A small (!) number of zebras down by the manmade watering hole of the Kilaguni Serena safari lodge. Me and Lena, my roommate, could have spent hours just witnessing the antics of the zebra. The youngsters – hundreds of them at times, or at least it seemed as if they were that many – were basically doing what all youngsters do: running around chasing each other, having an absolute blast!

Kilaguni Serena safari lodge is located within Tsavo West National Park and as such, has to comply with quite rigorous standards, which might be one reason why they have achieved a Gold eco-rating from Eco-tourism of Kenya. One of the things the lodge has pledged is keeping this watering hole filled with water for the animals of the park, but reading up on what they do on a yearly basis, I am impressed. They do a heck of a lot more than this. Check it out for yourself: https://ecotourismkenya.org/eco-rated-facilities/entry/198/

I am skeptical of zoos in general and try to avoid them, but in essence, here at Tsavo West National Park, we were the ones ‘caged’, rather than the freely roaming animals. We had strict orders not to get out of our bus. We had two planned stops outside of the lodge but still within the park borders (Mzima Springs and Lion Rock breakfast), and both times we did so with armed guards, to ensure any wild animals could be scared off.

At the entrance to the park, there was a big information sign from the Kenya Wildlife Service. What caught my eye the most, was this:
SERVICE: Compensation for human injury/death
REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN SERVICE: Duly filled compensation claims form
COST: Free

Advent Calendar for 2019: sharing pictures and stories/reflections from my trip to Kenya in June. I went to visit “my trees” and get a hands-on experience of the social entrepreneurship of the Kenyan forestry company that I buy trees through.

Full disclosure: I am proud to say I am both a customer and an ambassador for the company. If you are curious to find out more, let me know and I’ll gladly get in touch with you! Here’s my sponsored link: https://betterglobe.com/27216