Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness is an established bush homestead property located in the wonderful Lewa Conservancy near Mount Kenya in central Kenya.
Lewa Wilderness is an old favourite and has a very warm, established feel to it. The main homestead, separate central dining/lounge areas and mature gardens create a traditional bush homestead ambiance. Most meals are communal and the management and staff are very friendly and attentive. It can be a pretty social place at times and is suited to travellers who are happy to meet other guests and enjoy sharing their stories. The accommodation is very comfortable and spacious, without being modern or contemporary, with many of the cottages being ideal for families. Lewa Wilderness is a great all round option for enjoying the fantastic game viewing of Lewa combined with the bubbly atmosphere of the lodge.
Rooms
Accommodation is provided in five one bedroom cottages and four two bedroom cottages and all are built from wood, stone and thatch in a traditional Kenya homestead style and offer spacious comfort. The cottages are split between ‘Hillside’ which were built to make the most of the Eastern Marania valley views; and ‘Garden’ which overlook the lawns next to the main house.
There is a one bedroom Garden Cottage which has a master en suite bedroom downstairs, and a further queen bed on a mezzanine level upstairs (which shares the downstairs en suite), accommodating up to three guests.
There are three two bedroom Garden Cottages, each with two en suite bedrooms and a shared living room with fireplace. Each cottage accommodates up to four adults and one child with the two bedrooms comprising a king with a single bed and a twin bedroom with two queen beds. These are located close to the main house and have a veranda which leads onto the lawn of the lodge. They are all very spacious so work well for families or friends travelling together.
The four one bedroom Hillside Cottages overlook Lewa’s eastern Marania Valley and all have either a king bed or two queen beds and en suite bathrooms. One of these Hillside Cottages can also accommodate a further two children on a mezzanine, with all guests sharing the en suite bathroom.
Completing the accommodation is a two bedroom Hillside Cottage which can accommodate two adults and two children in two en suite bedrooms (one king double and one twin). This cottage is the only one with a private private plunge pool.
Central Areas
The central areas include the main homestead which has a siting room with comfortable chairs, plenty of books, and a fire place, which leads on to a terrace where an outdoor lounge provides a lovely place to relax in the afternoon. Across from the main house there is a thatched ‘deck’ which houses another lounge with fireplace and a viewing deck, and the open-sided dining ‘gazebo’ provides communal dining either under stars if weather permits, or under thatch – all overlooking the riverine bush and hillside. There is also a beautiful swimming pool, gym and tennis court.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
Lewa Wilderness is located within the Lewa-Borana Conservancies, a 93,000-acre landscape including Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and neighbouring Borana Conservancy, which together create an important wildlife corridor between Mount Kenya and the northern wilderness.
Lewa Wilderness is on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy which comprises around 48,000 acres of private land (predominantly owned by the Craig family who have been in the area since 1924), and 14,000 acres of national forest. It lies on the transitional zone between the Mount Kenya highlands and the semi-arid savannah to the north at an altitude of between 4,500 and 6,000ft above sea level. Although most of the conservancy is set aside for wildlife, some horticulture, stud cattle and dairy farming practises are still carried out, and furniture making (from local acacia woods) and rug weaving businesses create further employment for the local people. There is a Conservation Centre which is worthwhile visiting.
The habitat is extremely diverse with open grassland interspersed with acacia forests, riverine woodland, rocky gorges and ravines, montane forest and the Lewa swampland. Mount Kenya provides a scenic backdrop to the south.
The history of the Lewa-Borana Conservancies starts at Lewa at the height of the rhino and elephant poaching in the mid-1980s when Anna Mertz asked the Craig family to set aside an area for use as a rhino sanctuary. In 2013 a founding population of 21 black rhinos was introduced to the neighbouring Borana Conservancy. Once they were established, the fence between Borana and Lewa was dropped, forming one landscape which today hosts a thriving population of over 240 rhino (both black and white), making this one of East Africa’s largest continuous rhino habitats. In 2013 Lewa also gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is one of only 40 wildlife areas worldwide on the IUCN Green List for well managed conservancies with good governance. While Lewa and Borana remain independent entities, and activities for guests will be on the conservancy where their lodge is located, conservation and community efforts are approached jointly and they are increasingly referred to as the ‘Lewa-Borana Landscape’.
In addition to healthy populations of both black and white rhino, the Lewa-Borana Conservancies are home to around 90% of the world’s population of the rare Grevy’s zebra whilst other animals to be seen include elephant, reticulated giraffe, eland, lion, leopard, cheetah, the Burchell’s zebra, hartebeest, greater kudu, Grant’s gazelle, impala, bushbuck, dik dik, oryx and within the swamp area, the sitatunga. You might also be lucky enough to see the rarer gerenuk. After dark lookout for nocturnally active species such as aardvark, caracal, bat-eared fox, honey badger, porcupine, galago, and white-tailed mongoose. The birdlife is superb with over 440 species recorded – from the ridges, it’s possible to photograph vultures and eagles soaring within a few feet.
Activities
There is a wide range of activities to choose from and the following are all included in your stay: game drives (day and night) on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy; guided walks; horse riding (please note that weight limits apply); camel walks, pre historic site visits on the ranch; tours of the two-acre organic farm; a visit to the Lewa headquarters to meet the rangers and learn about day to day operations; and visits to local schools or the orphanage supported by Lewa. At additional cost is the popular a farm-to-table experience including a guided tour of the organic vegetable garden and ending with a hand-picked freshly cooked lunch). Also at extra cost, you can enjoy a cultural boma experience at the local community of Il Ngwesi, scenic flights (to/around Mount Kenya and the north of Kenya), and excursions to the Ngare Ndare Forest where there is a canopy walkway and platform which offer wonderful birding opportunities, and waterfalls to swim in and enjoy. Fly-camping is also available, offering the opportunity to spend a night out under the stars – you can drive, walk or horse ride from the lodge to the camp site (extra cost applies and must be pre booked).
Seasons
Lewa Wilderness is open all year round, however April, May & November are rainy months.
Lewa Wilderness is an excellent family option, especially if you are looking to combine wonderful game viewing with a fun lodge environment where there is plenty to do in between activities. The Two Bedroom Garden Cottages are ideal for children of all ages and larger families, while the Two Bedroomed Hillside Cottage is perhaps ideal for families with older children (due to there being no barriers to a significant drop from the outside area). Lewa Wilderness does not offer any specific ‘kids club’ attractions, but there is a swimming pool, tennis court, lawns for them to run about on and the enthusiastic guides and staff will interact with children both on activities and whilst in camp. The pool in particular at Lewa Wilderness is certainly a good place to spend time relaxing!
The Lewa-Borana Conservancies conservation success story started here on the Craig family land and is today one of the most successful rhino protection projects in Africa. In addition to conservation efforts, a significant amount of the Conservancy’s work involves working with the communities around Lewa-Borana Landscape to ensure they are benefitting from the wildlife conservation.
Lewa Wilderness, together with other lodges on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, supports the Lewa schools health care projects and conservation efforts together. Between Lewa and Borana they assist in community development through conservation education programmes, financial support for many schools, funding teaching salaries and student bursaries as well as the building classrooms and accommodation, digging boreholes and fitting water tanks. They provide access to healthcare, youth empowerment, assist women in small businesses, provide pipelines for clean water projects and support pastoral livelihoods amongst many other initiatives.
