lewa downs, serengeti, maasai mara, lakes baringo and nakuru

Mount Kenya, the Kikuyu believe, is the home of Ngai (God). Ngai is all-powerful and influences all aspects of Nature, and He determines the outcome of every stage of one's life. As confirmation of this belief many Kikuyu build their houses with the door facing Mount Kenya. My cottage at Lewa Downs faced Mount Kenya.

Lewa is "a very different African ranch": To protect wildlife, Ian Craig has turned their entire 55,000 acre ranch into a conservancy, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (LWC). Today LWC is home to more than 25% of the world's threatened Grevy zebra population, some 70 black and white rhino, Sitatunga, and many other animals native to this part of East Africa. As fences between neighboring ranches come down, safe migratory routes between Mount Kenya and the Matthews Mountain range in the north are opening up. Land under conservation management in this part of Kenya has now increased to 2,500 square km. At the same time Lewa provides local communities a stake in wildlife protection, by sharing its profit from tourism, offering employment, and investing in schools and health care.

Animal management and research is now a vitally important part of the work carried out, with world-wide participation by eminent scientists. Every year, visiting enthusiasts, scientists and conservation experts leave LWC inspired to continue similar work in the rest of East Africa. With the support of private donors and international financial bodies, LWC is working towards its vision of a time when the remote bush areas of northern Kenya will once again be teeming with wildlife.

For the visiting wildlife enthusiast, Lewa offers a personalized safari and learning experience, in contact with fabulous people dedicated to conservation. Needless to say, I shall return to Lewa. You can find out more about Lewa on: http://www.lewa.org

Here are pictures of the wildlife conservancies of Lewa and of Maasai Mara and Serengeti, and of the Great Rift Valley lakes of Baringo and Nakuru, with their magnificent flora and fauna.