Kitirua Plains Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary
Amboseli National Park enjoys near mythic status among wildlife lovers, thanks to its position in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, the particular grandeur of its landscape and the vast herds of elephants that inhabit it. Experience this unique location at Kitirua Plains Lodge, a brand-new property carefully constructed in a 128-acre private concession adjoining the park. Its design is at once strikingly innovative and deeply rooted in the elements of its environment, inspired by Maasai principles of living in harmony with nature. The lodge is currently accepting reservations for mid-2026 and beyond.
Superb views of Mount Kilimanjaro
One of the great elephant habitats of East Africa, with outstanding wildlife-spotting opportunities
Located on a private concession allowing night drives
Architecturally adventurous, locally inspired, eco-friendly design
The opportunity to spend time among the local Maasai people
Unwind after a day’s adventures with a dip in the pool
The Lodge
The Rooms
Food & Drink
Spa & Wellness
Architecturally striking, eco-friendly bolthole in tune with the landscape
As nomadic stewards of the land, the Maasai have long understood how to exist alongside nature without disrupting it, a philosophy deeply embedded in the design of Kitirua Plains Lodge. Newly built in 2025-26, it is not only the latest addition to the A&K Sanctuary portfolio but also one of the most architecturally arresting – conceived not to mimic its environment but to meld unobtrusively with it. Curved walls and fluid rooflines echo the undulating terrain and the exterior plaster is blended with soil from the site to create harmony in texture and color. Even the pool, flanked by an earth-toned terrace of day beds, sits neatly within a patch of existing wetland.
Though you can marvel at the imperious Mount Kilimanjaro from your bed (or from your bath, for that matter) you will get even closer on daily game drives where it serves as the impossibly photogenic backdrop for herds of strolling elephants and other local wildlife. Make some time for a scenic helicopter flight or a spectacular hot-air balloon ride and you can get closer still – your lodge all but disappearing into the plains below as you ascend.
The Location
Wildlife & Nature
Breathtaking Kenya-Tanzania borderlands
The name Amboseli is a corruption of empusel, which means “salty dusty place” in Maa, the language of the Maasai. “Salty and dusty” may not sound immediately appetizing – but nor would a margarita if you were to describe it as “salty and sour”. In fact, the landscape here, a UNESCO World Heritage site at the Kenya-Tanzania border, is one of intoxicating beauty and real enchantment – a deliciously balanced cocktail of wildlife-rich habitats, from deep-green marshes in the heart of the park to clusters of acacia forest in the east and great expanses of undulating savannah stretching all the way to the distant horizon. And with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop, it's hard not to be awed.
Enhance your stay with these extraordinary experiences
It’s not all about elephants. The big cats are here too. Flamingos blush en masse as if embarrassed by their own beauty. The concentration of resident and migratory birdlife is among the greatest in east Africa. There’s also the opportunity to venture out after dark on night game drives in search of nocturnal species.
Expert-led game drives in the early morning and late afternoon take you directly into this extraordinarily biodiverse habitat. Elephants are the stars of the show (and generally the easiest to spot), but Amboseli is also home to a tremendous variety of species, large and small.
Some things really are worth getting out of bed for before dawn, even when you’re on vacation. A hot-air balloon flight over Amboseli, watching Kilimanjaro take shape in the first rays of new morning sunshine, is surely one of them.
Kitirua Plains Lodge has a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with local Maasai communities. Join us in visiting some of these communities to see the work we’re doing to support healthcare services, education and community enterprise initiatives firsthand.
2025 & 2026
Kitirua Plains Lodge Offers:
Stay longer, pay less at A&K Sanctuary in Africa
Enjoy extra savings on your safari getaway with A&K Sanctuary’s extended stay offer, valid for 2025 and 2026, when you stay at one or more of our properties.
Save on a safari honeymoon with A&K Sanctuary
Spend your honeymoon at our collection of luxury safari camps and lodges and receive 50% off your stay for you or your partner.
Solo Traveller Offer with A&K Sanctuary
Solo travelers can stay with no extra charge during select seasons at our camps and lodges across East & Southern Africa.
Stay 5 nights, pay 4 in Africa
Stay for five nights at our safari camps and lodges in Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia and Zambia) and receive your fifth night free.
Children Stay Free with A&K Sanctuary in Africa
For every full paying adult, one child stays for free in East & Southern Africa.
Plan your trip for
Jun 1 - Oct 31, 2026
All meals and beverages
Game drives
Laundry services
Return transfers from/to the nearest local airstrip
All meals and beverages
Game drives
Laundry services
Return transfers from/to the nearest local airstrip
International and internal flights
Conservation levy and park fees
Travel insurance, boutique purchases, gratuities, and all other items of a personal nature
International and internal flights
Conservation levy and park fees
Travel insurance, boutique purchases, gratuities, and all other items of a personal nature
Prices per person per night. Prices are in USD.
