Reviews of Lewa Wilderness
Wildlife sightings and reviews
18 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
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"Lewa Wilderness - absolute best experience"
My daughter and I were treated like queens from the minute we arrived in Lewa. The hospitality of the entire staff is on point. We were cared for from the time we got there until we left; it was like being welcomed into a big family. I am still in awe at how amazing the experience was. The managers, Kara and Mush, are exceptional people with a real gift for hospitality.
Our room was amazing. We stayed in one of the hillside cottages and the views were breathtaking. It was quite fun to sit on the veranda with a cup of coffee and watch baboons and water buffalo. The room staff did an amazing job keeping everything clean and tidy. We loved the fire in the evenings.
Harry the chef is incredibly talented. The food was so delicious! We loved touring the organic gardens on the farm where all of our produce came from, and we even had lunch at the gardens one day which was lovely!
Abba and Carlos run the stables and do a fabulous job! They were both very personable and my teenage daughter and I really enjoyed talking with both of them throughout our stay. We enjoyed the horseback riding one morning with Benjamin and Martin, where we were able to get very close to ostriches, giraffes, and baboons. It was such a fun experience to be that close!
The walking safari was excellent as well! We got to see a rhino and her baby!
Our guide, Supukia (aka Spooky) was the absolute best. He really took such great care of us throughout our time there. He’s very experienced and knowledgeable, and he’s the reason we saw the things we did! He set the bar really, really high and I don’t know if guides at other lodges can compete.
We will always remember him and the rest of the staff!" See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Black Rhino
2 sightings
Buffalo
5 sightings
Eland
2 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
3 sightings
Spotted Hyena
3 sightings
White Rhino
10 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Lewa Wilderness review"
Black Rhino
Multiple sightings
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
White Rhino
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Lewa Wilderness review"
We have nothing but good things to say about our stay at Lewa Wilderness, both of us are big travellers and this is definitely at the very top of our travel experience.
The staff was consistently friendly and skilled at anticipating needs. There was a lot of special attention going towards delighting guests with wonderful surprises.
We were impressed by the quality of the food, it was always fresh and tasty. The staff went out of their way to accommodate dietary restrictions, albeit with some confusion occasionally about who was intolerant to what, but they handled it with such attention and politeness that I truly didn't mind a bit of mixup.
Our game drive guide was knowledgeable, skilled, and friendly - overall, we had a spectacular time at Lewa Wilderness." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Black Rhino
10 sightings
Buffalo
10 sightings
Eland
6 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Lion
10 sightings
White Rhino
10 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Lewa Wilderness review"
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
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
"Lewa Wilderness review"
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
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
"Lewa Wilderness review"
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
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
"Lewa Wilderness review"
A perfect combination and contrast with Kicheche Bush Camp." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
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
"Incredible experience!"
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
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
"wonderful game viewing 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
"Game Drives and a Whole Lot More"
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
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
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Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge
The community-owned Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge sits atop a small hill in the remote Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, a two-hour drive north of Lewa Conservancy in north-eastern Laikipia.
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Kifaru House
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