Elewana Kifaru House

Elewana Kifaru House is a luxurious safari lodge in the world-famous Lewa Conservancy, home to East Africa’s healthiest black and white rhino populations. This bijou property appropriately takes its name from the Swahili word for rhino. Lewa Conservancy is a major player in Laikipia and is well known for its success in reversing the decline (an international and national trend) of wildlife populations.

The property luxuriates in total exclusivity with five charming thatched cottages tucked away in an oasis of vibrant lawns, filled with birdsong. All have well-appointed bedrooms, with sumptuous four-poster beds and generous en-suite bathrooms.

Kifaru House in Detail

A haven of luxury in the bush, guests will immediately feel at home on arrival, warmly welcomed by the friendly and attentive staff. The comfortable sitting room with a well-stocked bar and elegant dining area extends out to a large, comfortably furnished terrace. Here, guests can enjoy a sunny breakfast al fresco and watch the busy goings-on at the waterhole below, or they can choose to relax by the picturesque infinity pool and enjoy the magnificent views over the distant plains.

The lodge also has a large dining and living area, as well as a swimming pool and outdoor fireplace. Guests can enjoy a range of activities during their stay, including game drives, guided walks, horse riding, and cultural visits to nearby communities.

Kifaru House is owned and managed by a reputable safari operation in East Africa, which also oversees Lewa Safari Camp. While both properties have their unique charms, they differ significantly in style. Lewa Safari Camp offers comfortable yet simple accommodations in the form of 12 rustic safari tents, whereas Kifaru House is a smaller, more exclusive lodge that provides a much higher level of luxury.

Kifaru House Setting

The elegant lounge and dining area is located in a large oval building featuring stone fireplaces at both ends. On one side, there are several cream sofas arranged around a low coffee table, where guests can gather for pre-dinner drinks and chat about their day. On the other side, a chunky wooden table is set for communal dining. Along the back wall, there is a bar offering a good selection of drinks, alongside a coffee machine. At the front, a verandah with several sofas provides a relaxing spot to enjoy coffee while taking in the views. A separate structure contains an additional lounge and a library, which features a small curio cabinet displaying locally produced beaded jewellery for sale.

The Cottages

The five colonial-style cottages were originally built for private donors of the conservancy. These spacious structures feature high thatched roofs, dark wood floors, and white walls with exposed wooden beams. Three of the cottages are equipped with fixed-frame four-poster double beds and a separate single bed. One cottage, known as the honeymoon cottage, includes a double bed, a cosy sofa, a bathtub, and an outdoor shower. Each cottage is stylishly furnished with plush armchairs, a writing desk, and a built-in storage cupboard. The well-proportioned bathrooms come with either single or double basins, showers, hairdryers, and toiletries by Cinnabar & Green. Although there is no dedicated spa, in-room massages can be arranged with a trained masseuse based at Kifaru House.

Additionally, there is a family cottage that features two separate en-suite bedrooms: one double and one twin. While the rooms are adjacent to each other, they are not interconnected.

About the Conservancy

The main attraction of Kifaru House is excellent, accessible game drives in search of rhinos and the other inhabitants of the Lewa Conservancy. As this is a privately run conservancy, not a national park, there are large areas where you can drive off-road and night drives are also possible.

The conservancy covers 65,000 acres, a vast wilderness. Lewa has dramatic views to the south of snow-capped Mt. Kenya, and to the north down to the arid lands of Tassia and Il Ngwesi. It has many diverse habitats from pristine forests, fertile grasslands, extensive springs and acacia woodland.

Registered as a rhino conservancy in 1983, the conservancy is famous for its successful rhino and Grevy zebra breeding, two endangered species; Lewa is home to 10% of Kenya’s rhino, and 20% of the world's population of Grevy zebra. The whole conservancy is fenced, and the conservancy employs over 150 rangers. The conservancy does extensive outreach work into the surrounding communities with its Community Development Program, including healthcare, education, micro-finance, and water projects – to share with the community the benefits of wildlife.

With over 70 recorded mammal species within the conservancy, for guests, the wildlife experience is unrivalled.