Fodor's Expert Review Il Ngwesi Eco Lodge

Situated on a rocky outcrop in the Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, a community conservation and livestock region north of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, this intimate lodge prides itself on its successful efforts to integrate community development and sustainable environmental management. The comfortably furnished open-walled bandas with open-air showers are made of local materials and built on a slope—their fronts rest on wooden stilts—thus giving uninterrupted views of the surrounding wilderness. Make sure you take the opportunity to sit out at the main lodge and watch the waterhole below or cool off in the horizon pool, which gently flows down into the bush below; water is gravity-piped from a nearby natural spring. You'll see plenty of game including lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, the elusive wild dog, and large herds of elephants and buffalo, plus the plains game. The local Maasai community helped build and continues to run the camp through a communal group, and you can learn about hunting, gathering honey, animal trapping with indigenous poisons, or fashioning beadwork. You won't want to miss the dancing of the warriors and maidens—it's the genuine article. Il Ngwesi Camp is a shining example of how a safari lodge can reduce poverty and strengthen partnerships between the tourist trade and local communities.