Lewa Wilderness Lodge

a good option on this famous private reserve

Lewa Wilderness Lodge is located in the Lewa Downs area of northcentral Kenya.

This property is owned and often personally hosted by the Wheeler family, who have been involved in conservation in this area for generations.

It is a characterful place, set on a hillside overlooking the western Marania Valley. It started life back in the 1980’s when the reserve’s co-founders, the Craig family, first set it out as a small tented camp.

The lodge that we see today has grown organically, even chaotically, and has a rather eclectic but not unattractive mix of buildings.

It is centred on the old Craig family house, which contains some modest communal dining and lounge areas. Guests are also welcome to use the billiard room and library.

Further down the slope, across manicured lawns, lie more substantial lounge, dining and pool areas.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Lewa Wilderness Lodge is in six units of various descriptions, each with a private indoor bathroom and verandah with views …

• Garden Cottage : x6 : arranged in three pairs
• One Bedroom Hillside Cottage : x6
• Two Bedroom Hillside Cottage : x1

Activities

Lewa Wilderness Lodge provides the following guided activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the room rate …

• Vehicle safari
• Horse-back safari
• Camel safari
• Walking safari
• Tennis
• Cultural interaction
• Scenic flights

Laikipia South tends to feature in a relatively small proportion of trips, since most of our guests tend to head to the wilder areas further north, namely Laikipia South, Samburu and the Mathew’s Range. But this area can work, especially for guests interested in rhinos and horse-back safari.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights in one lodge.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit Laikipia South is generally considered to be the Jun-Oct dry season, but there are very good reasons to visit during other months.

Getting there

The Laikipia South area is most commonly accessed by scheduled flight from Nairobi into the airport at Nanyuki, or by light aircraft direct into bush airstrips close to a specific camp.

It is also possible to connect by road with the Lake Naivasha area of the Rift Valley and with lodges in the Lewa Downs, Borana, Samburu, Laikipia North and Mathews Range areas, further to the east and north.

iconic views of the impressive Mount Kenya