Kenya · Group joining · Mid-range safari
Red elephants and springs, from the coast
A safari that starts and ends in Mombasa: Tsavo East's red elephants, Tsavo West's Mzima Springs and lava flows, and the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary around Salt Lick.
Price on request
The journey in brief
The experience
Tsavo is Kenya's largest protected area, split by the Nairobi–Mombasa highway into Tsavo East and Tsavo West. It is an easy safari to add to time on the coast, starting and finishing in Mombasa.
Tsavo East is known for elephants coloured by the red earth, Tsavo West for Mzima Springs and the Shetani lava flow. The last night is in the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, the Salt Lick area, overlooking a waterhole.
Tsavo East's red elephants and Aruba dam
Mzima Springs and the Shetani lava flow in Tsavo West
Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary at Salt Lick
Starts and ends in Mombasa
The route
Mombasa
Tsavo East
Tsavo West
Taita Hills (Salt Lick)
Mombasa
Mombasa → Tsavo East → Tsavo West → Taita Hills (Salt Lick) → Mombasa
Day by day
Timings are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day around road and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 / Mombasa → Tsavo East National Park
Leave the coast behind with a pick-up from your Mombasa hotel and drive inland to Buchuma Gate, the entrance to Tsavo East National Park. Game viewing begins as soon as you enter, on the way to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, explore the area around Aruba dam and Mudanda Rock, a long outcrop where rainwater collects and animals come to drink. Tsavo East's red soil gives its elephants a distinctive rust-coloured coat, one of the sights the park is known for.
Day 2 / Tsavo East → Tsavo West
Begin with a sunrise drive in Tsavo East, then breakfast before leaving the park at Voi Gate and crossing the Nairobi–Mombasa highway into Tsavo West. The landscape changes noticeably: hillier, greener and shaped by volcanic activity. In the afternoon, visit Mzima Springs, where clear water from the Chyulu Hills fills a chain of pools and an underwater viewing chamber lets you look below the surface. Continue to the Shetani lava flow, a broad field of black volcanic rock.
Day 3 / Tsavo West → Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary
An early drive in Tsavo West, then breakfast and a final game drive as you make your way out of the park. Continue to the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, a private reserve on the edge of the Tsavo ecosystem, arriving for lunch. In the afternoon, take a game drive in the sanctuary, where waterholes draw elephants, buffalo and plains game, before settling in for the night in the Salt Lick area, overlooking a waterhole where animals may come to drink after dark.
Day 4 / Taita Hills → Mombasa
A last morning game drive in the sanctuary before breakfast, while the air is cool and the waterholes are often busy. After breakfast, leave the Taita Hills and drive back towards the coast, descending from the dry bush country to the humid lowlands around Mombasa, where you arrive in the afternoon in time for your hotel or onward plans.
Where you stay
Lodges for this safari are agreed with you after you enquire, based on your dates, preferences and availability.
Tsavo East · 1 night
Tsavo West · 1 night
Taita Hills (Salt Lick) · 1 night
Accommodation pattern: Mid-range · Overnight at the lodge.
This safari is priced for your exact dates. Lodge rates, park fees and availability vary through the year, so we confirm a written price once we know your dates and party size.
Prices can depend on travel dates, party size, accommodation availability and changes to park fees. All terms are confirmed in writing before you book.
The details
Before you travel
Check passport validity and entry requirements for every country on your route with official government sources before you travel.
Ask a travel-health professional about vaccinations and malaria precautions, and take out travel insurance that covers your activities.
A soft bag is easiest in safari vehicles. If any part of your trip includes light-aircraft flights, baggage limits apply.
Weather and wildlife movement change through the year. Tell us your dates and we will explain what to expect.
Questions travellers ask
Group-joining safaris follow the published route so everyone travels together. If you want changes, ask us about running the route privately.
Prices for this safari depend on your dates, party size and accommodation availability, so we quote for your exact trip.
We reply with availability, any suggestions for your dates and a written quote. Nothing is booked until you have agreed the quote and booking terms.
No. Wildlife is free-ranging and sightings vary. Your guide will plan each day around conditions to give you the best chances.
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The next step
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability and send a written quote; nothing is booked until you agree.
Use Plan My Safari to send your dates, travellers and preferences for this safari. It takes about two minutes.
Still deciding?
If this safari is close but not quite right, describe your ideal trip and we will suggest a route.
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