Amboseli Reforestation Programme
When Shadrack Karabilo, General Manager (Lodges) first visited Amboseli National Park as the lodge manager, he was deeply saddened by the degenerated state it was in. The park was dry and barren, with not a green tree in sight. It was dotted with the distressing sight of fallen tree trunks. Shadrack quickly envisaged turning it into a beautiful oasis. With a team of eight, he set to work planting trees hoping to restore the Park to its former splendour in the immediate environs of Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge.

Today, thanks to Shadrack's efforts, the Park is slowly beginning to come to life. Over 60,000 indigenous trees have been planted. Thanks to Kenya Wildlife Service initiatives, the roads have been upgraded and off-road driving banned, giving the grass a chance to grow. Amboseli is beginning to look green again. Guests at the Lodge are encouraged to plant trees and have been very supportive. The Kenya Wildlife Service has already allocated a 2-acre plot to Serena to plant another 2,700 trees and a major tour operator has pledged a further 25 acres. But a lot more needs to be done. Amboseli National Park covers an area of 150 square miles and Shadrack hopes that before long his dream of an oasis within the Park can become a reality.

Serena Hotels are luxury resorts, safari lodges and hotels in some of the world's most exquisite and remote settings. Each property is enhanced by its unique surroundings, and expands horizons for travellers while respecting local ways of life. Indigenous design and materials are integrated with the most modern amenities and complemented by exceptional service. An eco-tourism pioneer, Serena Hotels has inititiated important environmental programmes to protect native wildlife and fragile habitats.

The Amboseli Eco Programme
Amboseli has suffered greatly over the years thanks to the combined destructive abilities of the Maasai cattle, the marauding elephant and the onslaught of mass-tourism. In addition the rising water table has brought poisonous alkalis to the ground surface, decimating vast tracts of acacia woodland. In recognition of this fact, Serena Hotels have mounted an ambitious reforestation programme in cooperation with the Kenya Wildlife Service. To date over 60,000 indigenous trees have been planted whilst the majority of roads have been upgraded, thus bringing to an end the destructive practise of off-road driving which has already seriously eroded the grasslands.