Wildlife at Lewa

Always leave space for wildlife was my great-grandfather's mantra. And that small phrase has been the genesis of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

We're now a haven for many different species: in particular the black rhino; and the conservation has been so successful that we're now able to relocate black rhino to other areas of Kenya where they have become extinct.

Big Five country

Whilst we are proud to truly be one of the few destinations where seeing the Big Five is possible, we encourage you to go further than your list and experience these and other creatures in greater depth. By the way, if you didn't know what the Big Five are, the answer is on this page!

Leopard

Status Vulnerable
Population 70,000

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An illusive Beauty (Credit Dave Cox)
Leopard in Lewa's wooded habitat
A top predator in the woodland habitat (credit Morag Urqhuart)
Tracks and signs are frequently seen in the grounds of the house

Elephant

Status Vulnerable
Population 400,000

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Enigmatic landscape artists
Elephants live in close-knit family groups
Entertainment for all at the waterhole
Often seen in front of the house
Fmailies move on and off lewa according to food availability

Black Rhino

Status Critically Endangered
Population 3000 - 6000

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Black rhino have prehensile lips for browsing (Photo credit Steve Darling)
Balck rhino have excellent hearing and sense of smell
Black rhino can be less solitary than once thought
Calves stay with their mothers for up to 5 years
Much rhino communication happens through breath (Credit Morag Urquhart)

Cape Buffalo

Status Near threatened
Population 900,000

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extensive herds found on Lewa
They are specialists in digesting our coarse grass
Males have a heavy 'boss' at the base of their horns
Cattle egrets follow the herds, eating insects in the grass
different species often come together around water

Lion

Status Vulnerable
Population 30,000

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A number of males traverse the landscape (Photo Dave Cox)
Perfectly camouflaged in our lion-coloured grass
A female with her two cubs (Photo Dave Cox)
Life can be messy
Lions spend 20 out of 24 hours of the day sleeping! (Photo Morag Urqhart)

Lewa, a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized for biodiversity.

Lewa Conservancy gained the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage site award in 2013. Spanning 62,000 acres and elevated between 4,500 and 7,500 feet, Lewa has a huge variety of habitats – from ancient cedar forest to Savannah grassland, wetlands to steep valleys and imposing hills. These ecosystems support a rich variety of plant, bird and animal life.

A refuge for the Black Rhino

Diceros bicornis

Here at Lewa, we have lead the way in Rhino conservation since the 1980s, when rhinos were fast disappearing and today we are home to 15% of Kenya's growing Black rhino population.

We are conserving other rare and endemic species of mammals, birds, plants and amphibians. Come and see the Grevy Zebra who are even rarer than the Black rhino.

Status Critically Endangered
Population 3000-6000

Open plains and high vantage points make game viewing a joy.

Lewa has some of the best game viewing in the whole of East Africa. We encourage you to open your eyes and ears and be open to finding the 70 mammal species and over 500 bird species that we have recorded here.