Featured Favorite: Sirikoi

Sirikoi

Lewa Conservancy, Kenya

Who it’s best for:

Wildlife lovers, conservationists, luxury travelers, foodies, families, multigenerational families and active travelers

Activities:

Game drives, walking safaris, wildlife hides, visits to the Lewa Conservation Operations Room and tracker dogs, horseback riding, Sirikoi garden tour, local school and clinic visit, Ngare Ndare Forest hikes, helicopter excursions, quad bike safaris and spa treatments (some activities require supplementary charges)

Why we love it:

At the core of Mango Safaris’ values is wildlife conservation. Beneath all the luxurious camps and sundowners with elephants lies our desire to protect the incredible wild spaces of Africa and the people and animals that call them home. On occasion, there are camps that bring a once-in-a-lifetime guest experience to one of these incredible wild spaces to create pure magic. Sirikoi delivers that in spades.

A Destination like No Other
At the heart of any great safari is the wildlife. Thanks to ecotourism, a quality safari experience and thriving wildlife populations go hand-in-hand. There is perhaps no conservation enterprise more successful in the world than Lewa Conservancy. An impeccably run operation that deploys a combination of short and long-term tactics, it has transformed from a private cattle ranch into an ecosystem bursting with diverse life.

Alongside robust populations of the usual suspects, there are excellent populations of lion, cheetah, wild dog and elephant. It is one of the best places in Africa to see highly endangered black and white rhinos thanks to their diligent anti-poaching efforts. To add a little texture on a multi-stop trip, it is also home to the Northern Five – reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, oryx, gerenuk and Grevy’s zebras – which are quite rare and can only be seen north of the equator.

While there, a visit to the Lewa Conservation Operations Headquarters is an absolute must if you have the time. You can meet the elite staff and their tracking dogs, learn about the network of rangers posted throughout the conservancy and witness their impressive efforts at tracking elephant populations across the entirety of their massive range to help better predict where protection is needed.

Explore, Unexpectedly
If you’re someone who loves to explore all the layers of a destination, then Sirikoi is perfect for you. The conservancy is set in one of the most picturesque parts of Africa, just a few miles from the equator itself. Under the watchful eye of My Kenya’s craggy peaks, the thick glens and waterfalls of the Ngare Ndare Forest give way to rolling savannah, groves of yellow-barked and flat-topped acacias, rocky outcrops and languid creeks. Sirikoi has crafted a collection of activities that let the full breadth of this beautiful land shine.

The lodge is nestled right in the heart of the conservancy near some of the best habitats, so game drives and walking safaris are particularly rewarding. A horseback safari gives you a whole new perspective on a classic game viewing experience by letting you view the wildlife at eye level. Leave behind the savannah for a hike through the Ngare Ndare Forest where waterfalls topple into aquamarine pools begging for a dip and colobus monkeys hide amid the treetops.

Sirikoi also offers two of the most utterly unique activities in the entire safari industry. Take a helicopter excursion of Mt Kenya, weaving through the snowcapped canyons and touching down at remote alpine lakes that few other humans have ever seen.

Home Amid the Wildlife
When you arrive at Sirikoi, the first thing you notice is the giraffes nibbling at the acacia trees and the elephants feeding at the spring-fed marsh stretching along the length of the grounds. Thanks to the permanent water this spring provides, the wildlife is never far from camp. Right from the pool or your private deck you can watch a daily parade of wildlife that stops by for a drink.

Whether you’re honeymooners cozying up in one of their luxurious tents or a family taking over the exclusive-use house or cottage, Sirikoi has an option that’s perfect for you. In typical Kenyan fashion, you can feel the love and personal touches throughout the lodge’s design. Local art and handmade furniture, eclectic rugs layered together, metal vases overflowing with flowers grown in the Sirikoi gardens…it is an expression of the family’s love.

Families will love their time at the lodge. Together you can watch ostriches from the pool, play croquet as elephant graze nearby, pick fruit and meet the resident chickens in the garden, or say hi to Nditu, the former orphan giraffe that still hangs around the grounds.

With the conservancy located at 5,500 feet in elevation, the early mornings and evenings can be quite chilly. There’s nothing better than coming in from a day of exploring and dipping into a hot bubble bath or curling up by one of the big crackling fireplaces with a good book. If it weren’t for the absolutely incredible meals featuring fresh, organic produce from the garden, you might have a hard time pulling yourself away from your fireplace.

Edible Eden
Overseen by George Kaberia, a botanical wizard with a bright smile and infectious enthusiasm, the Sirikoi gardens are a dazzling testament to what can be done with a whole lot of dedication, know-how and love. Covering an acre behind the lodge, all of the produce, herbs and flowers used at Sirikoi are grown and harvested there daily.

Thanks to his use of innovative techniques for everything from soil microbes to beneficial interplanting, the garden is absolutely thriving, both in quality and diversity of crops grown. George has managed to coax the arid soils of northern Kenya to grow luscious berries, creamy avocados, juicy mangos, plump tomatoes and so much more. When you taste a dish at Sirikoi, you are tasting the dedication of a gardener that pours his love into his land. There’s nowhere else in Africa where you’ll get berries picked that morning mere feet away from your breakfast table, while also watching elephants wander by.

Every year, we send hundreds of clients to the crème de la crème across Africa and more clients come back saying Sirikoi is the best experience and hospitality they’ve ever had. Our best-traveled clients who seek out the top hotels around the world all come back singing the praises of this extraordinary place. It’s all about the little pieces that add up to create a wave of magic that envelops you from the moment you arrive until the moment your plane takes off.

Visit Sirikoi for Yourself!

For your own trip-of-a-lifetime, check out two of our favorite itineraries that include a stay Sirikoi:

Grand East Africa pairs the best classic wildlife destinations in the region – Lewa Conservancy, the Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Park - with a finale in Volcanoes National Park for mountain gorilla trekking.

Finest Kenya and Seychelles celebrates the best of Kenya’s wildlife destinations for a fantastic safari and ends with a splash of luxury with the white sand beaches and turquoise seas of the Seychelles.