Elewana Kifaru House — Hotel in Meru County

Our stay at Kirafu House was spectacular from start to finish. We were the only one in camp for three of the four days, so all eyes were on us. Godfrey, who would be our exclusive guide during our visit, met us at the landing strip with a snack and a drink. The trip to the lodge from there was a quick 15-minute drive. We were greeted upon arrival by the staff including the manager, Sasha.||It’s hard to pick the highlight of our visit from the setting, the park and the staff – all were magical. Sasha has to be at the top of the list. He made sure everything we needed was attended to promptly. He took a genuine interest in getting to know us and was also generous in sharing his experiences growing up in South Africa. Godfrey was also a stand out. A wonderful Maasai man with a gift for spotting animals. He too welcomed us as if we were family. James our butler was stellar and couldn’t have been nicer. He took meticulous care of our cabin and anticipated our every need. He is a kind soul who we truly cherished. I also cannot leave out Christopher and Peter who were the servers for meals. They were both warm and friendly and gladly accepted any special requests that we had.||The setting of the camp is breathtaking. Being elevated on a hill, it has an expansive view across the Savannah. There are many trees which offer shade and relief from the sun. Mount Kenya is front and center at the pool area. Birds and animals surrounded us. A herd of impala came around every day. Mongooses also reside on the grounds. A giraffe and warthogs occasionally stopped by as well. There was a large variety of birds that greeted us each day. There is a feeding station that the servers would fill that is strategically stationed near where we ate. This helped distract the birds from our plates while providing a wonderful show.||Lewa Conservancy is 62,000 acres and is now joined to Borana Conservancy which has ~30,000 acres. It is fenced to protect the animals and surrounding community. The game viewing was beyond incredible. We spotted two different leopards and members of both resident lion prides. We saw the big five and special five and a number of other animals in addition. The Rhinos are of course the main feature and they did not disappoint. There are 288 within the conservancy. We had plenty of close encounters.||In the afternoon of our final day, we chose to visit the headquarters for a presentation on the Lewa Conservancy. We learned how they have managed to create a symbiotic relationship with the community through many programs. It was very impressive and well worth our time.||Kifaru House is an outstanding camp. If you can only stay at...

This was our 3rd stay in Lewa but our first staying at Kifaru, we normally opt for Safari Camp but thought we’d change it up for a special birthday. We were greeted at the airstrip by the lovely David and enjoyed some drinks and snacks before setting off for a short game drive before arriving at camp. ||Lewa is a beautiful conservancy with such varying landscapes making for some breathtaking game viewing. We even saw two cheetahs which aren’t a usual sighting here. We are lucky enough to seeing all big 5 including the elusive one. Seeing a leopard is always very special and she was a beauty. The rhinos here are truly a sight to behold and make for a special experience. We enjoyed our two sundowners in the presence of lions both nights, with a glass of Amarula, what more could you ask for. ||The lodge itself is beautiful and with only 5 cottages it feels very intimate. We stayed in cottage 5 which had an outdoor shower, staring up at the stars in the evening was a real treat. The room had everything we needed and the bed was super comfy. The staff were all fantastic, from our wonderful room attendant James, the waiters Caroline and Chris, all the kitchen staff including Boniface and Sacha and Janet who always made sure we had everything we needed and always happy to chat about the bush. ||The food was delicious and served outside during lunch in the presence of endless birds and mongooses. Dinners were enjoyed inside by the fire. The bush breakfast we enjoyed in the company of monkeys and zazu’s is something I will always remember. ||Young David, our guide is a lovely man. I think he enjoyed laughing at us mzungu’s and our Swahili learnt from previous trips. His boundless knowledge and energy was a joy to be around. He is a credit to Kifaru House. ||For some reason we only ever second 2 nights in Lewa which is never enough but I know we will be back. ||Asante sana to all the staff for making a special trip even...

10/10, no notes! From start to finish this has been an unbelievable stay. The most warm and welcoming staff who were attentive and friendly at all times. Although he was not our guide, when he picked us up from the airport, Godfrey set the tone - which we came to discover was precisely in line with the rest of our experience at the camp - for a great visit. Peter and Chris always made sure we were taken care of and had a smile on their faces. The food - incredible (thank you Chef Boniface)!! The views, interactions with nature, second to none. James kept our room impeccable and the crucial morning wake-up coffee service right on schedule. Janet put us both at ease with excellent massages. Sacha is clearly a master of his craft; his check-ins, conversation, and guidance along the way made us feel as we were visitors in a home rather than tourists at a hotel. Biggest thanks to David (and Emerson - his training is clearly showing, and he provided multiple key insights) for being our fearless guide, educating us on the animals, local customs, and the conservancy. He did nothing short of pulling out all the stops to track down animals, showing us the differences in paw prints, and made sure we had the best views - while still being safe! And following the three vehicle per animal rule - including asking if we were ok to move on after we had spent some time and he could see others queuing off in the distance - the perfect balance of our enjoyment with respecting that we should not impede others from having the same experience. We’ve seen countless baby animals and will never forget seeing the six lion cubs the first night, nor the pride of lions the last night. He truly is the lion whisperer! Thank you for making our honeymoon...