A new safari brand promising strong wildlife experiences and quality accommodation without luxury safari prices has launched in Australia, giving travel agents another option for clients considering Kenya and Uganda.
It’s understandable, but the attribution interrupts the sentence and the job title is awkwardly placed. I’d write:
Tulia, the new sister brand to Lemala Camps & Lodges, was developed in response to demand for well located, experience led safari accommodation at a more accessible price point, Tulia and Lemala Camps Managing Director Leanne Haigh told travel industry representatives at Adina Town Hall in Sydney today.
Leanne Haigh and Rob Gurr who is representing Tulia in Australia
The brand launches with four properties following the acquisition of the Wild Frontiers Uganda accommodation and activities business, together with Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp in Kenya. Its portfolio includes Tulia Amboseli, Tulia Buhoma Lodge, Tulia Ishasha Wilderness Camp and Murchison River Lodge.
Rather than investing in elaborate design features and extensive resort facilities, Tulia says it has concentrated on the elements travellers value most, including comfortable beds, reliable hot showers, good food, experienced guides and access to major wildlife areas.
“Tulia was created to answer a simple call: not every traveller needs elaborate design statements or expansive spa facilities,” Leanne said. “Many simply want excellent guiding, great game viewing and a warm, well run camp.”
Tulia Amboseli is located on a private 240 acre conservancy close to Amboseli National Park, with views towards Mount Kilimanjaro. Guests can take morning, afternoon and night game drives, guided bush walks and hot air balloon flights, with wildlife in the region including elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions and cheetahs.
The camp is also home to the E3 Sisterherd Initiative, which operates an onsite workshop where Maasai women produce and sell reusable sanitary pad kits. The program is intended to support local women through skills development and small business opportunities, while allowing guests to see how tourism spending can contribute directly to the surrounding community.
In Uganda, Tulia Buhoma Lodge sits inside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, just steps from the starting point for gorilla treks. The lodge has 10 forest chalets and offers village walks, guided forest hikes, birdwatching and visits to local community and craft projects.
Tulia Ishasha Wilderness Camp is located beside the Ntungwe River in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, an area known for its tree climbing lions. The 10 tent camp is the only accommodation inside this section of the park, with elephants regularly moving through the grounds and hippos found in the river below its viewing deck.
The wider portfolio also provides access to boat trips on the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, including waterfall cruises, shoebill excursions through the Victoria Nile delta, fishing trips and private wildlife cruises. Lake Victoria experiences from Entebbe include visits to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and canoe excursions through the Mabamba Wetland in search of shoebills.
According to Tulia and Lemala Camps Managing Director Leanne Haigh, the expanded product reflects Uganda’s shift from being treated primarily as an addition to a Kenya or Tanzania itinerary.
“Historically, agents sent clients to Kenya or Tanzania for game viewing and tacked Uganda onto the end purely for gorilla trekking,” Haigh said.
“That dynamic has shifted completely. A traveller’s budget stretches significantly further in Uganda, and when you combine world class primate trekking with tree climbing lions in Ishasha and dramatic game viewing in Murchison Falls, Uganda delivers a complete, highly price competitive safari in its own right.”
The combination of Kenya and Uganda also allows operators to create a multi country itinerary incorporating Amboseli’s wildlife and Kilimanjaro views with Uganda’s gorillas, chimpanzees, river safaris and national parks.
A Maasai Mara property is planned for 2027, which the company says will complete a more affordable East African circuit.
Haigh said the brand would be particularly relevant to Australian wholesalers looking to offset the continuing cost of long haul airfares with better value ground arrangements.
“With Tulia, operators can finally package a premium feeling East African circuit that is highly competitive.”
The company is pursuing what it calls an “existing footprint” growth strategy, acquiring and improving established properties instead of constructing additional camps and introducing more vehicles into sensitive wildlife areas.
Rates start from US$255 per night for two people. More information is available at tuliacamps.com.
