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Most visitors reach Tsavo East National Park by road from the Mombasa or Diani Beach coast, 110 km to Bachuma Gate on a drive of about 2.5–3 hours. The park sits in Taita-Taveta County between Mombasa and Nairobi, and you can also arrive by SGR train to Voi or charter flight to airstrips inside the park.
Tsavo East National Park, Taita-Taveta County, Kenya
Ride the Madaraka Express from Syokimau Terminus to Voi or Miasenyi station, both of which serve Tsavo East. The run takes about four hours, and the line passes right along the park's edge, so keep your eyes on the window — the crossing is a safari warm-up in itself.
Book on the official portal, metickets.krc.co.ke, well ahead of travel; seats on this route go fast. From Voi station, arrange a pickup of roughly 30–60 minutes to Voi Gate or your lodge. Do that before you board, because there's no standing shuttle service at the station.
Coming from Mombasa, board at Mombasa Terminus and alight at Miasenyi or Voi, roughly 160 km up the line. From either stop, a pre-arranged pickup takes you to your gate or lodge — the same rule as from Nairobi: sort the vehicle before you travel.
It's the relaxed option for coast-based visitors who'd rather not drive the highway themselves. Pair it with an overnight stay inside the park, since gate hours run 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and you'll want to arrive with a full day ahead of you.
Take the Mombasa–Nairobi highway north. KWS gives the gate distances: Bachuma Gate at 110 km, Voi Gate at 156 km, and Manyani Gate at 191 km from Mombasa. Bachuma is the one most people use — it puts you closest to Aruba Dam and the southern circuit.
Tour operators run frequent 1–3 day safaris from Mombasa and Diani Beach, typically entering at Bachuma for morning and afternoon game drives. If you're self-driving, remember the park's speed limit is 40 km/h and off-road driving is prohibited; the KES 600 daily vehicle fee is billed on top of your entry ticket.
Head south from Nairobi on the Nairobi–Mombasa road. Mtito Andei Gate sits 233 km from the capital and 250 km north of Mombasa, so allow four to five hours to reach it — and more again for the rough tracks between the gate and camps deeper inside.
A 4WD with a driver who knows the park pays for itself here; distances are huge and services inside are minimal. Carry water, spares, and a working phone. Gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM, so time your departure to arrive in daylight.
Charters are the fastest way in — under an hour from Nairobi's Wilson Airport, or 30–45 minutes from the Mombasa coast. The main airstrips are Voi and Ithumba, with further strips at Aruba, Satao, Sala, Sangayaya, Thabagunji, Lugard, and Bachuma.
Choose the strip that matches your accommodation; Ithumba, in the park's remote north, is the one for anyone heading to that quieter region. Expect to pay considerably more than rail or road — you're buying speed and access, and for distant camps it's worth it.
There's no dedicated car park — you park at the entry gates (Bachuma, Voi, Mtito Andei or Manyani), where vehicle entry costs KES 600/day for cars under 6 seats. Taxi and lodge transfers from Voi or Miasenyi stations drop you at the gate itself. Inside, expect rough 4WD tracks and no documented wheelchair-accessible facilities.
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| From | Mode | Time | Cost | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi (Syokimau SGR Terminus) | Madaraka Express train to Voi or Miasenyi, then pre-arranged road transfer | About 4 hours on the train, plus a 30–60 minute transfer to Voi Gate or your lodge | KES 1,050 economy / KES 3,200 first class (Nairobi–Voi), transfer priced separately | Book well in advance on the official metickets.krc.co.ke portal, not resellers — the train is the cheap, scenic option and the line runs right past the park. |
| Nairobi (by road) | Self-drive or private driver on the Nairobi–Mombasa highway to Mtito Andei Gate | 4–5 hours to the gate, then extra time on rough park tracks to reach camps inside | Vehicle entry KES 600/day for cars under 6 seats, paid on top of per-person fees | Leave at dawn — KWS gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM, and the internal dirt roads to remote camps eat more time than the map suggests. |
| Mombasa (city or port) | Road via the Mombasa–Nairobi highway to Bachuma Gate | About 2.5–3 hours (110 km) | Vehicle entry KES 600/day for cars under 6 seats; organised 1–3 day safari packages from the coast are widely available | Bachuma is the closest gate at 110 km — Voi Gate is 156 km and Manyani 191 km, so route via Bachuma unless your camp sits deeper in the park. |
| Diani Beach | Road transfer or an organised 1–3 day safari, usually entering at Bachuma Gate | Roughly 2.5–3 hours depending on gate and traffic | Vehicle entry KES 600/day for cars under 6 seats; guided packages from the coast vary in price | Most coast safaris enter at Bachuma for morning and afternoon drives with only 4–6 hours of game viewing — stay a night if you want more than a taste. |
| Nairobi Wilson Airport (or Mombasa) by air | Charter flight to an in-park airstrip — Voi or Ithumba are the main ones, with others at Aruba, Satao, Sala, Sangayaya, Thabagunji, Lugard and Bachuma | 50–60 minutes from Nairobi Wilson; 30–45 minutes from the Mombasa coast | Charter pricing varies (expect it to cost more than road or rail); aircraft under 1,500 kg pay a USD 10 landing fee under the 2025 tariff | Pick the airstrip that matches your accommodation — Ithumba serves the quieter northern sector, Voi the main southern circuit. |
The Madaraka Express from Nairobi's Syokimau Terminus reaches Voi or Miasenyi in about 4 hours for KES 1,050 economy — roughly the cost of a tank of fuel. Book only on the official metickets.krc.co.ke portal and do it well ahead, as seats sell out. Pre-arrange a pickup, since the stations are 30–60 minutes from Voi Gate and the lodges.
Buy your ticket on KWSPay (kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke) by card or M-Pesa before you arrive, and make sure your category — citizen, resident, African, or non-resident — matches the ID you carry. KWS checks it at the gate, and a mismatch will cost you time at 6 AM. Non-resident adults pay USD 80 per 24 hours, with vehicle entry (KES 600/day for a car under 6 seats) billed separately.
Coming from Mombasa or Diani, Bachuma Gate is the shortest run: 110 km, about 2.5–3 hours. Voi Gate (156 km) and Manyani Gate (191 km) sit further up the Nairobi highway. Bachuma also puts you closest to the southern circuit of Aruba Dam, Mudanda Rock, and the Galana River, so a morning-plus-afternoon drive is realistic in one day.
Your entry ticket covers 24 hours of continuous stay, not a calendar day — so arriving at 6 AM on a two-day trip means buying two tickets anyway, and timing your arrival to midday can waste a paid day. Also note the new 2025 tariff was briefly halted by a High Court order, so check the current fees on KWSPay shortly before you travel. A Tsavo East ticket does not cover Tsavo West; if you're crossing between parks, buy the combination package in one payment.
Skip April and November if you're self-driving — the long and short rains turn park tracks into quagmires, and with 13,747 km² of bush, few services, and little traffic, getting stuck is a real scenario. June to October and January to February are the months when animals cluster at the Galana River and Aruba Dam and the tracks stay passable. Carry water, spares, and a working phone whatever the season; the speed limit inside is 40 km/h and off-road driving is prohibited.
Bachuma Gate is 110 km from Mombasa along the Mombasa–Nairobi highway, about a 2.5–3 hour drive; Voi Gate is 156 km and Manyani Gate 191 km. Most coastal safaris enter at Bachuma for morning and afternoon game drives. Vehicle entry costs KES 600 per day for a car with under 6 seats, on top of your park ticket.
Yes. The Madaraka Express SGR runs from Nairobi's Syokimau Terminus to Voi or Miasenyi stations in about 4 hours, costing KES 1,050 economy or KES 3,200 first class. From the coast, board at Mombasa Terminus and the ride to the Voi area takes 2–3 hours. Either way, arrange a pickup — you'll need a 30–60 minute transfer to your gate or lodge. Book at metickets.krc.co.ke well ahead.
Mtito Andei Gate, 233 km south of Nairobi on the Nairobi–Mombasa road — allow 4–5 hours to reach it, then extra time for the rough tracks to camps inside the park. Coming from Mombasa or Diani, use Bachuma Gate instead, at 110 km. The speed limit inside is 40 km/h and off-road driving is banned.
Under the KWS tariff effective 1 October 2025, non-residents pay USD 80 per adult and USD 40 per child (3–17) for a 24-hour stay; Kenya residents pay KES 1,350/675 and East African citizens KES 1,000/500. Children under 5 enter free. Vehicle entry is billed separately — KES 600/day for cars under 6 seats, up to KES 3,000 for 13–24 seats. Pay electronically via KWSPay on eCitizen (card or M-Pesa).
Gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM daily, year-round — unless you're staying overnight inside the park, in which case you can arrive later. There's no night driving. Your ticket covers 24 hours of continuous stay rather than a calendar day, so plan multi-night trips around that clock.
Charter flights land at several airstrips, mainly Voi and Ithumba, with others at Aruba, Satao, Sala, Sangayaya, Thabagunji, Lugard and Bachuma. From Nairobi's Wilson Airport the flight takes 50–60 minutes; from the Mombasa coast, 30–45. The landing fee for aircraft under 1,500 kg is USD 10 under the 2025 tariff. Pick the airstrip that matches your camp.
No special park permit for a standard visit — just buy your ticket on KWSPay (kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke) or by card/M-Pesa at the gate. Most foreign nationals do need the Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) approved before departure, with a passport valid at least six months. Carry ID matching your ticket category, since KWS checks citizen, resident, African, or non-resident status at the gate.
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