Lewa’s Elewana Safari Camp Reopens After a Top-to-Bottom Refresh

One of Laikipia’s best-loved camps is back. Elewana Lewa Safari Camp, set within Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, has reopened after an extensive refurbishment — and the changes are aimed squarely at slowing guests down and keeping them comfortable between game drives.

The work, led by designer Jan Allan of byDESIGN, includes a redesigned “Dining Tree” deck, expanded shaded verandas, a dedicated wellness treatment area and a refreshed retail space, with the camp’s original character deliberately preserved. It’s a sensitive update rather than a reinvention — fitting for a camp on one of Africa’s most important conservation landscapes.

Lewa is a UNESCO-listed conservancy and a stronghold for black and white rhino, Grevy’s zebra and wild dog, with the kind of low-vehicle, walking-and-night-drive access that national parks can’t match. A polished base camp only makes it more appealing as the centrepiece of a Laikipia leg — or as a rhino-and-conservation counterpoint to the Maasai Mara.