Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge

Good lodge, location, environment

The location is absolutely breathtaking, set in Tsavo West with wide views of Mount Kilimanjaro and a waterhole where elephants and buffaloes gathered daily. Watching them from my balcony was truly special. My room was clean, comfortable, and thoughtfully designed. I enjoyed the peaceful pool area and loved dining while taking in the open plains. Every meal was fresh, flavorful, and served with care. A big thank you to Lillian, whose warm and attentive service made each meal feel personal. Wilson, the lodge manager, was always around, checking in and making sure everyone felt at home. And Ziyaan did a fantastic job coordinating everything behind the scenes—his support made the entire trip feel smooth and well-planned. From the game drives bush breakfasts , sundowners and a visit to Maina Springs to quiet moments at the lodge, every part of this experience left a lasting impression. I’d return without hesitation.

Stopped here for one night as part of a week long safari. The standard rooms are in a long row, all with a view of the waterhole. We had an upstairs room (25) so we had a balcony. The rooms are a good size, are nicely decorated and very clean. The bed was comfortable. There is no safe in this room. The Wi-Fi was a little patchy but we managed to do what we needed to before moving on. There is a pool on site but as we had very little time here, we didn't visit it. When you leave your room and walk towards the dining area, the walls seem like they move. There are a large number of different sized and coloured lizards which scarper when they hear noise or movement. It's an experience to watch. The agama lizards will stay quite still for a short while whilst you take a photo. There didn't appear to be many guests at the time we were there. We were seated with those from our safari jeep. For dinner, the dining room is only lit by candles. There are no windows so the area is open to insects etc hence the low light. It also allows you to watch the waterhole for animals as the area is lit up. We had a staff member ask if we wanted a night call for a specific animal. We politely declined; not because we didn't want to but because the safari is an adventure on its own and we had daily early alarms (6am ish every day). Food was buffet style and was good quality. There was something for everyone. For breakfast, toast, tea and coffee were brought to the table. For dinner, soup and bread was brought to the table. Staff were attentive without being overwhelming. A great experience.

My wife and I loved this lodge but I had to rate it so poorly for a few things. The main one being the beds in the room are so terribly stiff it feels like I was sleeping on a park bench. The bed is so hard and unforgiving as a brick wall. It is 1 am and I can not sleep because this mattress is so hard. We called to the front desk to see if they had a topper to cushion the stiffness they did not. My arms arm constantly going numb because my weight is not being distributed sufficiently. The second issue is the food just horrible. Flavorless bad cuts of meat more fat than meat. Salad bar had the edges of the iceberg lettuce no green leaves and , no arugula or kale , romaine or butter lettuce. Water temperature was really low and I had big hopes after using the restroom in the reception/bar area. It was so hot. Third things was Gary the gecko didn’t want stay outside because of large space under door he crawled on in. When I try to persuade him out he ran and couldn’t find him. While I was looking for him I found mice droppings behind the desk. Didn’t see any mice but where there is droppings there is mice. So I’m thankful Mickey didn’t make an appearance. The good things in the lodge was the view in the dinning room just breathe taking , the style of the rooms and the caring and attentive spirit of all the workers on the grounds. I am sure if they let the workers themselves come up with an immediate fix for how stiff mattress they would have figured out an affordable solution to the problem .

My partner and I’s go to is Serena because of their impeccable service and standards. We spent 3 nights in the hotel and the views are to die for. The watering hole is such a good idea as you get to see many Animals at the comfort of your balcony or common area verandah. If you have time I would recommend doing the lion rock breakfast as the view of Kilimanjaro and its surrounding is so fantastic. Huge kudos to Wilson who was very attentive and went out of his way to make our stay even better. The rooms are old but then again the hotel was built in 1960s so expected.

This Lodge has a water hole that attracts all species. During the day there is a highway of animal traffic to/from the water hole. You could sit all day just watching. Elephants, girafs, Buffalo, zebras, wilderbeast etc. At night there is chance of Hyena, Lions, Leopard, Cheetah etc. The hotel has a call service to wake you up if specific specie is seen. Food is fine. Buffet. Not my favourite, but that is subjective. We had our own driver from Explorer Kenya (highly recommend them and Moses Kangara (driver)) so we did not use hotel game-drives. Pool was a bit cool, but seemed fine. We did not use it. Staff was really great and pleasant. Both reception, bar and restaurant.