There are no fences and wildlife is free to roam between the reserve and conservancies. The conservancies are a self-funded partnership between the camps / lodges and the local communities, ensuring an annual income for the land owners. The conservancies are the former Masai cattle-grazing districts, and have been converted into wildlife conservancies.
The Naboisho Conservancy is part of the Masai Mara and lies to the eastern boundary of the reserve. As the leading private rhino sanctuary in East Africa, Lewa’s rhino population has grown from an initial 15 rhinos to 169 rhinos today.Īfter two nights at Lewa House it was time to head back to the airstrip for our next flight to Naboisho. Since 1983, Lewa has provided a safe haven for rhinos. The work to protect the rhino was the catalyst that led to Lewa’s founding. As a result of conservation efforts, the black rhino population is steadily recovering and there are now over 600 black rhinos in Kenya. In the 60’s Kenya was home to an estimated 20,000 black rhinos, but just two decades later, poaching had reduced the population to less than 300. Being in the wilderness the nights are very dark, and as I walked back to my cottage I looked up and saw the most incredible stars I have ever seen. We walked by torch light into the bush where a table had been beautifully laid and we dined by candle light. The elusive leopard was very difficult to find and we just caught a glimpse of her retreating into the thicket.Īs the sun set and night came, we head back to Lewa House where they had laid on a special bush dinner. Our guide Alfred also heard of a leopard sighting.
That afternoon we had our first game drive, spotting elephant, zebra, giraffe, monkeys, gazelle, impala and much more. Our accommodation for the next two nights was Lewa House, which included a beautiful swimming pool boasting views of Mount Kenya and a small waterhole. Lewa is particularly good for seeing white and black rhino, reticulated giraffe and the rare Grevy’s zebra. Lewa Downs conservancy is located in the north of Kenya, the habitat is extremely diverse with open grassland, ravines and rocky gorges. We arrived at Lewa Downs airstrip, we were met by our guide and within minutes we were seeing zebra, giraffe and elephant. Our flight from Wilson to Lewa Downs was to be on the smallest plane I have ever seen! Our pilot Phillip gave a quick safety briefing before taking off and being in such a small aircraft meant the views were incredible. Our trip started with a direct flight on Kenya Airways to Nairobi Jomo Airport, we landed around 5am and transferred to a hotel where we could have breakfast and relax before our onward flight from Nairobi’s domestic airport Wilson. This was my first time on safari and it exceeded every expectation I had! I was kindly hosted by Safari Consultants, and I got to experience different conservancies along with the Masai Mara Reserve. Probably I will no need ki suahili anymore, but the grammar is so fascinating that I will probably continue learning.Abbie writes: ‘I have just returned from what was an incredible trip to Kenya. I have never seen anything like this.īut to write about music and dance? Better hear and watch. The didn't play and sing especially well, but I like the movements of the dancer. I saw nearby a group of musicians and a dancer. We were on a small island of Kwale in the restaurant (delicious fish and frutti di mare). Wageni mwakaribishwa – Visitors are welcome It became widely popular in Kenya and Tanzania, reaching platinum status in just five years. The song was such a huge success that the band had to play it 20 times per night, until eventually they were offered the opportunity to record it. That gave him the idea to write a song with simple phrases in Swahili, which would help visitors learn the language while dancing to the band’s music. One night, while taking a break between two songs, he heard tourists trying to speak Swahili and practicing words like Jambo, Habari gani, and Hakuna matata. At the time, the band was playing covers of European hits to entertain the tourists vacationing on the Kenyan coastline. The song was created in 1979 when the band leader, Teddy Harrison, was performing in a hotel in Mombasa. Singer: Them Mushrooms, a band from Kenya Year released: 1982 (but it was written two years earlier)
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