Tucked away on private land outside the southerly Ziwani Gate of Tsavo West National Park, this likeably unpretentious tented camp has a lovely location in a glade of fever trees flanking the Sante River and an associated waterhole.
It is one of the lesser known safari lodges in this part of Kenya, but it has a useful location for exploring Tsavo coming from Amboseli, and is the closest lodge to Jipe and Chala lakes.
This camp has a sprawling open-air layout and the reception building is as small and functional as the welcome is big and friendly. Having checked in, you'll walk around to the dining area and bar, a large thatch, wood and stone construction on a slope running down to the waterhole, which supports resident pods of hippos. On fine evenings, the four-course candlelit dinners are served under starlight on the lawn between the main building and the waterhole.
The area immediately around Ziwani isn't as good for big game as the Kilaguni area, though it's only about an hour drive between the two. However, there is usually plenty to see around camp, with waterbuck, bushbuck, monkeys and occasionally elephants and buffalo coming to join the resident hippos.
Birdlife is prolific too, and best enjoyed on a guided morning walk with the resident Maasai naturalist and guide. Night drives offer an opportunity to seek nocturnal species such as leopard and genet.
Popular goals for day trips include Lake Chala, set in a massive volcanic caldera on the southern footslopes of Kilimanjaro, and the shallow Lake Jipe, a major elephant hangout and bird-watching site at the Jip entrance gate to Tsavo West.
The furnished tents are well spaced out in the large grounds, and all either overlook the river or the waterhole. Some tents are stilted and they all have a wooden floor, a makuti roof for shade, and a balcony with deckchairs and table. They are simply furnished in a classic safari style, with a large double or twin bed, bath with flush toilet and showers (hot water after 6 pm only).
Neither as ostentatious as Finch Hatton's nor as strong on facilities as Serena Kilaguni, Ziwani is the epitome of a back-to-basics safari camp. The simple but comfortable accommodation is complemented by great food and a very attractive location, but the real kick is the in-your-face bush atmosphere.
It is an excellent value, too, though more timid travelers might feel safer sleeping behind the solid stone walls of the Serena Kilaguni.
