Il Ngwesi was built in 1996, following collaboration between the community and the neighbouring Lewa downs conservancy. It took 10 months to build the lodge, with 80 people involved and a few of those were subsequently retained to run it. It proudly claims to be the only luxury lodge that is both owned and operated by the community, which, in these tough times for tourism, gives it particular significance.
Strategically located on the summit of a hill, the lodge is spread across its breadth so that every part of it has a spectacular view across the open plains, which rise up to the majestic and imposing hills interspersed with a healthy number of trees. There are two areas where meals can be taken: either near the reception and bar area, which has a strategically placed viewing deck with unspoilt Africa almost as far as the eye can see and almost no light pollution.
A few minutes' walk away is the pool area, with a covered banda to protect from the hot sun, while the crystal clear water of the pool is a delightful respite. Swimming across to the end places you at the edge of the hill with the most majestic vista. It's not at all unusual to be able to watch elephants and giraffes meander underneath you, seemingly without a care in the world.
Each of the rooms is made with a remarkably impressive reed thatch, which must require the most skilled artisans, and has an open frontage that once again offers those views out on to nature's television. Two of the rooms are equipped with star beds, which can be wheeled out on to the terrace by the staff. They give guests the chance to drift off with the stars twinkling above and awake with the dawn, and look to see who is strolling across the savannah without leaving the comfort of the bed.
The 16,500 acre conservancy has all the big five, and plans are afoot to remove boundaries with a neighbouring conservancy, which will offer even more opportunities. It is somewhere where guests can opt to do as much or indeed as little as they like. There are game drives, bush walks with one of the conservancy rangers or more sedately a beauty therapist to give a range of treatments, while you soak in those views that I may have mentioned more than once. There are some lovely spots to go for sundowners. We opted to walk down to the river, where the children could play in the crocodile-free shallow river while their parents sipped gin and tonics.
For those who opt to self-drive, there are two ways in. Both require a vehicle with some clearance, the most dramatic of which brings you down from Borana over some serious gradients, but offers the keen off-road driver the chance to test their vehicles and to see the stunning mix of vocations that make up the livelihood of the people who call this land home. If that’s too much like hard work then you can simply jet in to the airstrip, which is a mere few minutes from the lodge.
Il Ngwesi is not the super high-end luxury of some lodges, but it is an immersive place run and staffed by people who have lived their whole lives in the vicinity. It gives a real feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, but with all the comforts of home. It's not at all unusual to wake to the barking of a leopard in the valley below, or to see a rock hyrax or monkey peering at you from the rocks outside the window. But I have left there twice with the knowledge that I will return.