Lewa Wilderness | Lewa Conservancy One Of Kenya’s Best Safari Lodges

From above, the plains are a rich tapestry of golds, ambers and greens. The dormant volcanic plugs and craters of Mount Kenya – Africa’s second highest mountain – are ahead of us, just the other side of the equator. We circle above Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, 25,000ha of conserved land just 250km from Nairobi. As we approach Lewa Airstip I spot the thatched cottages of Lewa Wilderness beneath us, and try figure out which one is ours. We’d arrived yesterday by road you see, so this morning we couldn’t resist a spin in the luxury Kenya safari lodge’s open-cockpit Waco biplane, to see the area from the air. The bright yellow biplane, much like the one Robert Redford piloted in Out of Africa, lands as gently as a butterfly on a leaf. I pull off my aviator helmet as the engine slowly quietens. Will Craig, our pilot and the lodge owner, gives us a hand and we leap out of the plane, exhilarated.

Lewa Wilderness is one of Kenya’s oldest safari operations. The Craig family ran the land as a cattle ranch from 1922 before turning their focus to conservation and tourism in the 1970s. As we walk back through the lounge and dining area, we take a moment to appreciate the fine antique and handmade furniture the Craig family has collected over the years. Upon check-in we were given the choice of a hillside cottage, overlooking the valley and river, or a garden cottage set in the beautifully manicured lawns. It was a tough decision: the hillside cottages promise sightings of animals as they come to drink, while the garden cottages are nearer to the main areas and were the original rooms built when the Craigs started the lodge. All of them have sitting rooms with fully stocked bars and fireplaces, so no competition there. We reach our hillside cottage, which already feels like home. It’s decorated with handmade wooden furniture and a spacious four-poster bed that overlooks the wilderness through open windows. Although our biplane adventure feels unforgettable, I sit down at the writing desk to pen my account of this incredible day. Later, we join the other guests to sip on cocktails while taking in the views of endless scrubby bush and a vivid African sky. When dinner is ready we all head to the long banquet table in the open-air dining room, where the stories continue into the night, setting us off into gales of laughter. Princes William and Harry once came to stay here, yet somehow Lewa Wilderness, which is fit for royalty, feels remarkably like a family home.

I can’t emphasise enough how glorious it is to see the Mount Kenya and the Laikipia plains from a tiny open-cockpit biplane – what an absolutely magnificent experience! Another highlight is the abundance of rhino here in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, as it boasts one of Africa’s most successful rhino-protection programmes. Indeed, it’s no surprise that this award-winning model for community conservation was named a Unesco World Heritage Site. By staying at this welcoming family-style lodge, you’re in turn supporting its conservation and community-development endeavours. You might even get rewarded by being able to feed a baby rhino!

• Unique family-run safari lodge situated in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. It has 10 thatched cottages (including three family cottages) with swimming pool, stables and biplane.
• Private conservancy, private vehicles (additional cost) and flexible schedules.
• Game drives, night drives, walking safaris, horse riding, camel riding, fly camping (additional cost), biplane trips (additional cost), Ngare Ndare Forest day trips (additional cost), cultural visits, prehistoric site visits, Lewa Crafts Furniture and Kifuma Weaving visits, and Pepo la Tumaini HIV/Aids orphanage, clinic and senior school visit.
• Children welcome and family cottages available. Complimentary babysitting offered.

• Not only do African safari lodge prices shift with the seasons, they also change based on your length of stay, room type, travel party composition, special offers, if your trip involves stays at sister lodges – and for more reasons besides.
• It’s worth noting that depending on your itinerary, your lodge cost will make up about 75–85% of your total safari trip cost.
• Our safaris are tailor-made to match your personal safari dream, we’d be delighted if you’d allow us to create a bespoke proposal for you.  Simply enquire now – our quotes are complimentary and obligation-free.
• However, to help you get an idea of safari lodge prices we’ve created three safari-lodge categories with various price ranges, to find out more click here.