Area Overview

Lewa is a 45,000-acre private game ranch located 30 miles north of the equator at the foothills of Mt. Kenya and is home to the world-famous Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. There are very few private houses and camps on the reserve so game viewing is as exclusive as it can get. The area is probably one of the best in Africa for viewing rhinos. The reserve not only has the Big 5 but the largest population of the rare Grevy’s zebra as well as other rare northern species. There are many activities to engage in, including horseback riding, scenic flights, night drives, walking safaris, camel riding, and photographic hides.

The conservancy is a groundbreaking example of conservation in action and community participation. The family who started it, the Craigs, has been instrumental in educating and assisting local communities stretching away to the north about the value and benefit of securing land for wildlife. Their approach has included community support projects such as schools, clinics, and water management. Lewa is also the setting for the Lewa Marathon, a notorious run-on dirt trails amongst herds of wild animals.

Property Overview

Lewa Safari Camp has a stunning location within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, with outstanding game viewing from the camp, and views of Mount Kenya to the south and the arid lowlands to the north. Each tent has a thatched roof, verandah, and full en-suite bathrooms, very much in the ‘Lewa’ style. The central areas have vibrant gardens filled with birds, a sunny verandah and a swimming pool to enjoy during the day and cozy log fires in the lounge and dining room for chilly evenings.

The camp is based within the private 251km2 wildlife conservancy, home to over 10% of Kenya’s black rhino population, and the single largest population of Grevy’s zebra in the world. Lewa reinvests all the profits generated from tourism into its core programs. When you visit Lewa Safari Camp, you contribute to helping thousands of people from different backgrounds and cultures to improve their lives and give their children a future, at the same time ensuring Africa’s wildlife has a stable home.

Experience & Activities

The Lewa Safari Camp guides are based in camp within Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Most are from the neighboring communities and have been guiding within the conservancy for many years, some for over 15 years. All the guides are first class, with Bronze or Silver level Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association certification, and they also receive training directly from the Conservancy to the “Lewa Standard.”

Another walking option is to visit Ngare Ndare forest conservancy. This is a community conservancy to the south of Lewa. There is a canopy walk and river to play in. There are usually elephants in the forest, so you will be escorted by the Lewa walking guide. Additionally, Lewa Safari Camp offers evening horse rides – you can get very close to the plains game as they see you as one of their own! “Sundowners” are a safari tradition – after a day of safari, stop, and watch the spectacular sunset, traditionally with a gin and tonic in hand! There are also visits available to the local Samburu homesteads.

Area Overview

Samburu is a 165 km2 (63 mi2) national reserve situated 350 km (217 mi) north of Nairobi at an altitude of 800 to 1,230m (2,625 - 4,000 ft). At the heart of the reserve, flowing through doum palm groves and the thick riverine forest is the picturesque Ewaso Nyiro River, without whose waters the game could not survive in this arid region. Samburu is home to one of Kenya’s largest elephant populations and several well-known research projects on carnivores, lions, and elephants. Four of the Big Five can be found and, though no rhinos are present, it is considered an excellent place to look for leopards, lions, and elephants. The game reserve sits in the shadow of the sacred mountain Ol Doinyo Sabachae and is home to the Nilotic Samburu people. The Samburu are known for their nomadic pastoralist lifestyle, much like their relatives the Maasai, as well as their glamorous beadwork and colorful shukas.

Elephant Bedroom Camp

Property Overview

Set on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River in Samburu National Reserve surrounded by doum palms and other beautiful indigenous trees and shrubs sits this small and exclusive camp of 14 luxury tents—all furnished in rustic African style while offering all the comforts expected of a luxury Camp (hot & cold running water, electricity, and herbal products).

The lounge and dining area offer vibrant safari colors with original oil paintings, and soft intimate lighting designed to relax guest after returning from an exciting game drive. Huge herds of elephants, prides of lions, or the solitary leopard amongst other game are regular visitors around the camp providing excellent game viewing in the spectacular scenic background of rugged rolling hills.

Experience & Activities

Elephant Bedroom Camp is an intimate tented camp with simplistic elegance, luxury, and style providing an astonishing safari experience. Exciting activities include safaris with accredited professional safari guides, guided bush walks, day game drives, bush breakfast/dinner, picnic lunches, sundowners, cultural visits, lectures on Samburu culture, and entertainment by local Samburu warriors.

Area Overview

The Mara conservancies are Maasai-owned group ranches that have combined to conserve a total area nearly the size of the Maasai Mara National Reserve itself, covering 1450 km2 (560 mi2) across fifteen conservancies. The wildlife in the conservancies can be comparable to the main Maasai Mara game reserve, and in fact, some areas have higher densities of predators than in the central reserve. Because there are fewer camps, the conservancies can offer a more exclusive experience than in the central reserve, with generally fewer game viewing vehicles around sightings.

There are opportunities in some conservancies to do night drives, walking safaris, as well as visits to some of the villages of the local Maasai who own the land.

The conservancy approach is widely seen as the way forward for wildlife conservation and eco-tourism in Kenya because it not only secures vital space for wildlife but includes the local population as custodians of their national heritage. This has been vital not only for the conservation of the whole greater Mara but also for wildlife corridors and the prosperity of many hundreds of Maasai families. Nearly forty tourist camps contribute to employment amongst the communities and provide a presence, alongside Maasai anti-poaching units, for the protection of the wildlife.

Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp

Property Overview

Elephant Pepper Camp is one of Kenya’s original, very small, and exclusive tented camps, located away from other lodges in the pristine Mara North Conservancy. For those wanting to step off the world for a while and lose themselves in unspoiled nature in the heart of the Kenyan bush, Elephant Pepper Camp is the perfect place to indulge this whim and explore the marvels of the natural world.

Nestled in a lush thicket of Elephant Pepper trees overlooking open grasslands frequented by herds of game, Elephant Pepper Camp maintains the rustic luxury and authenticity of a traditional safari from yesteryear.

Experience & Activities

Nothing rivals sitting around the campfire listening to the sounds of the African night. Enjoying extended game drives with our highly knowledgeable and qualified guides, guests participate in the most unique wildlife experience in the world.

Elephant Pepper Camp brings people to the heart of the wilderness—no traffic, no permanent structures, just the sights and sounds of the African bush.

Activities include shared game drives in custom 4x4 vehicles (exclusive use available at a day rate), pre-dinner drinks around the open campfire, night game drives, sundowners, bush breakfasts, and guided bush walks (age restrictions apply to children under 16 yrs). Balloon safaris (price not included and pre-booking required) and cultural visits are also possible as is an optional visit to a local school supported by Land & Life Foundation.