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.
Lewa Downs is located North of Mount Kenya – the snow-capped peaks dominating the views to the south. To the north, the terrain drops away with breathtaking views of Samburu and beyond to the Mathews’ range.
Situated in the wildlife-rich Eastern corner of the Conservancy is the Craig family home, Wilderness Trails, where guests have been entertained in luxury for the past 30 years.
Accommodation
Wilderness Trails is the home of Will and Emma Craig and sleeps 16 people in 8 beautifully decorated cottages, featuring fireplaces and verandas.
Guests can relax by the fire in Will and Emma’s cosy sitting room and share meals around a long banquet table in the open-air dining room. Natural springs, home-raised livestock, and produce from a 5-acre organic garden are transformed by skilled chefs into healthy and delicious food.
Facilities & Activities
The salt-water pool is refreshing, the stables are full of horses for guests to ride, and there is also a clay tennis court.
Wilderness Trails hosts and flies the only open cockpit biplane in East Africa which will take you around the conservation areas of northern Kenya. It is a truly magical experience and very much returns you to the “Out of Africa” era. The pilot, Will Craig, has over 5,000 hours experience flying mostly in the Lewa area and can show you how the conservation project is improving and positively affecting the local communities.
Other activities available from Wilderness Trails include:
- Day and Night Game Drives
- Bush Walks with a professional tracker
- Horse Rides
- Camel Rides
- Hiking/Jogging with a Maasai warrior
- Visiting a Maasai cultural boma