What began as a vital sanctuary for endangered black rhino has now become one of Kenya’s great conservation success stories, and a beacon for wildlife preservation around the world. The Lewa Conservancy is home to the Big Five, and an astonishing breadth of other wildlife that finds rich and more importantly safe habitat in a variety of beautiful landscapes dominated by the snowcapped peaks of Mount Kenya National Park.
Memorable safari holidays in the Lewa Conservancy run the gamut from 4×4 game drives accompanied by guides with years of experience to walking safaris led by Maasai tribesmen, and scenic hikes through Ndare Ndare Forest.
Home to the Big Five, as well as an extraordinary wealth of other wildlife populations, the Lewa Conservancy provides game viewing moments to treasure every single day. Visitor numbers in Lewa are restricted, allowing for a much more personal approach to game drives, and often you might have a waterhole or other viewpoint entirely to yourselves.
The conservancy offers prime habitat for black rhino, with numbers steadily increasing, vast herds of elephant, lion, Grévy’s zebra, giraffe, ostrich and an impressive array of colourful birdlife. Game viewing in the Lewa Conservancy, in common with other safari destinations in Africa, is best done in the early mornings and late afternoons, when the temperature is at its mildest, and the animals at their most active.
Walking safaris in the Lewa Conservancy are an entrancing way to get up close with the park’s spectacular wildlife, and also to become much more immersed in the landscape than you can with a game drive. Led by professional armed guides, experts in the local flora and fauna, bush walks will often follow ancient Maasai trails through forest or savannah, and can be tailored to the types of experiences and wildlife that you want to encounter. Authentic Lewa walking safaris are always among the most memorable highlights of a stay here.
Spread across the foothills of Mt. Kenya, the lush Ngare Ndare Forest serves as a vital corridor for elephant herds, and is one of the most popular day-trips from the Lewa Conservancy, which is just a short drive away. Some of the trees here are thought to be up to 200 years old, and this is the only forest in East Africa with a canopy walk, so that you can get a monkey’s eye view of the scenery.
Elephant, buffalo and even black rhino can often be seen on the trails, and occasionally an elusive troop of Columbus monkey, while if you bring along a swimsuit, there are mountain pools allowing you to take a chilly but very refreshing dip.
Enjoying a freshly mixed gin and tonic as the African sun sinks beneath the horizon, watching as the landscape is transformed by a riot of fiery reds, oranges and yellows, is a classic tradition of the Kenya safari. Sundowners might involve swapping game viewing memories with fellow guests around the campfire before dinner, basking in the comfort of your lodge’s private verandah that overlooks the waterhole, or relaxing in a mobile camp out in the bush, with the sounds of the wildlife all around you.
Just an hour’s drive from the Lewa Conservancy, on the peaceful slopes of Mt. Kenya, Lake Rutundu is something of a paradise for fly-fishers. The crystal clear waters of this deep mountain tarn are filled with large trout, the scenery is of course magnificent, the air wonderfully crisp and the overall ambience one of complete tranquility.
Casting platforms and rowing boats are available on the lake, and the experience of fishing for trout at this altitude is one not to be missed. Lake Alice, a little higher up, is also a well-known and popular fly-fishing location.