Lewa Wilderness, Kenya

There are ten thatched cottage rooms, all of which boast individual rustic charm with every inch of character one would expect from a ranch homestead. Seven cottages overlook Lewa’s Eastern Valley whilst the other three are set in the beautiful gardens. Those on the hillside capture the sound of the river below where elephants, giraffe, rhino and zebra all come to drink. Each has a cosy sitting area with a fireplace as well as an outdoor verandah where you can savour the stunning views. Those in the garden are the original rooms built by David and Delia Craig when they first founded the lodge. Each has two bedrooms and are perfect for families or those wishing to be closer to the main lodge. One of these rooms is set back further from the rest with a private plunge pool looking out onto the breath-taking vista, the perfect romantic sanctuary for honeymooners. All the furniture was built and made on site using material from Lewa and the surrounding communities - all the wood is from the trees the elephants have knocked down!

The main bar and dining room are beautifully positioned along a forested stream valley and the gardens are alive with bougainvillea and birds. The food, as with much of the produce, is either grown or sourced locally. Lewa has its own small farm, originally started by Delia Craig and meal times (always a highlight!) include fresh organic produce from the garden along with eggs, milk and goats cheese from the farm. Guests are always very welcome to visit the farm and watch the cows and goats being milked!

Games drives with the backdrop of snow-capped Mount Kenya combined with the diversity of scenery from open plains and rolling hills to valleys, escarpments and rivers ensure that Lewa offers the ultimate safari experience! In addition, guided walks and even morning runs with a Maasai guide, camel safaris, horse riding (from beginners to experienced riders), a visit to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy HQ (for educational talks or a school visit) and a visit to the Ngare Ndare Forest ($30 per person entrance fees payable locally) for the treetop canopy walk and hikes to the top of spectacular waterfalls (from where you can jump into the crystal clear blue pools below) are all included in your stay.

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is one of Africa’s pioneering rhino conservancies and is a leading model for conservation in East Africa. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 when Lewa’s ‘elephant corridor’ was put in place to allow the natural migration of elephant from Lewa into the Mount Kenya national forest. Today, Lewa is home to 12% of Kenya’s critically endangered black rhino population. The conservancy is also home to over 70 different animal species – in fact, the richness of the wildlife here is just astounding! Lewa has all the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and leopard – as well as the single largest population of Grevy zebra in the world (over 20% of these beautiful animals reside at Lewa).

For a completely extraordinary and not-to-be-missed opportunity, you can take to the skies and fly the wilds of Kenya with Will Craig as your pilot in his open cockpit yellow biplane – the only one in East Africa (Robert Redford flew in an almost identical yellow biplane in the film ‘Out of Africa’)……a truly unique experience! Guests don leather jackets and flying helmets whilst ‘Out of Africa’ music plays in the earphones throughout the flight! The plane only seats two passengers at a time and costs approximately $650 per half an hour, payable directly to Lewa Wilderness.