Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is situated within a 62,000 acres’ ranch and wildlife sanctuary. It has been home to the Craig family since 1924 who by initially setting aside 5000 acres of their ranch in 1983, were instrumental in setting up a sanctuary to protect black rhinos. Fortunately, this was so successful that in 1995 they dedicated their entire ranch to conservation and it now homes over 10% of Kenya’s entire black rhino population and 14% of their white rhino population, making it the perfect choice for your next safari if you want to catch the big 5, namely rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants and buffalo all of which make their home at Lewa.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is located south of Isiolo town and North of Mount Kenya. The snow-capped peaks dominate the views to the south, where the southern boundary rises to an altitude of some 6500ft above sea level and to the north, the terrain drops away with breathtaking views of Samburu, Ololokwe and the Mathews’ range beyond.
Notably Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where the Craig family are close friends of Prince William, provided the prince with the setting and privacy in October 2010 for him to propose to his girlfriend Kate Middleton. Prince William is a keen conservationist and has visited the area on numerous occasions and therefore it seemed the natural choice for him when it came to choosing the ideal location for his marriage proposal.
It supports a myriad of plains game species species all perfectly adapted for the semi desert environment and Grevy’s Zebra and the Reticulated Giraffe are common. Additionally, the lance-like horned Beisa Oryx and the rare Greater Kudu are seasonal visitors and the Guenther’s Dikdik, the giraffe-necked Gerenuk and the beautiful blue-legged Somali Ostrich are resident all year round. The swamp has become a sanctuary in itself for the rare and fascinating semi-aquatic Sitatunga Antelope and its primary predator, the Leopard. Birdlife is equally rich with numerous species of Bustard, Plover, Coursers and birds of prey. At night, leopards are frequently encountered along with bush-babies, aardvarks, bat-eared foxes, caracal and various mongooses, genets and civets – given all this a few days in Lewa will give you a unique combination of hospitality, spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. Activities in the conservancy include day and night game drives, bush walks, sundowners, educational talks on the history and day to day operation of the conservancy, visits to a pre-historic archaeological site, view the wildlife from game blinds, game viewing: – day and night in our open 4-wheel drive vehicles, on horseback, on camels, on escorted bush walks, bird watching, cultural visits with local communities, farm and craft tours and swimming, tennis and jogging for the active.
The climate within the park is mild – mid to late twenties during the day, much cooler at night – and its location, close to the equator, means only small variations in temperatures year-round.