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Swap the coast for the savannah with a safari from Mombasa or Diani to Tsavo East National Park, home to Kenya's famous red elephants. Choose from day trips to multi-day adventures covering Tsavo East, Tsavo West, and Amboseli, all with hotel pickup and private transport included.
Free Cancellation Two-day private 4x4 safari to Tsavo East from Mombasa or Diani, one night in the park, with hotel pickup.
Free Cancellation 15-hour private safari from Mombasa to Tsavo East, with Aruba Dam visit, lodge lunch, and hotel pickup included.
4-day private safari from Mombasa covering Tsavo East, Tsavo West, and Amboseli, with full-board lodging.
Free Cancellation 9-hour guided day safari to Tsavo East from Mombasa or Diani, with a 5:00 am hotel pickup.
Free Cancellation 7-hour private game drive in Tsavo East from Mombasa, with lunch in the park and a licensed guide.
Free Cancellation Private full-day safari from Mombasa to Tsavo East with hotel, apartment, or port pickup and game drive in a pop-up-roof vehicle.
Free Cancellation 48-hour safari from Mombasa or Diani with a night at Voi Wildlife Lodge, all meals and hotel pickup included.
Two-day private safari from Mombasa with full-board overnight stay, meals and door-to-door pickup included.
Free Cancellation Private full-day safari from Mombasa with 6 hours of game viewing in Tsavo East, lodge lunch and park fees included.
Free Cancellation Private 9-hour Tsavo East day safari from Mombasa with hotel transfers, game drives and lodge lunch.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Tsavo East National Park — from practical tips to personal highlights.
Most tours leave Mombasa or Diani between 5:00 and 7:00 am, drive about 2.5 hours up the Mombasa–Nairobi road to Bachuma Gate (110 km), and spend the rest of the day on game drives across open, semi-arid plains. This is Kenya's largest national park at 13,747 km², so expect long drives between sightings and very few other vehicles — that quiet is the point. Day tours run 7–15 hours door to door; overnight versions add a lodge night and a second morning drive.
Tsavo's elephants coat themselves in fine red soil, turning grey skin rust-coloured. Herds gather to drink and bathe at Aruba Dam and along the Galana River, often in large family groups — every tour route passes at least one of these spots.
The Galana River squeezes through polished rock rapids here, and the pools draw crocodiles and kingfishers. It's a standard scenic stop on day tours, usually paired with a slow drive along the river looking for hippos.
A long inselberg that feeds a natural dam at its base. You can climb it for a lookout over the plains, where elephants, zebras and antelope come to drink — one of the park's best vantage points.
Tsavo's male lions grow sparse manes, an adaptation to the hot, thorny bush. They're descendants of the region made notorious by the 1898 man-eaters, and prides are regularly seen on the open plains in the cool hours.
Kingfishers, herons, raptors and weavers line the Galana; bustards, coursers and hornbills work the dry scrub. Guides on the multilingual tours (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish) point out the smaller species between big-game stops.
Day tours break for lunch at a lodge inside the park — Voi Wildlife Lodge is the usual one for overnight trips. It's a chance to stretch, eat properly, and watch the waterhole before the afternoon drive.
Tours from Mombasa and Diani range from a $135 budget day trip to a $1,200 four-day circuit through three parks, and the differences between them matter more than the price gap suggests.
Everything on this route is private — you get your own vehicle and driver-guide, ranging from a safari van with pop-up roof to a 4x4 Landcruiser. Day tours run 7–15 hours; the most common booking is 2 days/1 night with morning and afternoon drives. The 4-day option chains Tsavo East, Tsavo West (including Mzima Springs) and Amboseli.
Check whether entry is included. Most tours bundle it, but the cheapest day tour ($135) excludes park fees — you pay the USD 80 non-resident adult fee by card at the gate on top. Under the tariff effective 1 October 2025, children 3–17 pay USD 40 and under-5s enter free.
Departures run any day of the week, including from cruise ships and Moi International Airport with a name-sign pickup at arrivals. Coast hotels fill over European winter (December–March), so book a few weeks ahead then; mid-year you can often arrange a tour within days.
Most tours refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure — the friendliest terms on this page. The 4-day trip is stricter: full refund only 6+ days out, 50% between 2 and 6 days, nothing inside 48 hours. Read the policy before booking long trips.
Pickups run 5:00–7:00 am depending on your hotel zone (South Coast hotels go first). The early start is worth it: wildlife is most active near water in the cool hours, and midday averages around 31°C. Pack a fleece anyway — dawn drives sit near 20°C or below.
Several tours are listed as wheelchair accessible with infant seats available, and game drives involve almost no walking. Mudanda Rock and Lugard's Falls require some uneven ground, so travellers with limited mobility can stay vehicle-based. One tour flags against booking with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health — check the listing.
Driver-guides are licensed or certified, and most tours offer English, German, French, Italian or Spanish — confirm your language when booking. Overnight trips include full board (all meals plus lodge accommodation, typically Voi Wildlife Lodge).
A Tsavo East ticket does not cover Tsavo West, so the two-park combination needs its own package. Two days gets you comfortable coverage of the southern circuit — Aruba Dam, Mudanda Rock, Lugard's Falls — while the quieter north around Ithumba rewards a third day.
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| Budget Day Tour | Private Full-Day Tour | 2-Day / 1-Night Safari | 4-Day Multi-Park Safari | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 9 hours door to door | 7–15 hours, 5:30 am pickup | 48 hours, morning pickup from coast hotels | 96 hours, Mombasa to Amboseli |
| Best for | Travellers watching costs; cruise passengers with one port day | Families and photographers who want to set their own pace and stops | Anyone who can spare a night — the most popular option, with two game drives instead of one | Travellers doing one big Kenya trip; the only option covering Mzima Springs and Kilimanjaro views |
| Includes | Private transport, bottled water, lodge lunch — park fees paid separately by card at the gate | Licensed guide, safari van or 4x4 Landcruiser, park fees, lodge lunch, hotel pickup | Full board at Voi Wildlife Lodge, park fees, 4x4 Landcruiser, all meals, hotel pickup | Three parks (Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Amboseli), 3 nights full board, private vehicle |
| Price from | USD 135 per person (plus USD 80 park entry) | USD 360–403 per person | USD 486–714 per person | USD 1,200 per person |
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KWS opens the gates at 6:00 AM and closes them at 6:00 PM daily, year-round. Night driving is banned, so your tour's game drives are squeezed into daylight. If you're staying overnight inside the park, the closing time doesn't apply to you.
The entry ticket covers 24 hours of continuous stay, not a calendar day — relevant if you're self-planning around a 2-day tour.
Tour pickups from the coast run 5:00–7:00 am, which puts you inside the park shortly after the gates open, in the cool hours when animals are at the water.
By road from Mombasa/Diani: 110 km to Bachuma Gate on the Mombasa–Nairobi highway, about 2.5–3 hours. Voi Gate is 156 km, Manyani 191 km. Nearly all coast tours enter at Bachuma.
By train (SGR): the Madaraka Express stops at Voi and Miasenyi stations — about 2–3 hours from Mombasa, KES 1,050 economy from Nairobi. One overnight tour offers free pickup from Voi SGR station; otherwise arrange a 30–60 minute transfer.
By air: charter flights land at Voi, Ithumba, Aruba and several other strips; 30–45 minutes from the coast. Landing fee for aircraft under 1,500 kg is USD 10.
Tour operators also collect from Moi International Airport and the cruise terminal with a name sign at arrivals.
June to October and January to February are the months to target: dry, thin vegetation, and wildlife concentrated around the Galana River and Aruba Dam. July to October is the strongest stretch.
Skip April if you can. It's the wettest month and tracks turn to mud. November, peak of the short rains, spreads animals across fresh grass and drops sighting rates.
Daytime temperatures average about 31°C, nights 20°C — pack a fleece for dawn drives even in the dry season.
Whenever you go, the park stays far quieter than the Maasai Mara. Going hours without seeing another vehicle is normal here.
Game drives are vehicle-based, so older visitors and most wheelchair users who can transfer into a safari vehicle can do a full tour — several listings are explicitly marked wheelchair accessible, and infant seats are available on request.
There's no formal accessible infrastructure at the park itself, and the terrain is rough, dusty 4WD track. Arrange an adapted vehicle through your operator in advance.
On-foot stops like Mudanda Rock and Lugard's Falls involve uneven rock; travellers with limited mobility can simply stay with the vehicle.
One tour on this page advises against booking with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health — the tracks are bumpy for hours at a time.
Services inside the park are minimal. KWS's own packing list tells visitors to bring drinking water, food, a camera, binoculars, sunscreen, repellent, a first-aid kit and sunglasses — take more water than you think you need.
Tours handle the basics: bottled water in the vehicle and lunch at a lodge inside the park (typically Voi Wildlife Lodge on overnight trips). Full board covers breakfast, lunch and dinner on 2-day and 4-day tours.
Gate facilities are basic — don't count on shops, ATMs or reliable phone signal once you're deep in the park.
Stay in your vehicle except in designated areas, keep doors closed, and stay at least 20 m from wildlife. Never feed animals. Camp guests must not walk unescorted at night.
The speed limit is 40 km/h and off-road driving is prohibited — penalties apply. Take out everything you bring in; littering is an offence.
Single-use plastics are banned in all Kenyan national parks, including water bottles and bags. Drones are banned for ordinary tourists: flying needs written KWS permission plus KCAA authorisation, and unpermitted operators risk confiscation.
Carry ID or a passport matching your ticket category (citizen/resident/African/non-resident) — KWS checks at the gate.
About 2.5–3 hours each way to Bachuma Gate, 110 km up the Mombasa–Nairobi highway. That's why pickups run between 5:00 and 7:00 am — the drive eats the first part of your morning, and you want to be inside the park by mid-morning. Day tours run 7–15 hours door to door depending on the operator.
Most do, but not all. The cheapest day tour ($135) excludes it — you'll pay the USD 80 non-resident adult fee by card at the gate yourself. Tours in the $310–714 range bundle entry. Children aged 3–17 pay USD 40 and under-5s enter free, under the tariff effective 1 October 2025.
A day trip gets you 4–6 hours of game driving, which is enough to cover Aruba Dam, the Galana River and the red elephants. But the 2-day/1-night option is the most popular for good reason: two game drives, a lodge night at Voi Wildlife Lodge with all meals, and no four-hour round-trip squeezed into one day. Book the overnight if your schedule allows.
Yes. Several tours pick up at the cruise terminal or at airport arrivals with a name-sign — the same private-vehicle format as hotel pickups. A 9-hour day tour fits most port days, though you should confirm your ship's docking hours against the 5:00 am–7:00 am standard pickup window; operators will adjust for cruise schedules.
You have a shot at all five — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino — but densities are lower than in the Maasai Mara. Elephants are near-guaranteed (the red herds at Aruba Dam are the signature sighting), lions are regularly seen, and leopards take patience. The trade-off is genuine wilderness: you can drive three hours without another vehicle.
South Coast hotels (which includes Diani) get the earliest pickups, around 6:00 am, with North Coast hotels at 7:00 am on the standard 2-day tour. Day trips from Diani typically collect at 5:00 am. Diani pickups add roughly 30–45 minutes through the Likoni crossing before the highway run north.
All ten tours currently sold from Mombasa and Diani are private — your own vehicle and driver-guide, at a per-person or per-group price set by the operator. You choose between a safari van with pop-up roof or a 4x4 Landcruiser on some listings. There's no hop-on group bus format on this route.
Most tours refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. The 4-day multi-park safari is stricter: full refund only with 6+ days' notice, 50% between 2 and 6 days, and nothing inside 48 hours. Check your specific listing before booking, since terms vary between operators.
Yes — the 4-day tour covers Tsavo East, Tsavo West (including Mzima Springs, where you watch hippos through crystal-clear spring water) and Amboseli for about $1,200 with three nights full board. Note that a Tsavo East ticket doesn't cover Tsavo West, so shorter combinations need separate tickets bought in one payment as a package.
The park itself is safe — the real rules are staying in your vehicle and keeping 20 m from wildlife. Malaria is the health issue that matters: this is a coastal lowland zone with year-round transmission that peaks around March–May and November–December, so see a travel clinic about prophylaxis before you go. Tsetse flies bite during the day; neutral-coloured clothing (khaki, olive) seems to deter them.
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This two-day tour runs from Mombasa or Diani to Tsavo East and back, with one night inside the park. Pickup is at 6:00am from South Coast hotels and 7:00am from North Coast hotels, any day of the week. The drive to the park gate takes about two and a half hours along the Mombasa-Nairobi road, in a private 4x4 Landcruiser with your own driver-guide. Expect elephants, lions, giraffe and buffalo, plus birds like crowned cranes and secretary birds — the itinerary lists game drives but no specific stops or lodges, so confirm your accommodation choice when booking. Guides speak English, German, French or Spanish. Park fees, meals, accommodation, transport, mineral water in the vehicle, and hotel pickup and drop-off are all included. Gratuities aren't. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, French, Spanish
A 5:30 am pickup from your Mombasa hotel starts this 15-hour private tour, which follows the Mombasa–Nairobi road to Bachuma gate with a short stop before entering the park. Game drives run either side of lunch at a lodge inside Tsavo East, including a stop at Aruba dam — a reliable spot for wildlife, especially in the dry season. You travel in a customized safari van or a 4x4 Land Cruiser, depending on the option you book. A professional English-speaking guide comes as standard; German and French guides are also available. Airport and cruise-port pickups are offered, with the driver waiting at arrivals or the waiting area holding a banner with your name on it. The price covers park entrance fees, lodge lunch, bottled drinking water, and hotel pickup and drop-off. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, French
Four days, three parks, one private vehicle. This tour runs from Mombasa through Tsavo East and Tsavo West before ending in Amboseli, with Mzima Springs on the itinerary in Tsavo West. You'll be looking for elephants, buffalo, cheetahs, leopards, and rhinos across the three parks; from both Tsavo West and Amboseli you can see Mt Kilimanjaro on clear days. It's a private arrangement, so the vehicle and driver are yours for the full 96 hours. Pickup is from homes and apartments in the Mombasa area, and guides work in English, German, French, or Spanish — worth stating your preference when booking. Accommodation is three nights on full board, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner all covered. Gratuities are the one extra you pay yourself. Cancel at least 6 full days before departure and you get a full refund; between 2 and 6 days out, you get a partial refund. Anything inside 48 hours is likely nothing, so don't book it on a whim.
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.<br>If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
German, English, French, Spanish
A 9-hour day trip that starts with a 5:00 am pickup from your hotel, apartment, or private home anywhere in Mombasa or Diani, then drives up the Mombasa–Nairobi road to the first gate of Tsavo East. There's a short stopover at the gate before the game drive begins. Airport and port arrivals are covered too — the driver meets you in the arrival hall with a signboard carrying the lead traveler's name. Transport is a proper safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, so you can stand and watch animals through the open top. Guides work in English and French. The park's wildlife includes large herds of dust-red elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, hippo pods, crocodile, waterbuck, lesser kudu, gerenuk, and hirola, plus a wide range of bird species. Included: bottled water in the vehicle, Tsavo East entrance fees, hotel pickup and drop-off in Mombasa, all transport, and lunch at a lodge. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, French
A 7-hour private safari that starts and ends on the coast, so you skip overnight lodge costs entirely. You leave from Sarova Whitesands (a short taxi ride from Moi International Airport), drive a few hours to Tsavo East, and spend the day tracking the park's red elephants and visiting Aruba Dam before returning to your beach hotel the same evening. It's built for travelers combining a Mombasa or Diani beach stay with a one-day safari. Transport is private, with a licensed in-person guide — German, English, Italian, French, and Spanish are available. Park fees, lunch inside the park, and bottled water are included; gratuities are not. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian, French, Spanish
This private tour picks you up from your hotel, apartment, or the port in Mombasa and drives to Tsavo East along the Mombasa–Nairobi highway, arriving around 8:30 am for the start of a full-day game drive. Because it's private, the pace and stops are yours to set. You travel in a safari vehicle with a pop-up roof for standing-height wildlife viewing. Tsavo East's signature sight is its red elephants — the animals coat themselves in the park's iron-rich dust and mud, and you'll often watch them rolling in it. Rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, hippo pods, crocodile, waterbuck, lesser kudu, gerenuk, and hirola are also present, along with a wide range of bird species. Included are park entry fees, lunch, bottled water, and pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or residence. If you're staying in an apartment, confirm your unit number in advance so the driver can get through the gate. Guides are available in English, German, Italian, and French. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian, French
Two days, one night, from the coast. You leave Mombasa or Diani in the morning, spend the day in Tsavo East, sleep at Voi Wildlife Lodge, and run a second game drive before heading back the next day. An English-speaking guide drives throughout. Every meal is covered — breakfast, lunch and dinner both days, plus bottled water in the vehicle. The lodge night is included too, so the only money you'll need on the road is for extras. Park fees are not in the list of inclusions; confirm before booking. Pickup runs from any hotel in Mombasa, Nyali and Bamburi, and Diani is covered as well. Moi International Airport and the cruise ship terminal cost nothing extra, and they'll also collect you from Voi SGR station — handy if you're arriving by train. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
A private, two-day trip from Mombasa to Tsavo, roughly a three-hour drive from the coast, with your own vehicle and a guide who speaks English, German, Italian or French. Pickup is from homes and apartments, so it works whether you're staying in Mombasa or down in Diani. The pace is built around an overnight inside the park rather than a rushed day trip, which gives you morning and late-afternoon game drives — the hours when the big elephant herds moving between Tsavo East and West are most active. Rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, hippo pods and crocodile are all on the roster, plus lesser kudu, gerenuk and around 500 recorded bird species. Private transport, full-board accommodation, dinner and breakfast are covered; gratuities are not. Cancel at least three full days before departure for a full refund — inside three days you get nothing back.
If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
German, English, Italian, French
A 5:45 am pickup from your Mombasa hotel, homestay, or apartment starts this private day trip, which runs about 8 hours door to door. The van follows the Mombasa–Nairobi road to Bachuma gate — a drive of just over an hour — with a short stop before entering the park. Once inside, you get a full 6 hours of game viewing, including the rock formations where wildlife concentrates, and a stop at Aruba dam, where animals come to drink. Lunch is at one of the lodges inside the park, then it's another hour-plus back to Mombasa. Transport is a customized safari van with a pop-up roof for game viewing, and a professional English-speaking guide accompanies you (French-speaking guides are also available). Park entrance fees, bottled drinking water, lunch, and hotel pickup and drop-off are all included; the only things to bring are personal extras. Cancellation is standard — a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. Just tell the operator where you're staying when you book, since pickup coverage depends on your address being confirmed.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, French
Nine hours door to door, on a private basis from Mombasa. Your driver-guide meets you in the hotel lobby (or at arrivals with a name sign, if you're coming from the airport) 30 minutes before departure, and from the park gate it's six hours of game driving through Tsavo East — the red elephants, buffalo herds, giraffes and zebras, with stops at the Galana River and Aruba Dam, a known animal watering point. Guides work in English, German, Italian, French or Spanish. A hot lunch at a safari lodge is served midday, and private transport plus bottled water are included. Park fees are paid separately, by card, at the gate — budget for that on the day. Tips for the guide are at your discretion. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian, French, Spanish