A visit to Elewana Kifaru House is to plunge into the timeless tranquility of Africa. Located within the world-famous Lewa Conservancy, home to East Africa’s healthiest black and white rhino populations, this bijou property, appropriately takes its name from the Swahili word for rhino. A haven of luxury in the bush, guests will immediately feel at home on arrival, warmly welcomed by the friendly and attentive staff. The comfortable sitting room with well-stocked bar and elegant dining area extend out to a large, comfortably furnished terrace. Here, guests can enjoy a sunny breakfast al fresco and watch the busy goings-on at the waterhole below, or they can choose to relax by the picturesque infinity pool and enjoy the magnificent views over the distant plains.
From the amazing accommodations to the attentive staff to the incredible game drives, this place exceeded every expectation. The setting is unique and a splendid blend of African history and British influence. The food is delicious and the view for breakfast and sundowners cannot be beat. The bungalows are beautiful and private and have out door showers (real shower with hot water) so you can shower under the stars. So romantic, We want to come back!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ElewanaCollection, General Manager at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Jan 30, 2020
Dear Martha and Steve Thank you for your kind words. It was an absolute pleasure hosting you here at Kifaru House and we are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us so much. It is always amazing for us to share our home with visitors from far and wide, to be able to show you the tranquility of Lewa and our slice of heaven is a blessing. We do hope that we might host you again in the not so distant future, perhaps next time with the kids and grandchildren. Best wishes Phoebe and the entire Elewana Kifaru House Team
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The place is situated on top of a hill and had 5 luxury individual lodges. The lodges are great, we stayed in No. 5. This has a large bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom had two wash basins a free standing bath and an outside shower. We found the staff very friendly, helpful and glad to see us as we were the only guests due to Covid-19. While at the camp we saw Slender Mongoose, Impala and White-bellied Go-away birds near our room. The only thing with the camp is they don't allow your own vehicles in the main park. All safaris are done in their own open sided 4x4 vehicles.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Cleanliness
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Response from ElewanaCollection, Manager at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Jan 30, 2021
Dear Susan Thank you for staying with us in September, and posting such a great review. The whole COVID-19 situation has played such havoc with the travel and tourism industry as a whole; although the flip side is that guests who have been able to travel and have often been able to enjoy wonderful locations in complete exclusivity. It was great that we were able to offer you Cottage 5, our Honeymoon Suite, at Kifaru. Situated atop the hill, the views from Kifaru in every direction really are quite spectacular! And with the "fence" really only designed to keep elephant and rhino out of the camp, it's wonderful to have the resident herd of impala, as well as other small wildlife, as frequent garden visitors. The regulation regarding private vehicles is unfortunately out of our hands, and affects all lodges on the conservancy; private vehicles are sometimes allowed, but only if they are 4x4, and in shades of green or brown. A number of conservancies have similar regulations, and this does help to make private vehicles less conspicuous. We're delighted to have been able to host you during these difficult times, and we hope to be able to welcome you back to our Collection in the near future. With best wishes for 2021, George, Timothy and the Elewana Kifaru House Crew
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We did a self-drive which was a very good idea as we had a chance of enjoying the beautiful scenery. We arrived and we were pleasantly surprised by the fact that we have to leave the car at a designated parking and use the lodge cruisers to the house. This served as a start to the game drive which is a great idea. We arrives at the house and were welcomed by the manager Sacha and other staff. The guides are great and very knowledgeable. The house is very welcoming and the cottages are very spacious. The chef was great and we were able to make requests on the menu and they were accommodated precisely. The conservancy is well maintained and it made sense why they only allow their cars around it. The highlight of our visit was the bush breakfast. Always request or go for it is suggested. On one day we were able to spot 9 lions which was great. I would highly recommend Kifaru House.
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Date of stay: April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ElewanaCollection, General Manager at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded May 12, 2022
Dear Carl K, Many thanks for your your recent review on Elewnana Kifaru House. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy doesn't allow private vehicles to drive around the conservancy and hence why the wildlife and sightings you see are magical. All guests staying at Kifaru House and other properties here on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy respect this ruling to give the guests the best guided experience and sightings. The guides here have years of experience and are a fountain of knowledge on the Fauna and Flora that you see. Thank you very much for your compliments on our property and the culinary experience - the team will be thrilled to hear this feedback. As an intimate property immersed in the wild, we aim to provide you all the comfort you would get in a home away from home. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Best Regards, Sacha and the Team from Kifaru House
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I had a very poor experience trying to book a cottage at Kifaru House. My wife and I have a 2 year old son, and were told that we would not be able to visit this property unless we brought childcare with us or paid an additional $430 per day for a private safari vehicle. The person that I was dealing with on the phone was indifferent to my situation, saying that if I could not afford the additional costs, there were others that could so should look elsewhere. I would expect a luxury travel company to provide a much better service and will certainly not be looking to stay at an Elewana property again in the future.
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Date of stay: April 2022
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Sacha and his team have an amazing piece of heaven in an already stunningly beautiful location. The whole team at Kifaru House was outstanding. My sister, parents, and I spent 4 nights at Kifaru House and enjoyed every minute.
The accommodations were luxurious - with one of the best showers I have ever used. The beds were wonderfully comfortable and the hot water bottles placed every night while we enjoyed dinner were perfect.
Peter and the dining room team were exemplary and handled my mom and sister's allergies quite well. The food was outstanding. The chef team created incredible menus every day - and delicious gluten free options for my mom and sister. If you have a gluten free allergy, Elewana is the place for you.
The game drives within the Lewa Conservancy were beyond anything I can describe. Our guide David grew up in the area and has been incredibly well trained by Sacha and the other guides, Philip and Godfrey. They work together to make sure guests have every opportunity to see the incredible aminals in Lewa. David's enthusiasm for the area, animals and conservation was infectious and by after 4 days, leaving him was incredibly hard. I cannot wait to come back to Kifaru House!
We also needed to visit the clinic set up by the Lewa Conservancy due to some health issues and we were astounded at the skill and professionalism from the staff. They were even able to get my mom a new nebulizer in 24 hours when hers broke.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â Game drives never stop - even at the camp Giraffes, Zebras, and Impalas come visit!
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Response from Alina Haq, Owner at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Jul 24, 2022
Dear apimentel, Thank you very much for this lovely review and choosing to stay with us. The team are thrilled to hear your great feedback and remember you all fondly. We continuously strive to exceed our guests expectations, and are pleased to note that we were able to do so on your recent stay with us. Lewa is certainly a very special conservancy with so much to discover every day, we are very proud of our team and the knowledge and passion in which they look after our guests. It is never a permanent goodbye from us, we say kwaheri ya Kuonana "See you again, sometime". Best Regards, The Kifaru House Team
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Words are truly inadequate to describe this charming, magical place. Plenty of wonderful wildlife sightings await you. Sacha, the General Manager, is old school in the best of ways and runs a camp that is most welcoming, efficient, and fun. His wealth of experience and knowledge really shines through and you will not encounter anyone in charge of a camp more warm and interesting than him. Philip, our amazing guide, enthralled us with his stories of growing up in the conservancy area and how much the land and wildlife mean to him. We started calling him the man without a plan who really does have one. You seemingly drive along aimlessly and then all of a sudden you are observing something spectacular. It was fascinating to witness his patience, persistence, and impressive sign reading skills in finding a beautiful male leopard for us to photograph. We enjoyed getting to know this fine man. Peter, our server extraordinaire, was so kind and attentive. He seemed to be everywhere doing everything to make our stay more enjoyable. Janet, our housekeeper, kept our cottage spic and span clean. However, we regret not availing ourselves of one of her renowned massages. A gentleman we met who was also staying on property raved about her expertise. Meals were varied and delicious. Chef John also included local dishes for us to try and enjoy. The Evening I celebrated my 75th birthday he baked a lovely, tasty cake and led the staff in a spirited Happy Birthday song. And who could ever forget a sumptuous breakfast served atop a high hill overlooking a magnificent panoramic view. No five star restaurant in the world could rival that ambiance. I told Sacha that I did not want to leave. He replied that was the best compliment he could receive. I meant it wholeheartedly. Elewena Kifaru House is not to be missed and we plan on returning for a longer holiday there.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Location
Service
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Response from ElewanaCollection, General Manager at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Oct 25, 2021
Dear WildProtector, Thank you so much for your wonderful review and visiting us here at Elewana Kifaru House . We loved hosting you and celebrating your 75th Birthday with you, Our guide Philip is a wonderful man indeed and his knowledge on culture, wildlife and tracking skills are truly impressive. Chef John takes great pride in the meal preparation and always ensures a memorable culinary experience. We are delighted to hear that we exceeded your expectations and managed to make this milestone celebration ever so special. Janet is a wonderful lady who is very talented and apart from being the housekeeper she is also a masseuse. The views on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy are incredible and some of the best views in East Africa. We can't wait to welcome you back soon! Best wishes, Sacha, Philip, Chef John, Janet and the rest of the Kifaru House team
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An unbelievable place! Not only is it located overlooking the vast plain with mountains in the background, the accommodations are nothing short of extraordinary only to be matched by the quality of service and delicious, gourmet meals. Sasha, the manager,, and his staff are committed to the highest quality with a personal touch. Our family ranging from 12 to 74 rated this place the best we have ever stayed.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
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Response from Alina Haq, Owner at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Aug 2, 2021
Dear Kath, Thank you for your lovely review on Elewana Kifaru House and we’re happy to hear that your family and yourself enjoyed your stay with us. The views of the mountain are indeed incredible and we agree the landscape is truly magnificent. We’ve shared this review with Joni, Boni, and Geoffrey who do a terrific job and take pride in ensuring all our guests are well-fed and happy; as well as Janet who takes great care of the rooms. We are thrilled you enjoyed our amazing service team’s efforts and hope to welcome you back again soon. Warm regards, Sacha, Phillip, and the whole team at Elewana Kifaru House
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This lodge is incredibly luxurious. It feels very safe and you have all the amenities you could want for. The pool is a nice reprieve in the middle of the day. Not many animals on property so night time isn’t too loud. The rooms are fully closed in (not tented) which was a nice change and makes for a much more peaceful sleep. The staff here is so attentive and so knowledgeable. We had Sasha at the front who was so kind and chatted with us whenever we had some free time. Peter and carol were incredibly quick and always a step ahead of us for service. And the gold star goes to Godfrey who thoroughly showed us every aspect of the reserve. He was so charismatic the rides felt so quick and easy. Would 10/10 recommend coming here and staying at this lodge. The nice thing about going here is that you’re on the conservancy so you see animals right away off the flight! We saw lions, both rhinos, elephant, giraffe, zebras, ostrich, Buffalo and so much more.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â June is an absolutely perfect time to come. Pack layers as the day is cold but mid afternoon is...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alina Haq, Owner at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Jun 23, 2021
Dear Amber and Charlie, Thank you for your lovely review and for spending your belated honeymoon with us all here at Elewana Kifaru House. Carol and Peter are truly the best and thoroughly enjoyed looking after you during the dining and bar service. Godfrey is a true Gem full of incredible knowledge, history, culture and eyes that can spot animals that we have to use binoculars to find. We are happy that you experienced the true magic of the conservancy with the most incredible views, wildlife sightings, and dining out experiences. Hope to see you both back here soon with friends and family. Best wishes for 2021, Sacha, Godfrey, Peter, Carol, and the whole Elewana Kifaru House Team.
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This was our first of many safaris and it set very high standards for the rest of the trip. The grounds were so beautiful and we loved spending quiet, meditation time by the pool, bird watching, and just walking around enjoying the views. The service was incredible and our host, Sasha, was so knowledgeable and welcoming. The food was delicious and we were never hungry. They even had food and drinks for us on the safari ride, known as a "sun downer". On one of the sun downers we sat in the vehicle with our beers and snacks while a pride of female lions frolicked around us. It was one of the best places I've had a beer, EVER! They also serve breakfast in the bush, which is a very cool experience. We had the best breakfast of our entire trip on one of these days. They made an excellent specialty eggs benedict. Being on a conservancy is a very special experience and different than going to the national parks. It's so much more quiet and the drivers can "off road" so we got incredibly close to lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, giraffes and more. If you've ever dreamed of seeing a rhino, go here! They have 10% of the worlds rhinos and you will see several each day. The rooms were huge, comfortable, and luxurious. We even got an in-room massage one night, which was very relaxing. There are countless places to do safari in East Africa, but I highly recommend this place and conservancy!! We hope to return one day in the future. I tried to narrow down the pictures to my favorites, there were just so many!
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Date of stay: July 2021
Rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ElewanaCollection, General Manager at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Oct 25, 2021
Dear erincurtis227, Thank you for your lovely review on Elewana Kifaru house. We enjoyed hosting you over the few days here and showing you the wonderful rhinos and lions as well as all the rest of the wildlife the conservancy has to offer. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the food, we have a wonderful team that enjoys preparing this experience for all our guests. The Sundowner experience truly is a memorable one and we are thrilled to hear you had such a wonderful experience. Janet is a wonderful masseuse, and the in-room massage is really the best way to unwind after an adventure filled day. Stay safe and we look forward to welcoming you back to your home away from home soon! Best wishes, Sacha ,Carol, Emmy ,Steven and the whole Kifaru House Team.
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From the moment we arrived, Godfrey, our personal guide, was attentive to our every need. I had recently injured my back quite severely; so our needs were a bit unique. Sasha, the house manager, and Janet, our housekeeper and masseuse, greeted us straight away. Godfrey made the trip absolutely amazing going way above and beyond for us. From breakfast cooked while in the field on our morning ride to sunset rides that are fully equipped with wine, cocktails and delicious appetizers. If you are seeking a truly extra ordinary experience, this is it!
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alina Haq, Owner at Elewana Kifaru House
Responded Jun 23, 2021
Dear Zaka and Taylor, Thank you for your lovely review of Elewana Kifaru House. We truly enjoyed looking after you both and chatting around the cosy lodge lounge. We are pleased to hear that Janet managed to assist with a massage to reduce some of that pain in your back after you arrived here in discomfort from your back injury. Very glad that you could get out and about with Godfrey who is an amazing guide and very caring to all our guests' needs. Hope to see you both back here soon with your friends and family. Best wishes for 2021, Sacha, Janet, Godfrey, and the entire Elewana Kifaru House Team.
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There are more places to choose from in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy area.
LOCATION
KenyaEastern ProvinceLewa Wildlife Conservancy
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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