Lewa House

100% (3 reviews)

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Lewa House: Our full report

Centrally located on the 250km2 Lewa Conservancy, with fine views of the surrounding hilly savannahs and ...

... south to Mount Kenya, Lewa House is a luxury farm stay on a 7-acre plot, now entirely dependent on visitors. The property is owner-run by a Kenyan-Scots couple, who live here with their two young children.

Lewa House is approached up a gently rising dirt road – about a twenty-minute drive from the airstrip and Lewa Conservancy headquarters. Close to the house, there are big trees, extensive gardens and banks of solar panels gathering energy. As you enter the main building, a handsome, thatch-tiled hall, living room and covered terrace serve as the reception area, where you're welcomed and have the usual short briefing. This area has recently been revamped and, on our most recent visit in 2019, we were impressed by the stylish and thoughtful touches that had gone into the refresh. The family photos, paintings and collection of artifacts lend plenty of character and warmth to these main areas.

Lewa House's guest rooms radiate around the northern and eastern fringes of the grounds, while to the south-west are the back-of-house areas, staff quarters and farm buildings.

Lewa House has eighteen beds in four large one-room “earth pods", each of which sleeps two or three (or more with children), and three large, two-room cottages, each sleeping four in a double and a twin. Lewa House is very flexible about rooming arrangements, often blocking the second room in a cottage if a couple is in the first. Parties from 10 in low season and from 14 in high season would often be able to take the whole property on an exclusive basis.

The traditional, Kenya-settler-style cottages with thatch-tile roofs, are solid and rustic, with spacious verandas, cement floors brightened with rugs, and stone and plaster walls. The chunky furniture is in keeping with the overall style, and the beds have full-length mosquito nets. The practical tile-floored bathrooms, which have a single wash basin, standard flush toilet, and walk-in shower (but no bathtub) are supplied with Kenyan, naturally sourced Cinnabar and Green toiletries. Drinking water is filtered spring water from the local Ngare Ndare forest, supplied in flasks.

With their organic shapes and curved roofs like tortoise carapaces, the quirky earth pods resemble something in which a hobbit might be comfortable. Inside, however, they have conventional polished wood floors and simple wooden furniture. All the earth pods were updated in 2018, and when we stayed here in 2019 we felt that there was a significant improvement. A new dressing area has been created at the back of earth pods and some new furniture and soft furnishings introduced, giving it a cosy, homely feel. The smoothly curving wall surfaces are fun, and every earth pod has a lovely terrace looking out across the rolling hills. The bathrooms in the earth pods, as in the cottages, are very large, with walk-in showers (good hot water and decent pressure) and bathtubs either located under a window or just outside, in the open air. The design of the rooms also meant that these stay cool during the day, but warm at night (nights can be chilly in Lewa).

Lewa House's free-form swimming pool, insulated to keep its temperature a little higher than ambient, is reckoned to be the warmest in Lewa. At this altitude, that makes a difference, especially for children – though note that there is no lifeguard. The lovely pool terrace offers shade and plants and trees all around, with a good chance of spotting wildlife on the hillside. Lunch is taken in the open-sided dining area by the pool.

Apart from enjoying the plants and bird and insect life in the gardens, the main activity at the house itself is a tour of the back-of-house and farm areas with the owners. You'll visit their fruit and veg garden, meet their happy-looking pig (fed on what the guests can't manage), their pampered dairy cows and contented chickens. You'll have a chance to see how solar energy is stored in banks of batteries and you can ponder the science of vermiculture – worm-farming – which makes use of the pig's leftovers to create something called “worm tea", used to fertilise the gardens. A small wetland area is nurtured by grey water from the showers.

The McFarlanes, whose family also runs Browns' Cheese Farm outside Nairobi, run the farm and gardens on biodynamic principles promoted by Rudolf Steiner – essentially organic practice with a little astrology thrown in – which does away with weeding in favour of digging everything back into the soil.

In the garden you can also find a small curio shop which stocks beautifully crafted jewellery and home wear. Much of this has been produced locally with proceeds going back in to the community.

Lewa House's main activities around the conservancy are game drives and game walks. The lodge has three open-sided Land Cruisers, each equipped with bean bags and camera platforms, seating up to 7 guests in rows of 2, 2 and 3. Where possible, every couple or group will get their own vehicle. The wildlife is abundant and pretty spectacular – in a stay of a few days you're likely to see elephants and both black and white rhinos on numerous occasions, and have countless encounters with grazers and browsers of every description from tiny dik-dik to lofty reticulated giraffe. Lewa is on a wildlife corridor between the highlands to the south and northern Kenya: the conservancy perimeter, while fenced and patrolled, has gaps to the north, south and west, allowing all the wildlife – with the exception of the rhinos – to disperse as mood and seasons dictate. Ingenious wildlife “gates" use heavy posts to block the passage of rhinos while allowing slimmer or taller species to move through. Rare Grevy's zebra are a particular feature at Lewa, as are Beisa oryx. Lions and cheetahs are quite often seen, leopards less commonly.

As well as game drives, guests at Lewa House can be escorted by Calum on game walks. He is a fully qualified FGASA trails guide, and carries a heavy-duty .458 Winchester magnum rifle, so you will not only be well informed but also very well protected. When we stayed here in 2019 there was no additional charge for game walks.

Lewa's hand-axe site is a fascinating reminder of human evolution and changing landscapes. It's located on what used to be the shores of a wide lake, and there are hundreds of hand axes, large, sharp-edged stone tools shaped by blows from another stone, scattered about on the ground. Answers to the fascinating questions about the identity and purpose of the makers – why here? why they left them behind? a factory? a market place? – are all up for grabs. There's a strict rule against taking souvenirs, however.

If you're interested in Lewa's rhino conservation work, you can visit the communications and security headquarters at the main Lewa Conservancy HQ. A monitor on the wall tracks rhino movements and wall charts identify individuals through ear-notchings. It's a slightly sobering reminder of the gravity of the round-the-clock work here. During our visit in 2017, a tiny black rhino orphan, Kilifi, was being hand-reared and was usually to be seen with his guard in the woods nearby. When we visited in 2019 Kilifi was somewhat older and had been released into the Conservancy.

Other activities include: visiting the Ngare Ndare forest (US$40 entry) towards the foothills of Mount Kenya; a visit to the Il Ngwesi Maasai community's village, an hour's drive north of Lewa House (US$35 per person, payable at the village); riding at Lewa Wilderness (an afternoon ride is included for every three-night stay at Lewa House); dog-training with the Lewa security guys and their bloodhounds; and simple fly-camping, which is particularly popular with teenagers and can be included at no extra charge.

Finally, if you ask ahead or stay long enough, you may get the chance to be briefly involved with the conservancy's veterinary and management practices, for example elephant darting, or managing individual animals that need attention. Such opportunities are, however, very much off the menu of standard activities and cannot be guaranteed.

Our view

We were quite smitten by Lewa House. The grounds and views are delightful, the activities diverse, the hosts charming and fun to be with, and the food some of the best we've had anywhere in Kenya. The location is superb, with the Lewa Conservancy's many impressive assets easily accessible. The refurbished earth pods are warm and cosy and the cottages are great for families.

Lyndsey Marris

Kenya expert

Geographics

Location: Laikipia, Kenya
Ideal length of stay: 3 nights-plus
Directions: Lewa House is a 15-20 minute drive from Lewa Downs airstrip, depending on wildlife-watching stops en route.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Food quality: Lewa House has a herb, salad, vegetable and fruit garden and they grow some specialist ingredients that can't easily be obtained in Meru town, their nearest big produce market. They also keep dairy cows, beautiful chickens and pigs that are fed on kitchen leftovers.

It all makes for a varied and delicious, seasonally changing menu.

When we stayed here in 2019 lunch consisted of sweetcorn fritters for a starter, this was followed by a duck quiche, stuffed potato skins and a selection of salads. We finished the meal with a selection of cheese and crackers.

For dinner we tucked into roast butternut squash and hummus to start. The main was a beautifully spiced fish curry served with fluffy rice and chapatis. Desert was a light passionfruit mousse.

Breakfast varies every day, with a different special (kedgeree, crêpes, cinnamon cashew rolls…) as well as standard cereals, fruit, yoghurt and cooked breakfast to order.

Even the wake-up biscuits vary daily, as do the morning snacks, afternoon team accompaniments, sundowner snacks and pre-dinner bitings. It's all enough to make you want to run the Lewa Marathon.

Children

Attitude towards children: Lewa House positively welcomes families of all ages. The owner’s young children live here (co-owner Sophie McFarlane grew up here).
Property’s age restrictions: None
Special activities & services: Archery, visits to Il Ngwesi village, tracking, bush walks.
Equipment: Baby cots and highchairs are available. Radios can be provided for guest rooms and babysitters can be provided from housekeeping.
Generally recommended for children: We think this is one of the best bases for a family safari in Laikipia. If you have under-fives it makes a very good base. As the whole property is discreetly fenced, older children can play without supervision.
Notes: Cottage #1 is probably the most practical choice for young families as it’s closest to the main house.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Lewa House

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Lewa House have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Black Rhino

100% success

Buffalo

100% success

Cheetah

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Leopard

100% success

Lion

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

White Rhino

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Aardvark

0% success

Eland

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Striped Hyena

0% success

Wild dog

0% success

Communications

Power supply notes: There is 24 hour power throughout the lodge.
Communications: There is good Safaricom mobile network all over the Lewa Conservancy (Safaricom chief executive Michael Joseph has a residence nearby). Airtel network is also available. Guest Wi-fi is available in the main house and the managers can provide you with the password.
TV & radio: There’s a staff TV that guests can watch when major sporting events are taking place.
Water supply: Other
Water supply notes: Bathroom water comes from a spring in the Ndare Ngare forest and is untreated. Drinking water is filtered with a UV device. The showers are heated by a solar heater.

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: Most staff are Red-Cross-trained. The owner-managers both have medical training. Lewa Clinic on the conservancy is able to treat minor injuries and illnesses. Nanyuki Cottage Hospital, about 90 minutes drive away, is one of the best in northern Kenya. A helicopter is usually stationed at Lewa.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: Lewa Conservancy is fenced and staffed by some 150 rangers. Lewa House is encircled by a discreet electric fence. Guest rooms don't lock, but do have safes and are equipped with air horns for use in an emergency. There are electronic safes in the rooms.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in the rooms (with 6-monthly servicing), a fire assembly point in the car park and yearly fire-training for staff.

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Guided walking safari
Horse-riding
Night drive

Extras

Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: Machine washed, sun-dried (for cultural reasons no underwear can be washed).
Money: The lodge doesn’t offer foreign exchange.
Accepted payment on location: Cash in all major currencies (US dollars, Euros, pounds sterling and Kenyan shillings) is accepted. Credit cards (MasterCard, Visa and Amex) are accepted with a 2-3% surcharge.