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LEWA WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY

Sprawling 61‚000 acres‚ Lewa is a wildlife sanctuary in northern Kenya. It acts as a catalyst for conservation and is home to some of the world’s critically endangered species - the black rhino and Grevy's zebra - that also serve as the flagship species. Lewa has one of the highest wildlife densities in Kenya that includes 11% and 14% of the country’s black and white rhino respectively and the world’s single largest population of Grevy’s zebras. It is also home to herds of elephants and buffalo‚ giraffes‚ lions‚ cheetahs‚ more than 400 species of birds and if lucky‚ a pack of the very rare wild dogs!

 The Conservancy is also a World Heritage Site‚ designated in June 2013 by UNESCO as an extension to the Mount Kenya World Heritage Site.

 Lewa black rhino by Stefan Menzi 24072014

The link between conservation and community development

At Lewa‚ conservation and community development go hand in hand. This has ensured that the neighbouring areas also benefit from wildlife conservation efforts. Today:

  • Lewa supports 19 schools with over 6‚100 children through infrastructural development‚ provision of bursaries‚ feeding programmes and curriculum development. Lewa's Education Programme also runs an adult literacy class twice a week
  • The Conservancy has implemented irrigation programmes in six communities and supports 10 water projects‚ improving living standards for over 15‚000 people
  • Lewa’s three clinics are the closest medical centres to thousands and shoulders up to 90% of the needs of staff and communities
  •  The Conservancy runs a women's micro-credit programme that boasts eight groups with 800 participants.

Visit Lewa

Lewa boasts some of the most spectacular landscapes in northern Kenya and Mount Kenya serves as the perfect backdrop. With gentle rolling hills and natural‚ unspoilt beauty‚ guests enjoy the trip of a lifetime that consists of an unforgettable combination of great scenery‚ superb game viewing and excellent hospitality.

 For visitors‚ Lewaoffers an array of exciting activities: day game drives‚ guided bush walks‚ bush breakfasts and picnic lunches‚ sundowners‚ horse-riding and bird watching. Each of the lodges - Lewa Wilderness‚ Sirikoi‚ Kifaru‚ Lewa house and Lewa Safari Camp- is unique and visitors travelling to Lewa are spoilt for choice.  

The Conservancy is also extremely proud of its continued practice of responsible tourism where funds raised are reinvested back into our core programmes.

 Running wild

Every year for the past 14 years‚ Lewa has hosted the Safaricom marathon‚ a unique fund-raising event organized by Tusk Trust that attracts participants from all over the world. From professional athletes‚ fitness enthusiasts‚ amateurs and spectators‚ this annual race brings the world to Lewa and helps raise money that is ploughed back to various conservation and community development programmes. De;clare;d one of the toughest races on earth‚ this marathon is definitely a challenging but rewarding adventure!

 Safarilink Support

Since 2012‚ we consistently donate 5% of the price of every ticket to Lewa. The amounts have increased gradually each year and hope to be a formidable partner of Lewa supporting specific projects in the near future. In addition‚ Safarilink sponsors a team to the annual Safaricom Marathon (Running Wild).

 The Lewa conservation model has successfully demonstrated that people can co-exist with wildlife and benefit from that eco-existence

For more information visit www.lewa.org