Nairobi to the Kilaguni lodge to start the Safari

I had to get up at 4:45 to be ready to leave Darsi’s at 5:30 so that he could drop me off at the hotel for a 6:00 departure to the Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge for a three day stay. We took the main road to Mombasa which they are turning into a super highway. However, much work is to be done and in the work sections the ride was horrible, especially in a van with now shock absorbers. We stopped half way at a gas station and gift shop which had sorely needed toilets. However, the men’s portion was more or less out in the open. By this time many in the group were on lomotil which stops peristalsis. However, the shaking of the van compensated for the lack of internal movement. We continued eventually turning off on a dirt road for 39 km more to the Kilaguni Lodge. What a surprise. It is beautiful. The main section (a giraffe is walking by as I write this on my rooms veranda) having one whole 150 ft. wall completely open to the water hole where the animals congregate. It is so beautiful that it is difficult to describe. The weather is very pleasant so that no heat or air conditioning is required. All the meals on site are served in the main section so one can have this wide panoramic view of the water hole, mountains and savanna. Kilimanjaro is in the hazy distance.

In the afternoon we took a game drive to a river that had hippos and crocodiles as well as monkeys and other fauna. The river was spring fed and seemed to emerge from some rocks. It goes all the way to Mombasa. Water is taken for Mombasa upstream of the hippo area, for good reason. They are not the cleanest of animals. They live in the river during the day and go out to graze, sometimes several kilometers away, during the night. Down the stream a ways they had built a circular structure in the water with windows so one could see fish and other marine life. There were a series of circular benches each at a different level.

In the evening we had a very good dinner served individually rather than the usual buffet while looking out over the animals drinking at the water hole. There were a number of elephants then and through most of the night. During the night there was a lion but I missed it.