be no more than a maximum of half full during our stay, which suited us fine but I would anticipate that the atmosphere (and number of vehicles departing down and returning up the hill for game drives) would be pretty different during high season when they are much more busy." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"We loved this lodge. Our room was amazing, sculpted out of the rock, and so comfortable. The management and staff were brilliant - welcoming, warm, knowledgeable and friendly. George and Theresa were great and the staff, generally, were more at ease in their interaction with us than at the other two lodges we stayed in, whilst being entirely professional. The food was a cut above, second only to Giraffe Manor, no mean feat given that they are cooking in a much less high tech kitchen, and it was so lovely to eat out under the stars.

It was great to have a pool which we made use of in the afternoons.

The guides were excellent, making sure they showed us as much as possible. The wildlife was good but more difficult to find than in the Mara - you had to go looking for it, and we didn’t come across a cheetah or leopard. We did know before we went that the wildlife would not be as extensive as in the Mara so this is not a complaint, just an observation.

There’s a lovely atmospheric feel to Elsa’s that’s quite hard to define but is key to its appeal. It’s a very charming place that we would seriously consider going back to a second time." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"Elsa's is an hour's drive into the national park from the gate and is in an isolated position with no other nearby lodges. Six nights gave us a chance to explore areas less visited (although we needed to suggest this, probably because most people stay fewer nights).
Meru covers a huge area and a large part of it is off limits anyway because of the density of the bush. During our stay we didn't see any vehicles other than from the camp or driven by rangers.
This property is immaculately maintained and housekeeping second to none (thank you Christopher!).
All the staff were extremely helpful and friendly and the lunches very good for us as vegetarians. Dinners were a bit hit and miss (a bizarre main of rice and mashed potato for instance). Breakfasts were uninspired compared to Kicheche. We liked the individual dining as a change.
Sightings here were not as prolific as at Laikipia and Samburu but there were huge herds of buffalo, plenty of elephant and giraffe and a brilliant tally of birds, which guide Simon was expert in spotting.
We also saw two separate pairs of honey badgers (one racing off with a snake in its mouth), a striped hyena (which helped us find two lionesses and their four teenage boys) and a bachelor group of gerenuk. A visit to the protected rhino area (which is well worth visiting) yielded a total of 10 southern whites, including a very young one.
Particular features of the park are the huge palm trees and the number of rivers and streams running through. While some were dry, many were not and attract all manner of wildlife from insects and birds to hippo, elephant and buffalo. This offers great photographic opportunities.
Although there is quite a bit of memorabilia from the Elsa/Born Free story around the camp, very little is made of it when out on the drives." See all these reviews: 16n in Kenya

"An amazing experience from the fantastic villa [we were upgraded and had a fabulous, spacious villa with a view to die for] to the food [absolutely delicious] to the service[top notch] to the safari experiences [fun, informative and the rhino and bird sightings were a joy]" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"This was our fourth time to Elsa's Kopje. Obviously, we love it here.

The game is excellent as are the birds. The camp itself is beautifully situated on the Kopje with lovely rooms and incredible views, and a beautiful infinity pool that looks over the plains. The food is delicious and the whole camp is run extremely well.

We enjoy going into the Rhino enclosure to spot the rhino and always find it amazing that considering how many rhino are in there, it is still hard to find them!" See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"We had the most fantastic start to our safari honeymoon at Elsas.

We were given a wonderfully warm welcome and the staff were very attentive throughout. Our guide, Simon, made a supreme gin and tonic and was extremely knowledgable about the Meru and wildlife. He had an amazing eye, and a great knack for putting the van in the right place - one special moment was when we parked up on the road to see a herd of elephants make their way towards and around us.

Elsas itself is such an amazing place to stay - from the pool to the bar and restaurant to the incredible rooms. The details are well thought through and make a big difference. A special mention has to go to the chefs - they catered for my vegetarian wife supremely well; we had high expectations for the food given what we had read but those were exceeded." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya