Safari254

Kilaguni Serena Safari lodge is among the first lodges ever to be built in a park in Kenya, back in 1962.  The lodge is located within the Tsavo West National Park (a short drive from the main Mtito Andei Gate). It consists of 56 rooms (inclusive of 5 suites: all non-smoking). I stayed at the lodge while on a visit to the Tsavo West National Park.

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We were warmly welcomed by the staff and presented with a glass of juice and a cold towel. It had been a hot and dusty drive to the lodge so both of these were very welcome. We were led through the reception to the restaurant and the view simply took my breath away. It was amazing and I don’t think any of us had expected it.

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 Chyulu hills provide a beautiful backdrop.

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The restaurant overlooks the waterhole.

 

The Watering hole

 

Not only is the view from the restaurant amazing, the reception and restaurant area are beautiful. The décor is simple, well executed and compliments the surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

Being on a tight schedule, we had lunch before retiring to our rooms.  I had beef broth as starter which was had no body and was rather forgettable.I then proceeded to the buffet to serve myself. Overall the whole meal was just okay, there was not really anything special about it.

 

 

A. Lunch plate   B. Beef broth    C. Apple pie    D. Desserts 

There was also a wide array of desserts; the apple pie was not to my liking so I settled for the mousses.

 

After lunch I was then led to my room. I stayed on the second floor of the lodge. I loved my room – very spacious and lovely views of the water hole.

 

 

Lodge at night

 

Two wide glass doors led to a balcony which was the perfect spot to enjoy a sun downer.

 

 

 

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There was a little station with supplies for making tea which is a nice addition to their all day complimentary tea and coffee.

The tea station is to the right

 

It gets rather warm in Tsavo so there is a fan to keep you cool.

The bathroom contains the standard toiletries plus insect repellent toilettes that keep the bugs at bay.

One of the little touches that I appreciated was a letter from the manager just to say welcome and along with this came 2 beautiful postcards that I am yet to use.

I got to enjoy my room for a bit before we had to take a drive to Mzima spings.  After the drive we came back in time for dinner at Chyulu bar, which once again there is not much to write about. However I must add the barbeque steak was amazing, I went back for more twice.

 

After dinner at the bar I went back up to the restaurant and I decided to stay up and wait for animals at the waterhole. The waterhole is lit with floodlights so you can make out which animals are there. The lodge also provides guests with thermal vision binoculars which enable you to spot animals in the dark.

In between waiting to see interesting animals I decided to take pictures of the restaurant, I loved the restaurant with its high ceilings and hanging banners. The restaurant and rock bar look even better at night, what resembled shields with cut-outs during the day transformed into beautiful light fixtures in the dark.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I was not able to spot any ‘interesting’ animals, it was just the usual herbivores that I had seeen during the day. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, no predators showed up and after mistaking one of the floodlights for an animal I decided that it was time for me to go to bed.

The lodge has a service where you can request to be woken up if an interesting animal shows up at the waterhole. All one has to do is fill in a form and indicate the animals you want to see, if any shows up at the waterhole you will receive a call.

The next morning I woke up early with plans to have a swim. Unfortunately the pool was being cleaned so all I could do was take pictures.

 

Breakfast was delicious. There was a wide array of options for all dietary preferences.

A. Croissan  B. Bacon  C. Roast potatoes  D. Sausages  E. Fruit salad  F. Roast tomatoes

 

There is a chef on hand ready to prepare your eggs and pancakes to your liking.

My short stay was more than enough to make me want to go back. I enjoyed my stay and the staff, especially the manager James were really friendly and helpful.

How to get there

Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge is located within the Tsavo West National Park (a short drive from the main Mtito Andei Gate), which lies 280 kilometres from Nairobi, Kenya.

By road: transfers by road from Nairobi take approximately 3 hours.

By air: the airstrip is less than 1 km from lodge, and a ‘meet and greet’ transfer service can be provided (Please let them know your arrival time in advance).

This trip was facilitated by Serena hotels as part of a media tour. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions are my own

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