Located in northern Kenya, a leading light on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Lewa Wilderness is the old home of the Craig family, who have owned and run the area for four generations. Mount Kenya makes an impressive backdrop to a safari on Lewa.
Overview
Hosted by Will and Emma Craig, the lodge is a mixed materials build – stone, wood and thatch – and the style successfully blends an old upcountry feel with latter-day amenities. The main bar and dining room are beautifully positioned along a forested stream valley and the gardens are alive with bougainvillea and birds. There is also a fantastic salt-water pool.
Food & service
The food – much of the produce either grown or sourced locally – is fabulous, as is the service.
Rooms
Lewa Wilderness has a selection of 10 cottages, ranging from the original guest rooms of the main house, to newly built cottages along the small river valley. In truth, the recently constructed rooms have considerably more space and light than the original rooms. The older garden rooms are a little darker, the ceilings a tad lower, all of which is more than compensated for in terms of providing guests with a real sense of pioneering architecture and design. Reliable Wi-Fi is available in the main area.
Activities
Lewa itself is an exceptional 63,000 acre ranch. As well as having provided the Craig family with a worthwhile living, it is also the site of Anna Merz’s highly respected Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary for endangered black rhinos. The wildlife here is probably the best of all the private ranches in the Laikipia. Activities at Lewa Wilderness include Waco biplane scenic flights, day and night wildlife viewing, guided walks, bird viewing, horse riding, camel treks, cultural visits, educational lectures/seminars and the option to fly to Rutunda tarn, on Mt Kenya, where the trout fishing is excellent.