Reviews of Lewa Wilderness
(96%) From 10 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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wonderful game viewing experience
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.
Expert Africa comments
The team at Lewa Wilderness were surprised to receive this feedback regarding the food at the lodge, as they note that they often receive very positive comments from guests about their dining experiences. Lewa Wilderness were really sorry that these clients didn't feel the same and they have assured us that they have taken this feedback on board and will do their best in future to ensure the standard of food and presentation is kept up. As the lodge grows much of its own organic produce, plus has an external chef to review the menus every few months, we are hopeful that standards of meals will be refreshed and elevated to what we would expect from Lewa Wilderness.
Game Drives and a Whole Lot More
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.
Amazing camp, fantastic view from room
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.
Very pretty lodge and gardens
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.
Lewa Wilderness review
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.
Lewa Wilderness review
An absolutely fantastic place to stay. Abi, the manager, made us very welcome and we genuinely felt at home. The whole family loved it, and the kids somewhat fell in love with Zazou their dog. A beautiful spot that we were very sad to leave.
Read more about the whole safariLewa Wilderness review
Lewa Wilderness was our first official safari and what a way to start! The hillside cottages were excellent with outstanding views where we daily got to see elephants, giraffes, baboons, and other wildlife come to drink. We went horseback riding which was very thrilling to see the animals from a different vantage point. It did cross my mind prior to doing this that we may be lunch for a lion, but it was all very safe and the breakfast at the end was fabulous. And, then to go back to camp on a camel was interesting.
I can't say enough about our guide John. He, along with Philip, were with us for every drive and managed to find all of the big 5. And, we learned so much from them. We were also fortunate enough to see a rhino being notched for tracking purposes.
Lewa was a great place for one's first safari.
Wonderful camp and a breathtaking property
We had stayed last year in Sirikoi and this year decided to try the more traditional way of safaris in Laikipia - in a colonial property with cottages in lieu of tents. LWT is a wonderful property in a gorgeous conservancy. We are very fond of Lewa and the team behind the conservancy and its our place for seeing some very special animals ( rhinos, Grevys, reticulate giraffes, large herds of elands, oryx and other plains game), our place to relax the pace of safaring (just a notch) and enjoy the superb landscape. Of most of Laikipia, Lewa's landscape is the most dramatic with its many valleys and hills, red soil giving way to black cotton soil, exploring the conservancy from north to south, even some places where only rangers go and rarely a tourist vehicle, the wonderful green swapm and the yellow fever tree forests, the elephants, views of Mount Kenya- A Lewa safari is so different and unique in many ways and we enjoyed our stay tremendously. Zoey, Lee, Kiramanshu were incredible hosts and we really fell in love with the property and the views.
Our guide was Simon- who is the head guide there. I expected him to be good but we were very impressed with how good he was- with spotting, with priorititising our wish list ( we had 8 glorious days on predator watch in Mara so were looking for anything but cats and he understood that very well). He was brilliant wityh the rhino spotting and all other sightings, even spotting a coalition of 2 male cheetahs. We didnt share a single sighting with any other car. He is also very knowledgable about Lewa's history, community and the tribes in Kenya, so conversation with him was really cherished. Our last afternoon drive into Sambara plains and Isolo valley and beyond to the northern most point ( from where we could see as far as the Matthews Range) was one of the best safari days, ending with sundowners barely 50 metres from where a white rhino foraged.
Lewa Wilderness was fantastic
Of the three places we stayed in on this trip to northern and central parts of Kenya, arguably this was our all round favourite. The atmosphere at Lewa Wilderness Trails is very different and more like a house party - the owners and staff are so hospitable and the food is amazing. We stayed in the newest cottage which was delightful.
We were so impressed with the success of conservation in this conservancy and it is surely a marvellous model for others. Simon was our guide and his patience particularly with the black rhino and cheetah really gave us an insight into these two species. The scenery, with its backdrop of Mt Kenya really adds to this location from a photography viewpoint.
We only did game drives and a bird walk around camp (highly recommended) but there were a large range of activities on offer which other guests enjoyed.
Great safari experience
Lewa was magical..beautiful property,full marks for hospitality. our game drives were awesome, spotted the big five in our two day stay!
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