Memories of Lewa

What I really loved about Lewa is how the Conservancy was set so as to enable visitors to learn as much as they wanted about the running of the Conservancy; its security, the management of the wildlife, and the partnerships with the permanently resident communities. There are also many enjoyable activities on offer in the Conservancy enabling clients to take in a very varied itinerary. Activities include; horse riding, camel safaris, guided game walks, nocturnal game drives, tracker bloodhound dogs, bi-plane, hill/river hiking, the Ngare Ndare Forest canopy walkway/blue pools & waterfalls, fly-fishing at Lake Rutundu on Mt. Kenya; bird watching, game viewing from a wildlife hide, and cultural village visits. Furthermore, with 'Walking Wild' guests are able to savour the fly camping experience, by walking or horse-riding for a number of days.

Lewa's wildlife is diverse and its prolific. There are large numbers of Elephant, Giraffe and you should clock up great sightings of Lion. Notably, there are both Black and White rhinos, making it that much more special a location. Expect to see Grevys zebra, Oryx, Kudu, African buffalo, Waterbuck, Klipspringer, Impala, Baboon, Vervet monkey and amazing birdlife.

One of the highlights of my Lewa safari was horse- riding in the early hours on Lewa’s plains and being surrounded by a tower of Giraffes - I even saw some copulating - or trying to, anyway.

After so many days spent on game drives over Kenya's hot plains, I really wanted to experience something different - a walk in a forest; a refreshing hike in a cooler. more verdant habitat. I had heard about the Ngare Ndare Forest, so I organised a visit to the 'Blue Pools', waterfalls, and canopy walkway.

Given enough time, guests may be able to spot some interesting birds, something Kenya is not short of. While in the Ngare Ndare Forest guests will be able to climb out of the hot humid plains and gain stunning views over the Borana land and the whole of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. It is quite stunning to see the dry landscape merging into moist, evergreen forest.

Accessing this area in the wet season would be difficult: the terrain is very step in places. We left the vehicle and started our hike to the pools/waterfalls. It was much more beautiful than I had imagined. A 20 minute walk up quite steep terrain brought us to the river & a series of pools. It makes for an idyllic place in which to chill and soak in the surrounds. I have been told that the pools are safe to swim in and that visitors can jump off the rocks into the water. Upon our return to the vehicle, we had a warming spice tea masala with homemade flapjacks. This is the life....