Lewa House

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a 65,000 acre ranch and wildlife sanctuary situated within Kenya’s Lewa Downs. Since 1924 it has been home to the Craig family who were instrumental in setting up a sanctuary to protect black rhinos, and since then it has become a key wildlife sanctuary and the perfect location for seeing the Big Five, namely rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants and buffalo.

Located at the very heart of the Conservancy, the owner run and hosted Lewa House is set on top of a hill with extensive views over gentle rolling hills. It faces Mount Kenya to the south, the rugged Mathew’s Range and the sacred mountain of Ol Lolokwe to the north.

Accommodation

The cottage style rooms are spread out along the hillside, all looking to the expanse of wilderness to the north.  There are three thatched family cottages, each comprising of two homely en-suite rooms and a large shared veranda. The four single room cottages are built in a unique design with sustainable, ecological principles in mind whilst still being exceptionally comfortable and spacious, with wonderful views across the surrounding landscape.

Facilities

The central area is a large elegant building with an open fireplace at one end where guests can relax during the day and mingle while having a drink before dinner. At the other end of the main building is a large family dining table where the evening meals are served, hosted by Calum and Sophie Macfarlane, a young family whose connections to Lewa goes back to over five generations. Sophie’s great grandfather, Alexander Douglas, was the pioneer of wildlife conservation in the area.

There is a large shaded verandah extending from the main lodge with a comfortable sitting area from which you can enjoy a cool afternoon drink and soak in the very special atmosphere of Lewa House. Beautiful shaded gardens surround the lodge and breakfast or lunch is often served on the lawn. The lodge also has a large swimming pool which overlooks a waterhole providing some of the best game viewing on Lewa.

Activities

Visits to Lewa House are inclusive of:

• Day and night game drives and guided bush walks
• Pre-historic site visits
• Bush breakfasts and picnic lunches
• Sundowners
• If staying for 3 nights or longer a horse or camel trek (subject to availability) is included.

Optional activities (at a supplement) include:

• Horse and camel treks (subject to availability)
• Scenic bi-plane trips (subject to availability)
• Visits to aerial walkway in the Ngare Ndare Forest
• Visits to the Il Ngwesi cultural boma