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Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness

Reviews of Lewa Wilderness

Wildlife sightings and reviews

15 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Lewa Wilderness and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jan-2019, 9 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Lewa Wilderness.
Lion

75% success

Leopard

56% success

Cheetah

43% success

Wild dog

0% success

Black Rhino

100% success

Buffalo

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

White Rhino

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Spotted Hyena

88% success

Eland

75% success

Hippo

57% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Striped Hyena

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 15
Duration
Arrival date
Ms A.
Manchester

"Lewa Wilderness review"

3 nights Arrived 12 Jan 2024
"Everything about Lewa Wilderness is top notch, from the rooms to the staff and guides to the food and the view. I expected it to be excellent and had high expectations and I was very happy that I was blown away by my time here.

The hillside cottages are huge, well-appointed and very comfortable. Beds are comfortable and covered with mosquito netting. I loved both coming back at the end of the day to a fire in my fireplace and also sitting out on the balcony midday reading or napping in the sun.

There are various activities on offer here. I did mostly game drives, including a night drive which did not disappoint (successful leopard hunt!) but I also did a walk and visited the camp’s garden. The walk was far more strenuous than I was prepared for, and I only went up, not down, the very tall hill across from the hillside cottages. Reminder that you’re already at 5600 feet altitude before you make the decision to “walk” up that hill!

Meals here are spectacular, and no wonder. Lewa Wilderness is trying to be self-sustaining with their fruit, veg and even some fish. A visit to their very impressive garden speaks to that commitment. Harry the chef has grand ideas and plans that he will no doubt deliver on, but in the meantime every meal has the freshest, tastiest ingredients put together in very inventive ways. I ate a LOT but it was extremely well done!

Game drives are wonderful and really what drew me here. I so wanted to see rhino in their natural environment, and Johnson really delivered on that in spades, as well as most of the northern five and big five (for those who keep track of that sort of thing!). He is a very skilled guide, fun to spend long days with and eager to share his knowledge. I really enjoyed my time with him. How he found some of those lions in such tall grass remains a mystery!

Moosh, the camp manager, sets the tone from the top with a welcoming, positive atmosphere. Everyone I encountered followed through on that. I can’t thank them enough for a wonderful stay!" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

3 sightings

Buffalo

7 sightings

Elephant

5 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

3 sightings

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

White Rhino

6 sightings

Zebra

8 sightings

Mrs AJ
Thatcham

"Lewa Wilderness review"

3 nights Arrived 28 Jan 2023
"Great lodge staff providing a lovely homely atmosphere with excellent service.

Option of different activities such as walking or riding safaris but we stuck with a traditional jeep based which allowed us to cover the different terrains with ease. A bonus was that guides communicated with each other by mobile phone so there was no noisy radio accompanying us.

Loads of animals spotted on drives to and from the airstrip as well." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

10 sightings

Buffalo

10 sightings

Cheetah

2 sightings

Eland

8 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

2 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

4 sightings

Spotted Hyena

8 sightings

White Rhino

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr R.
Malmesbury

"Lewa Wilderness review"

3 nights Arrived 27 Jan 2023
"Lewa Wilderness was a real old style African safari experience and felt more like being hosted in someone's (very well equipped) house in the bush rather than being paying clients. We loved the relaxed atmosphere this created.

The property is immaculate and the rooms were wonderful. We were lucky enough to be given the room with the private plunge pool which was enormous, comfy, stylish and full of beautiful old furniture, whilst having all mod cons. We were able to watch game (elephants, rhino, giraffes, monkeys and buffalo) from our room terrace. The main areas have beautiful gardens with Freddy the semi-tame giraffe, and dik diks wandering around; lovely terraces with views over the gorge; and a beautiful lounge/bar area with a fire. The managers were great hosts. Food was all organic or locally sourced (we loved seeing the farm where nearly all of the eggs, milk, cheese, fruit and vegetables are grown/made) and tasty, more simple at times than at some lodges, but of fantastic quality.

The area is known for rhinos/rhino conservation and it is probably one of the best places in the world to see both white and black rhinos in significant numbers, including baby and young rhinos which proves the success of the conservation measures being taken. It was also interesting to see some animals that aren't to be seen in the Mara (the endangered grevys zebra, reticulated giraffe and Somali ostrich). We were also lucky enough to have some other wonderful game viewing including seeing lionesses trying (but failing) to kill twice and seeing one of the two reserve cheetahs who are only spotted on occasion. Our night safari was a highlight as we had baby spotted hyenas trying to eat the tires on our jeep. We combined this lodge with a trip to a Mara conservancy (which felt a lot more remote and we saw more game/predators) and it was an ideal combination.

Our guides (Danny and Tyson) were excellent and very knowledgeable. We particularly liked their adherence to the 3 jeep maximum rule even when a rare game experience (seeing the cheetah) was available and felt it better to wait our turn than crowd around. There is an amazing variety of experiences. If you are into horse riding (we're not) this would be exceptional riding country. We did ride camels which was an interesting way to view game. One stand out for us was the walking safari we did with the local pastor (who leads all the walking safaris). It is a really beautiful area for walking and we got really close to elephants, buffalo and within a couple of metres of three rhino, whilst feeling totally safe. It was one of the best walking safari experiences we have done.

We combined this lodge with a trip to a Mara conservancy (which felt a lot more remote and we saw more game/predators) and it was an ideal combination allowing us to see different game, rhino and have a great walking experience." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

5 sightings

Buffalo

10 sightings

Cheetah

1 sighting

Eland

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Lion

4 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

White Rhino

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs S
Kingston

"Lewa Wilderness review"

4 nights Arrived 18 Oct 2021
"Beautiful location. More Rhinos (black and white) than we have ever seen. Great guiding. Beautiful cozy cottage with wonderful views.
A perfect combination and contrast with Kicheche Bush Camp." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

Multiple sightings

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Ms M.
New York

"Incredible experience!"

3 nights Arrived 11 Dec 2020
"RUN, don’t walk, to Lewa Wilderness! My husband and I spent 3 nights at Lewa in December. It was our first safari ever and we were lucky enough to have Mwangi as our guide. He was beyond knowledgable and taught us more than we ever thought we’d learn about wildlife during our time in Africa. He was not just smart, but so much fun to spend time with too. The wildlife in Lewa is abundant and we saw TONS of rhino (Black and White), elephant, giraffes, zebra, etc. While Lewa isn’t particularly known for predators, Mwangi helped us find lionesses and the next day we were able to spot their cubs plus the male lion feeding on their kill from the previous night. We also had two very close calls spotting a leopard, but she had young cubs so ultimately stayed fairly hidden (her cubs peaked their heads out a few times). The fact that Mwangi was able to even find her was so impressive!

In addition to the game drives, the Lewa property is absolutely beautiful and feels very homey. We had Room 10, which had incredible views, a small plunge pool, and more space than we would ever need. We watched elephants and giraffe outside our room every day. We were also close to the gym, which we used several times and found to be well equipped. We also spent some time at the pool, which also has incredible views.

We were really blown away by the food at Lewa. They have their own garden (you can take a tour of it - which I recommend!) so they primarily use their own produce, which we found absolutely delicious. The lunches at Lewa were some of my favorite meals in all of our travels - they were somewhat simple, but so fresh and so delicious with a ton of variety (usually 5-7 dishes each lunch). I believe they normally serve it as a big buffet, but due to Covid, each group had their own individual buffet in their own area of the property (they varied where you ate each day). Dinner was a 3 course meal and was also delicious.

I already mentioned how spectacular our guide was, but the rest of the staff was equally as amazing. Karmushu is the lodge manager and we were so grateful to get to spend so much time with him. He was generous enough to share a lot about his Maasai upbringing and culture with us, and provided a lot of wisdom about the animals we were seeing from the camp, as well as spent some time stargazing with us and identifying constellations. All of the servers and room attendants at the camp were lovely too. It was clear they just wanted to make you happy, and with their kindness and attentiveness it wasn’t hard for them to succeed. Every single person we came into contact with was absolutely wonderful. It’s also worth noting that we felt the camp did a great job taking Covid precautions and while all staff wore masks 100% of the time, it’s at the guests discretion if they would like to or not, given everything is outside.

Lewa offers camel rides, horseback rides, and nature walks as well. My husband is allergic to all animals so sadly we didn’t take advantage of the horseback riding, but I took a camel ride one morning which was a lot of fun and offered a unique perspective of the wildlife.

Overall, we absolutely LOVED Lewa Wilderness and would recommend it highly to anyone. We hope to be back to visit again sooner rather than later!" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

5 sightings

Buffalo

10 sightings

Eland

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

1 sighting

White Rhino

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Muz
Colchester

"wonderful game viewing experience"

4 nights Arrived 14 Feb 2020
"fantastic game viewing with an excellent guide, Supukia. The game was everything we hoped it would be and Supukia definitely went out of his way to give us a great experience.

The food at Lewa Wilderness was nowhere near the standard it should have been for the cost of staying there. It was not a patch the two other camps we stayed at. I would describe the food at Lewa to be grandmothers cooking. Carrots, green beans and chicken, carrots, green beans and ( overcooked ) pork, carrots, green beans and overcooked fish. All devoid of any creativity and very plain. My wife's vegetarian dishes were basic and not very good. Fortunately the game viewing and our guide were exceptional." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya; 9n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Poor
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms C.
Saint Louis

"Game Drives and a Whole Lot More"

4 nights Arrived 26 Oct 2019
"Lewa Wilderness offers a lot more than just game drives. They will arrange walks in the reserve (with breakfast in the bush), a trip to the Ngare NdareForest with its tree canopy walk, horse back riding, camel riding, a visit to their organic farm and more. They are particularly good with children, offering a morning of learning traditional Massai skills.

Our cottage was spacious and located so that we did not see other cottages but looked out over the downs, where we could view giraffe, elephants, rhinos, etc. They have extensive electric fencing that allows the elephants to be close enough that we could hear their stomachs rumble! Food was buffet style and generally good and staff were very friendly." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

Multiple sightings

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs M
Weymouth

"Amazing camp, fantastic view from room"

3 nights Arrived 27 Jul 2019
"The camp is set in a lovely location, the owner's house set in the middle. Our room requested by Richard Trillo was superb with wonderful views. Beautiful lawns and flower beds in camp make this a special place to visit.

The trip to the farm going past the stables was well worth a visit, they are virtually self sufficient for food.

Game drive viewing was great, both white and black rhinos were seen - including Elvis who had been hand reared many years previously - friendly chap who came right up to the vehicle.

Francis was our Masai guide - in Masai dress of course." See all these reviews: 17n in Kenya; 9n in Zimbabwe; 6n in Tanzania; 5n in Botswana; 5n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

4 sightings

Buffalo

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Spotted Hyena

8 sightings

White Rhino

6 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Ms M.
London

"Very pretty lodge and gardens"

3 nights Arrived 3 Feb 2019
"Lewa Wilderness is a very attractive lodge, with manicured gardens and spectacular bougainvillea.

It has a welcome, if slightly cold, pool with a very comfortable seating area around. Our room was beautiful and very spacious, with a huge veranda on which they hyraxes sunned themselves every morning! The open fire was very welcome in the evening, both for its look and its warmth, as this was definitely the coldest of the places we stayed - this was the only place where there were no dressing gowns, and the one place we could have done with one.

The surprise breakfast in the Bush was lovely, and the best one we had. The buffet lunch was good but the food in the evening was slightly bland, with no choice, unlike all three other places.

There was a greater variety of wildlife than at Meru although, as in Meru, you had to look for it. We were pleased to see rhinos, black and white, a leopard and a cheetah, as well as a bush baby. Our guide was great." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

3 sightings

Buffalo

6 sightings

Cheetah

2 sightings

Eland

3 sightings

Elephant

4 sightings

Giraffe

5 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

White Rhino

5 sightings

Zebra

6 sightings

E & D
New Mexico

"Lewa Wilderness review"

4 nights Arrived 26 Jan 2019
"I could write volumes about our fantastic time at Lewa but will spare you, except to say that if we could only visit one place in Kenya to see the greatest number of birds and animals, to experience expert guiding with true warmth and friendliness, be served the most tasty array of foods prepared fresh from the lodge's own garden, and feel treated to luxury while not being too grossly decadent, this would be it.

Emma and Will Craig and their staff have mastered the art of providing unique and rich experiences tailored to each of their guests' desires." See all these reviews: 18n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

Multiple sightings

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Showing 1-10 of 15
97%
15 reviews of Lewa Wilderness by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
13
2
0
0
0
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