Six open-fronted bandas look out across a spring-fed waterhole toward the Samburu lowlands. Each is set so deep into the hillside that its wood, stone and thatch seem to grow out of the slope. The community that owns the lodge runs every part of it, staff and management alike. On clear nights the beds roll out onto the decks, and guests sleep in the open air.
It is a different register of safari altogether.
The guides who lead you here grew up on this ground, and on foot they track elephant, Grevy’s zebra and the lion and other predators that move through the bush. It is a different register of safari altogether. Slower and quieter, it depends on reading spoor and the direction of the wind, and it asks that you notice the things you would otherwise pass by.
Ian Craig, of the neighbouring Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, came to the community’s elders with a single proposal: set aside grazing land for wildlife. Seventy-two warriors then built the lodge by hand, carrying and shaping the timber, stone and thatch that still hold it to the hillside. When it opened in 1996 it was among the first lodges in Kenya wholly owned and run by a Maasai community, not leased out.
At first he was hostile to the whole idea, suspecting a land grab.
Our good friend Kip Ole Polos was one of those warriors. At first he was hostile to the whole idea, suspecting a land grab. It took the elders roughly two years to persuade him otherwise. He stayed on to help raise the walls of what has become one of Kenya’s pioneering community-owned lodges, and he has never left the story since.
Prince William has stayed at Il Ngwesi, and one of the six bandas is named in his honour. The lodge’s profile owes something to that visit, but its identity was set well before it, in the decision by the elders to hand grazing land to wildlife and the lodge itself to their own people to run. The staff belong to the community that owns the place, and that ownership changes the register of a stay entirely. These are hosts, not employees, showing guests a landscape that is theirs.
Il Ngwesi suits travellers drawn to something unpolished more than those in search of five-star refinement. The rooms open at the front onto the bush, with hand-carved beds dressed in Maasai fabrics and wooden floors underfoot. The en-suite showers stand open to the air, warmed on solar heat. You fall asleep to bush sound instead of air conditioning, wake to tea brought to the deck, and watch a waterhole close enough to see from bed. On clear nights the bed rolls out onto the deck, and the roof over you is the sky.
Camels carry guests through the bush, and nights can be spent camping out under the open sky.
Wildlife moves freely across the community’s land, which holds a fenced black rhino sanctuary begun with a single rhino translocated from neighbouring Lewa in 2002, part of a longer plan to link into a wider connected landscape. Elephant and reticulated giraffe pass through, as do Grevy’s and plains zebra, and greater and lesser kudu. Lion and leopard hunt the same ground. Below the main deck the spring feeds the waterhole that draws animals through the heat of the day, in full view of the lounge, of a hide, and of several of the rooms.
There is far more here than walking safaris and game drives. Camels carry guests through the bush, and nights can be spent camping out under the open sky. The days open onto excursions into Mukogodo Forest and visits to the community’s own boma. The profits return to the people who own the lodge, funding school scholarships, healthcare, water infrastructure and programmes for local women and girls. A stay here funds the same community that built Il Ngwesi by hand, warrior by warrior, and still runs it today.
accommodation
Six open-fronted bandas are built from local wood, stone and thatch, set deep into the hillside. Each has a hand-carved bed dressed in Maasai fabrics, wooden floors underfoot, an en-suite bathroom and an open-air shower warmed on solar heat. Several have decks with beds that roll out for sleeping under the stars.
activities
Guided walking safaris with Maasai trackers, following elephant, Grevy's zebra and predators including lion on foot. Day and night game drives across Il Ngwesi's community land, camel rides through the bush, overnight bush camping, Mukogodo Forest excursions and visits to the local boma.
conservation
Il Ngwesi is owned and run by the Il Ngwesi Maasai community, with profits reinvested locally to fund secondary and university scholarships, healthcare and water projects. Named programmes include the Mukogodo Girls Empowerment Programme and the Days for Girls initiative. Il Ngwesi maintains its own black rhino sanctuary, established with a rhino translocated from the neighbouring Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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You fly from Nairobi's Wilson airport to a Laikipia airstrip, about an hour by light aircraft, and the lodge meets you for the transfer onto the community land. We arrange the flights and time them to your international arrival. We can also make this leg a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, if you would rather set your own departure time.
The small planes take soft bags of around fifteen kilograms per person, hand luggage included, so a duffel is the right choice. The lodge looks out over the Samburu lowlands, so the last stretch is part of the experience.
Il Ngwesi sits in the Laikipia highlands, a lower-risk malaria area rather than a malaria-free one. The altitude and dry climate keep mosquito numbers down, but the land lies below the height at which the CDC and TravelHealthPro consider risk negligible, so tablets are usually advised.
Since this concerns your health and advice is reviewed regularly, please check the current guidance with a travel clinic or your doctor, and take the usual precautions against bites after dark, particularly if you sleep out on the deck.
Days are warm and the nights cool at this altitude, and with the beds able to roll out onto the decks, you feel the night air directly. The dry seasons are clear and dusty; the rains bring green and the odd shower.
Pack a warm layer for the mornings and for sleeping under the stars, sun protection and neutrals for the day, and closed shoes for the walking, which is the main way you explore here. A good torch is handy given how open the bandas are.
The dry windows, July to September and December to February, bring the best walking and game viewing, with animals drawn to the spring-fed waterhole below the lodge. The green seasons are quieter and good for birds, with the game more dispersed across the country.
With cool nights whenever you visit, the choice is really about clear dry skies versus a greener landscape.
It is owned and run outright by the local Maasai community, one of the first lodges in Kenya to be so, and the guides grew up on this ground. The safari here is slower and quieter, built around tracking elephant, Grevy's zebra and predators on foot and reading the wind rather than covering distance by vehicle.
Because it is community land rather than a national park, walking, night drives, camel rides and sleeping out on the decks are all part of the picture. It is a different register of safari, and the community ownership is the point of it.
It can suit families who are drawn to the walking and the cultural side rather than a tick-list of big game, and the six open-fronted bandas with roll-out star beds make for a memorable stay for older children. The visit to the local boma and the camel rides tend to land well.
The open bandas and the walking near wildlife mean some ages suit it better than others, so tell us your children's ages and we will advise honestly and shape the days to fit.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
