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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_viewImage Source

.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_sign

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_sign1

 

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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_entry

.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_reception Chyulu hills provide a beautiful backdrop.

.

The restaurant overlooks the waterhole.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_dining area2

 

Tsavo West National Park_Waering holeThe 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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_dining room

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_reception1

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_reception3 (2)

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_office

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_office1

 

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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_dining area

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_dining table

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_Lunch mealsA. 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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_rooms

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_room1

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_lodgeLodge at night

 

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

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_balcony

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_balcony1

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_room1

 

Tsavo West National Park_Dusk

.

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

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_bedThe tea station is to the right

 

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

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_bathroom

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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_chef and roast chicken

 

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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_reception3

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_rock bar

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_room1 (2)

 

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_dining area1

 

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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_pool

 

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

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_breakfast arrayA. 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.

Kilaguni Serena safari Lodge_chefs

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

Quick update. Thank you to very single person who voted for us in the BAKE (Bloggers Association of Kenya Awards), the blog came in 2nd . You are all amazing and I appreciate the support

#WeekendTravelInspiration Link up

wkendtravelinspirationBadge

1. Link one of your inspirational travel photos or stories to this post by adding your info.

2. Copy and paste our badge and a link to this page.

3.  Visit some of the other wonderful travel bloggers, read their posts, and leave a comment.  It would be great if you could comment on 2-3 posts.

4.  Tweet it and include this hashtag. #wkendtravelinspiration .

5. Follow all the hosts of Weekend Travel Inspiration:

 Corinne and Jim of  Reflections Enroute, Margherita and Nick of  TheCrowdedPlanet, Paula and Gordy ofContentedTraveller, Crystal and Francisco of BayEssence, Rhonda Albom of  AlbomAdventures and Eileen from FamiliesGo.

 

[inlinkz_linkup id=524146 mode=1]
Previous post
Hangzhou (杭州市) China
Next post
Interesting Facts about the Swahili Language and Culture

13 Comments

  1. May 16, 2015 at 6:11 pm — Reply

    This lodge offers such great personal touches – the bug repellent, the postcards, the animal-spotting calls. I really love a hotel that puts that much thought into their customer service. I like the new look around here, by the way! 😉

  2. May 17, 2015 at 4:24 am — Reply

    Hi Rachel, what a lovely lodge. The view of the Chyulu Hills and the watering hole is stunning. I love the earthen color of the grounds. Your room definitely looks comfortable with nice little touches. But the food!!!! It looks like you were spoiled by the chef.

  3. May 17, 2015 at 10:09 am — Reply

    The views from the terrace are stunning, what a shame you didn’t see any wildlife out there. I do like the personal touch of waking you if a particular animal shows up though, that’s very special.

    • May 27, 2015 at 10:37 am — Reply

      I loved that too and on top of it all the staff were genuinely friendly. It is always nice to stay in a place where you feel wanted.

  4. May 17, 2015 at 11:50 am — Reply

    Rachael, Once again you’ve found such a lovely place to stay. I can imagine sitting on the veranda with a good cup of coffee. Lovely.

    Cheers to the Weekend Travel Inspiration Dream Team!

  5. May 17, 2015 at 11:06 pm — Reply

    it seems like a lovely lodge!! The idea of a waking call for interesting animals is great!

  6. May 18, 2015 at 12:00 am — Reply

    I swear one day I will make it to Kenya, and when I do your blog will be my travel guide! I love those wooden hippos and the amazing views!

  7. Hakquim
    May 18, 2015 at 12:39 am — Reply

    Iv visited Kilaguni and got great memories of the place.

    Stayed for one night , great welcome, cool towel and passion fruit juice drink on arrival. Staff friendly, helpful. Food – excellent ….

    Rooms great – the view from patio outside was brilliant. The restaurant got the most fantastic views and setting, esp view overlooking the waterhole – wow – watching the animals at the floodlit waterhole while eating dinner was really something!

    Pool was refreshing for afternoon swim before next game drive.

    Overall a great hotel. Everything was good about this hotel, from the food, service, the room. Its location within Tsavo West is ideal and allows for easy game viewing and easy access to Mzima Springs, Shetani Lava and Shetani Caves. I cant wait to go back !!!!

  8. May 18, 2015 at 7:34 pm — Reply

    Lovely! The views are incredible and the food looks so yummy. It’s also nice that they anticipate the needs of their guests. Very nice! Your pictures are great as usual! 🙂

  9. Kenimoja
    May 19, 2015 at 1:00 pm — Reply

    The view from the restaurant looks superb! Overall it looks like an excellent lodge with outstanding service.

    Loving the new look of the blog 🙂

  10. May 19, 2015 at 1:37 pm — Reply

    Wow – you get to stay in the most amazing places!

  11. May 19, 2015 at 9:02 pm — Reply

    how rustic and comfy and even stylish all at the same time. Seems like a cool experience.

  12. May 20, 2015 at 3:29 am — Reply

    Wow…what a lodge. This looks amazing…the views, food, decor. This really looks like a perfect getaway. You know it doesn’t help to have great looking lodges like this when I already want to go to Kenya so badly. 🙂

Leave a Reply to Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *