Situated near the base of Mt Kenya, Lewa Wilderness is one of Kenya's oldest and most private safari ventures. The Craig family has passed down from one generation to the next a distinct passion for wildlife, conservation and tourism. The lodge is just nine exclusive rooms: six cottages tucked into the hillside overlooking Lewa' s Eastern Marania Valley, plus three garden cottages set amidst the beautiful green lawns. Activities on offer include game drives, guided walks, scenic flights, horseback riding, camel riding and much more.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Our stay was arranged by Africa Travel Centre of Boulder, Colorado and they couldn't have done a better job. We were 4 couples and none of the places we stayed accommodated more than 16 people at one time. It made for a very special trip.
The rooms, accommodations, meals, common areas, guides and staff at Lewa Wilderness exceeded our expectations in every way. We were made to feel at home and we wanted for nothing. We had options for activities (safaris, camel rides, walks in the bush, etc.) and every evening we met for cocktails in the well-appointed lounge, which had an outdoor terrace that overlooked a gorge below and an adjacent hill where we'd often see giraffes and elephants grazing. Meals were family style with other guests and a few members of the staff, including an articulate and interesting Maasai warrior (or 2). The photos of the rooms speak for themselves.
But the landscape and wildlife! Many, many elephants of all ages and sizes, cheetahs, leopards, lions, black and white rhinos, zebras, wildebeests, so many birds. It goes on and on. Our guides seemingly knew everything, and particularly the animals in the Conservancy.
Lewa Wilderness and Lewa Conservancy do it right. They hire and engage the local community through education and health care and in return, they work together to conserve Lewa's wildlife. Part of our fee for staying there went to the Lewa Conservancy, a very importrtant part of paying for the impressive security the Conservancy has.
All in all a spectacular stay.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Room 10 was large; 2 bedrooms/2 baths, large patio, hot tub/pool. Great view.
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Jan 23, 2021
Hello Susan, what a wonderful review to read! Thank you for taking the time to post this, it sounds like you had some great wildlife sightings too! Working with the community and the surrounding area is a huge part of what we do, and we would not be anywhere without them. We will always continue to work together and support each other, even during these tough times. Hope you are well, Miranda, and the Wilderness team.
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What an incredible place. Lewa Wilderness is in the heart of the Lewa Conservancy which actively protects 3% of the world's black rhino population along with many other critically endangered species. The lodge itself is beautifully kept with an incredibly kind staff that is eager to take you on driving safari, walking safari, horseback riding, camelback riding, etc. The rooms are beautiful as is the lodge, pool, and grounds in general. The food is outstanding, on par with what I might hope for from a high-end restaurant in San Francisco or other top cities in the US. I could go on and on but you'll just have to try it for yourself.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Jan 23, 2021
Hi Ted! Thank you very much for writing such a kind review! We are very proud of the conversation efforts here, and love to share it with our guests. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful farm here on the property providing our kitchen with delicious fresh ingredients! We hope you are able to come back soon. Best wishes, Miranda and the Wilderness Team.
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This was our first camp of six, on a three week/three country safari (also our first safari). It is an understatement to say that Lewa Conservancy exceeded our expectations! We came for the animals (and we saw them all!), but fell in love with the people and countryside. The manager, Karmushu, and the rest of the staff were delightful and eager to share their country and culture. To us, the best asset of the camp is Francis, who was our guide. Larger than life in so many ways (not just his height)! He has a deep knowledge of his country and culture, the animals, birds, vegetation, landscape – all delivered with enthusiasm and a huge smile. The more excited we got on a drive, the more excited he got to show us his Kenya. He found four female adult lions and three cubs on our first night! We had many delightful conversations with Francis, and enjoyed sharing our cultures.
The camp’s design is very thoughtful with community rooms and cottages all facing the beautiful hillside, valley and nature. The images on the camp’s website are absolutely accurate – but still cannot do justice to the experience. Our room was very large with a cozy living room/fire place, and windows all around for spectacular views of the hillside. You can sit right out on your back deck and watch the animals on the hillside and in the valley! Turndown includes a lovely little fire. The food is very farm-to-table as the camp has a large farm/garden. I’ve never tasted such lovely fresh bananas and avocadoes! I enjoyed a tour of the farm/garden which included an array of fruits, vegetables and herbs, as well as a bee hive, goats, chickens and a tilapia farm.
Clearly we came for game drives and animals, and we had a ball! Lewa is the only camp north of the equator we visited as we wanted to see the “Northern Five”, which we did. We also enjoyed a bush breakfast complete with a camel ride back to camp. We also took advantage of a horseback ride one morning to get closer to some of the animals.
Of all the camps we visited, Lewa was the most diverse in terrain and animals. Go north of the equator, and stay at Lewa Conservancy!
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Date of stay: August 2021
Value
Location
Service
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Mar 3, 2022
Hi Jean Louise, thank you for writing such lovely things! Francis sure is a character and a huge part of our team here at Wilderness. We strive to make our food as fresh and delicious as possible, so we are glad that you enjoyed it - who would of thought we could grow so much here! Thank you again, best wishes, Miranda and the Wilderness team.
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This was a very different kind of camp! The topography was beautiful, our ‘home' was not a tent but a lovely, roomy cottage, complete with fireplace and patio. There was a pool and tennis courts available to us also. Of course, for us, it is all about the animal viewing. This area had animals that were new to us, like the reticulated giraffe, the Grevy's zebra, the gerenuk, and the Somali Ostrich. They also have oryx which are beautiful, but we had previously seen them in the Kalahari in Botswana. We were happy to see them again! And of course, there were the rhinos, black and white! So many! Unbelievable! The manager at Lewa Wilderness was Karmishu. He was excellent, always around, always paying attention and asking if everything was okay. The food service staff and the bartender were all attentive and helpful and very accommodating to our needs. Ken, Jackson, Esther, Dante, Mishak were all wonderful. We decided to have a small dinner in our cottage every evening and the staff made that happen. Very much appreciated! We were driven to this camp, a fairly long drive, by a young man named Josphat (spelling?). He was also efficient and very friendly and informative. We enjoyed our ride with him. Our guide, Johnson, seemed capable enough, but was too much into his phone to be considered a great guide. We think he was probably knowledgeable, but we failed to recognize that for his overuse of his phone. While this camp facility was wonderful, we felt it was too big of a camp for us. We prefer smaller facilities and do not need pools and tennis courts while on safari. That is just us!
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Date of stay: September 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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Jan 23, 2021
Hi Darlene, thank you for posting about us, we really appreciate all of your comments and are very happy to hear that the wildlife was wonderful during your time with us! We have such a lovely team here and are pleased to hear that they looked after you. We have addressed this issue with Johnson to prevent it from happening again, and apologise that it put a dampener on your time out on game drives. Thank you again, Miranda and the Wilderness team.
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Our second time to this incredible property, this time with our two children. With an entire globe to explore deciding to return to Lewa Wilderness speaks volumes to their excellence. Staff treats you like family. Absolutely beautiful grounds. Our room was clean and cozy and we enjoyed playing checkers by the fire that was lit each night after coming back from a delicious dinner. Able to watch plenty from the hillside room - elephants, giraffe, buffalo, baboons, countless birds, hyrax and on and on and on - just while relaxing on the deck! Mush and our guide Johnson and each staff member that cared for us so warmly are really the highlight of this lodge and the reason to return. From our thrilling flight with Kim (MUST DO) to our peaceful horse ride to breakfast and camel ride back we were delighted at every turn. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the important work the Conservancy does - we visited the operations room and met the ranger and dog tracking team. The Conservancy has jaw dropping landscape and game viewing galore. Plenty of activities to keep entertained. Thoughtful touches abound. We grieved to say goodbye. Don’t miss this gem!!
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Don’t miss the extra activities! Camels, horses, flights, walks, visit the farm. So much to do...
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Mar 4, 2022
Hi there, It sounds like you had a lovely trip with lots of things packed in! We are so pleased to hear that you and your family had a great time, and took advantage of all the different activities that we have to offer. Thank you for taking the time to write about it, and come back soon! All the best, Miranda and the Wilderness team.
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Our fifth and final stay in our two week Safari trip in Tanzania and Kenya was the most rewarding. Cottage 7 had a comfy Kingsize bed, a beautiful location overlooking a valley a nice fireplace and all the Peace, quiet and isolation you could want. Staff was always available to guide us to the main lodge or where we were going. The Craig family does a masterful job, the vegetable and fruit garden were awesome, the vehicle and roads were as good as it gets and our guide Johnson was exceptional. We only road 2 of the 43 horses and none of the 3 Camels (did that in Morocco). Food was the best we had and thankfully a little less Western and more authentic than the rest. Morning, late afternoon and night safaris in beautiful country; nothing better. White Rhinos, Elephants crossing to a stream at night and a Lion in a Tree we’re highlights.
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:The 10 Cottages are very spread out and all are nice. 7 and 8 are a good way from the main lodge...
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Mar 4, 2022
Hello ! Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review and it is always great to hear that we were a highlight! The Craig family strive to make this 'home from home' , and Johnson is a wonderful guide. All the best, Miranda and the Wilderness team
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Lewa Wilderness is one of the most incredible places we have ever visited - the location is absolutely stunning and so unique, and the accommodation is luxurious and tastefully decorated. From the moment we stepped onto the Lewa airstrip, our guides Daniel and Tyson took fantastic care of us, and this continued throughout our stay. In addition to the spectacular game drives, we sampled many of the additional activities on offer, such as horseback and walking safari and all were experiences that we will never forget. The food was also delicious, healthy and varied, and George the barman made sure we were never without a tipple! Thank you so much to the entire Lewa team for the trip of a lifetime - we will be back!!!
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Date of stay: January 2023
Value
Cleanliness
Service
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Feb 25, 2023
Hi Clare! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a wonderful review, I will be sure to pass on all of these lovely comments to our team! We look forward to welcoming you back soon! All the best, Miranda and the Lewa Wilderness team.
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Everything about the experience at Lewa is superb. The staff are unbelievably thoughtful, friendly, approachable and welcoming and there are so many small touches that make Wilderness worth every cent.
The rooms are stunning, the safari guides charming and incredibly knowledgeable, and the surroundings idyllic. Your every need is anticipated and there’s incredible attention to detail. Cannot recommend highly enough
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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 ManagerLW, Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Jan 27, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review. We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your time with us, and that the small things made a big difference! The photograph's that you have shared are beautiful. We hope that you come back and visit us again. Best wishes, Miranda and the Wilderness Team.
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What a wonderful lodge and an amazing location. The game viewing especially elephants and black and white rhinos was incredible! Our room was large and spacious and every night when we would return after dinner there was a fire in the fireplace. Service was excellent as was the diversity of food. This lodge offers a wide diversity of ways to enjoy the conservation area. Hiking, horseback riding, camel trips as well as flights to Retite elephant orphanage. A must see while you are there. It’s worth the time. It will change your life. We chose to do a three night hiking and camping trip out into the conservancy. A once in a life time opportunity. My wife and I are in our 60s and we’re able to keep up with our guide. Seeing the wildlife while walking totally changes your perspective. What made it especially meaningful was the lodge owner Will Craig was always available and alway looking for ways to make our stay more memorable. Thanks to Piper & Heath for recommending this lodge and making all the arrangements. They are the best.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Consider having the lodge pick you up in Nairobi in their private aircraft.
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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Mar 3, 2022
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to write about us in such a lovely manner. It sounds like you had an action packed stay, and we agree that the Reteti Elephant Orphanage is a truly magical place! The walking trips are the most amazing way to fully immerse yourself in nature, and experience a traditional mobile safari. All the best, Miranda and the Wilderness Team.
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My wife and I stayed here for 4 nights on our honeymoon arranged through Far and Wild Travel. We can’t recommend highly enough. The manager, Olivia, looked after us incredibly well including laying on some very thoughtful surprise activities for us. The accommodation and garden are beautiful and we were looked after incredibly well throughout. The highlight for me was the range of experiences that were offered - horse riding, walking safaris, camel rides and sundowners! We would love to return soon
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip 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 Manager Lewa Wilderness, General Manager at Lewa Wilderness
Responded Dec 21, 2020
Romance and wildlife, what a great combination! We are so pleased that your honeymoon was made special by our team, and that you will always have happy memories! Thank you for the lovely review, and we hope that you come back and see us again! All the best, Miranda and the Wilderness team.
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Hi Linda,
I'm sorry it's taken a bit of time to get back to you, we have only just opened for the season.
To be honest, whatever time of year you come you should expect warm days and cool nights. We are at an altitude of 1,700m/5,500ft which means that it cools down very quickly when the sun goes down. I would bring layers with you, so that on morning and evening game drives you can add layers and keep nice and warm. It can get quite chilly, especially in the back of the vehicles when you are on drives. The days are warm and so summer clothes are perfect!
I hope that helps and we look forward to seeing you in August. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Abbie
There are more places to choose from in the Isiolo District area.
LOCATION
KenyaEastern ProvinceIsiolo District
NUMBER OF ROOMS
9
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