Il Ngwesi Lodge

I stayed with a friend in Il Ngwesi Lodge and I just have no words to describe the place and the people.

It was awesome. Great rooms with views, great staff that have the ability to make you feel very special.

We choose for an early morning bush walk and they surprised us with a breakfast in the bush at an amazing place.

That the place is run by the local Maasai community makes it even more special because all the proceedings go straight to the community.

I will definitely go back

A few hours drive north of Nanyuki, the lodge is located in a conservancy for the Il Ngwesi people, a Maasai tribe who run the lodge and it is simply a magical place once which I will never forget

From the location itself, to the safari walk in the bush and the visit to the Maasai village the Il Ngwesi people give you a very special welcome and make you feel completely at home.

Some Other Hotels and Safari Lodges

The lodge itself is set on a small hill with just a small number of bandas (rooms) dotted around the edge. In the room we had the bed rolled out onto the balcony so that you could count the stars before falling asleep.

Our balcony also looked out onto the watering hole and we had sightings of giraffe and antelope during our stay.

At the lodge itself there is a swimming pool to cool down in, from which you can take in the beautiful scenery.

The staff are excellent, very friendly and happy to talk about their community and culture of which they are rightly proud.

The safari walk in the morning is an opportunity travelers to Kenya do not get very often: to walk in a conservancy among the animals.

A guide from the lodge and a ranger with a gun take you for a walk where you can see giraffe, antelope, bushbuck, dik-diks and on my trip very recent evidence of elephants. Very different from being stuck in a car for a usual safari.

The visit to the village and being shown around by members of their own community was a great insight into the way of life, history and culture of the Maasai.

At the end of the village tour there is an opportunity to purchase some of the bead-work made famous by the Maasai, like everything else to do with the lodge, it is all run by the local people with all proceeds going back to the local community.

So, what are you waiting for? Just go already! Their love of their land is humbling. Don't miss it, just go!

Il Ngwesi Lodge is a small lodge, tucked away in a beautifully remote part of Laikipia, Kenya's ranch country.

It's peaceful, set in thick acacia bushlands that stretch away for miles to the Northern Frontier District, with an exclusive sense of solitude and space.

The more than one decade old Il Ngwesi group ranch has been driven by a vision to integrate community development & sustainable environmental management.

The core ideal is to use environment as a means to improve the livelihood of the people through eco-friendly activities that conserve wildlife & its habitat & uphold the Maasai culture.

Location:

The Il Ngwesi Lodge is situated adjacent to the Ngare Ndare River on the edge of the Mukogodo Hills

Accommodation :

There are 6 ensuite bandas, 5 of them have double and single beds, with the ‘Honeymoon Suite'.

General facilities :

Swimming pool

Lounge

Open air showers

Spring-fed swimming pool

Laundry service

Sundowners and bush breakfasts