5 Days Tsavo East, West and Amboseli safari from Mombasa

Package Overview

5-Day Tsavo East, West & Amboseli Safari from Mombasa

Five days, three parks, one Land Cruiser that’s yours for the whole trip. This safari takes you from the Mombasa coast into Tsavo East, across to Tsavo West, and up to Amboseli, home to Kenya’s red dust elephants, an underwater chamber where you watch hippos swim past at eye level, and Mount Kilimanjaro as a daily backdrop.

Why Book This Safari & Route

Tsavo and Amboseli see a fraction of the vehicle traffic the Maasai Mara gets. That’s not a small thing, fewer jeeps around a sighting means longer viewing time and wildlife that isn’t constantly reacting to a crowd.

You’ll get close to Tsavo’s famous red elephants, dusted the color of the park’s soil after their daily dust baths. At Mzima Springs, an underwater viewing chamber puts you face-to-face with hippos walking the sandy bottom in water so clear it barely looks real. And in Amboseli, you’re photographing elephant herds with Africa’s tallest mountain rising behind them, the shot most people picture when they think “African safari.”

This itinerary is built for people already on the coast. Maybe you’re extending a Diani Beach holiday, breaking up a Mombasa cruise stop, or just don’t want to backtrack through Nairobi to see real wildlife. This route skips that entirely, straight from the ocean into the bush.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Mombasa to Tsavo East

Early pickup from your Mombasa or Diani hotel. The drive to Tsavo East covers about 150km, roughly 2.5 hours, and takes you from coastal humidity into drier, dustier interior heat. You’ll enter through Bachuma Gate, and the game viewing starts right away on the drive to your lodge. The Galana River pulls in a lot of wildlife, especially when it’s dry season elsewhere and water gets scarce.

Lunch at the lodge, then a break through the hottest stretch of the day, that’s when most animals rest too, so there’s not much to miss. Come evening, you’re back out for a game drive through the riverine areas and open plains near camp, prime time for lions to start hunting.

Overnight: Tsavo East safari lodge or tented camp

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Full Day in Tsavo East

An early start puts you out on the Galana River right as the light comes up, crocodiles sunning on the banks, hippos calling from the deeper pools. This is also when the birdlife really shows off: carmine bee-eaters nesting in the riverbank, martial eagles scanning from the treetops. Visit between November and April and the bird count climbs past 500 species with migrants passing through.

Back to the lodge for lunch and a rest, then out again for the afternoon, pushing deeper into the park’s interior. This is where Tsavo East’s scale really hits you, flat horizons broken only by the odd baobab or rock outcrop, and it’s common to go hours without seeing another vehicle.

Overnight: Tsavo East safari lodge or tented camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Tsavo East to Tsavo West

After breakfast, you head west into Tsavo West through one of the park’s northern gates. The landscape changes fast, Tsavo East’s flat plains give way to Tsavo West’s volcanic hills and the green backdrop of the Chyulu range.

First stop is Mzima Springs. Four natural springs filter through volcanic rock and come out crystal clear, clear enough that an underwater chamber lets you watch hippos walk the bottom and schools of barbel fish swim by.

From there, it’s on to the Shetani Lava Flow, a stretch of black volcanic rock from an eruption roughly 200 years ago. Locally, “shetani” means devil, a nod to what people once thought caused it. Good photo stop, strong contrast against the surrounding green.

The afternoon drive covers Tsavo West’s central plains and acacia woodland, where wildlife tends to be even denser than Tsavo East thanks to more varied terrain and water. Elephant, buffalo, zebra, and the lesser kudu, a species you won’t see in many other Kenyan parks, are all regulars here.

Overnight: Tsavo West safari lodge or tented camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Tsavo West to Amboseli

About a 3-hour drive north to Amboseli, and if the weather cooperates, Kilimanjaro starts appearing on the horizon, first as what looks like cloud, then unmistakably as a mountain. You’ll arrive around midday, check in, and head straight out for an afternoon game drive.

Amboseli’s swamps are fed by snowmelt off Kilimanjaro, and they draw enormous elephant herds, sometimes over 100 animals in one group. The afternoon drive is timed for golden hour, when the light is low and warm and Kilimanjaro sits right behind the elephants in your shots.

The open, flat terrain also makes Amboseli good for Big Five sightings generally, lions are easy to spot from a distance in the grassland, buffalo graze near the swamps, and occasionally black rhino turn up in the drier fringes.

Overnight: Amboseli safari lodge or tented camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Amboseli and the Drive Back to Mombasa

Last game drive starts before sunrise, timed so you catch Kilimanjaro’s peak before cloud cover rolls in, usually by mid-morning. Amboseli’s elephants are some of the most studied in Africa; many family groups have been tracked for generations, and you’ll notice how the matriarchs keep calves close to the center of the herd.

After breakfast at the lodge, it’s the drive back to Mombasa or Diani, arriving by late afternoon, enough time to catch an evening flight or just get back to the beach.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Safari Seasons

• Low Season: April to end of June
• High Season: November to March
• Peak Season: July to October, and 22nd December to 1st January

Where You’ll Stay

High Level Lodges & Luxury Camps

Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary: Salt Lick Safari Lodge
Amboseli National Park: Amboseli Serena Lodge, Ol Tukai Lodge, Kibo Safari Camp
Tsavo West National Park: Kilaguni Serena Lodge, Severin Safari Camp, Voyager Ziwani Camp
Tsavo East National Park: Ashnil Aruba Lodge

Standard Level Lodges & Tented Camps

Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary: Taita Hills Safari Lodge & Spa
Amboseli National Park: Amboseli Sopa Lodge, Amboseli Sentrim Camp
Tsavo West National Park: Ngulia Safari Lodge
Tsavo East National Park: Voi Safari Lodge, Sentrim Tsavo Camp

Safari Prices

Prices are per person sharing a Land Cruiser and accommodation. If you’d rather have your own room, a single supplement applies, we’ll confirm the exact amount when you book.

High Level Lodges & Luxury Camps — Price Per Person Sharing (USD)

Pax	Low Season	High Season	Peak Season
2 Pax	$1,130	$1,240	$1,295
4 Pax	$885	$1,000	$1,040
6 Pax	$810	$915	$970

Easter / Christmas / New Year Eve supplements (per person, per night): Low Season $35 · Peak Season $65

Standard Level Lodges & Tented Camps — Price Per Person Sharing (USD)

Pax	Low Season	High Season	Peak Season
2 Pax	$1,050	$1,120	$1,125
4 Pax	$820	$870	$875
6 Pax	$740	$785	$795

Easter / Christmas / New Year Eve supplements (per person, per night): Low Season $25 · High Season $20 · Peak Season $35

Pickup & Logistics

We collect you straight from your hotel, no separate meeting point to worry about. Pickup is available from:

• Mombasa beach hotels, North and South Coast
• Diani Beach hotels and resorts
• Moi International Airport, Mombasa
• SGR Miritini Station, if you’re arriving by train from Nairobi

The same vehicle takes you the whole way, no switching between transfer vans and safari jeeps mid-trip.

Who This Trip Is For

• Beach travelers already in Mombasa or Diani who want a proper safari without flying to Nairobi first
• Cruise passengers with 5-7 days in port before their next stop
• Photographers after that classic Kilimanjaro-and-elephant shot
• Families with older kids (roughly 7 and up) who can handle full days of driving
• Couples wanting a mix of romance and adventure for an anniversary or honeymoon
• First-timers who want to see different types of terrain in one trip
• Anyone who’s already done the Mara and wants somewhere less crowded

What You’ll See

Wildlife

• Elephants — Tsavo’s red elephants and Amboseli’s big tuskers
• Lions — Tsavo’s prides and Amboseli’s swamp-edge lions
• Leopards — mostly nocturnal, best chance in Tsavo West
• Cheetahs — often on Amboseli’s open plains
• Buffalo — large herds across all three parks
• Black rhino — Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary in Tsavo West
• Giraffe (Maasai subspecies) and plains zebra
• Hippo — Mzima Springs, the Galana River, Amboseli’s swamps
• Nile crocodile
• Antelope — impala, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, fringe-eared oryx, lesser kudu, waterbuck, eland

Landscapes

• The Galana River and Lugard Falls
• Mzima Springs’ underwater viewing chamber
• The Shetani Lava Flow
• The Chyulu Hills
• Kilimanjaro viewpoints from Amboseli
• Amboseli’s wetlands
• Acacia woodland and open savannah

Birdlife

Over 600 species between the three parks — ostrich, secretary bird, kori bustard, martial eagle, lilac-breasted roller, plus seasonal migrants passing through.

Ready to Go?

From the coast to elephants crossing Amboseli’s plains with Kilimanjaro behind them, this trip covers a lot of ground without the Nairobi detour. We’ve been running safaris from Mombasa for over 15 years, lodge bookings, park permits, and vehicle prep are all handled before you even land.

Send us your dates and we’ll put together a quote. Contact Steve and Richard Safaris to get started.

Price Includes

• Transport by 4×4 Landcruiser with open roof
• Transport by 4×4 Toyota Van with open roof
• Mineral Water
• Unlimited and most rewarding game drives
• All government levies
• Accommodation and Meals (full board basis) based on chosen option
• Pick and drop from your hotel or Airport

Price Excludes

• Soft and Alcoholic drinks
• Tips and other gratitude
• Things of personal nature
• Costs incurred while Visiting, local homesteads or maasai villages

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the best time for a Tsavo and Amboseli safari from Mombasa?

July to October and January to March are driest, which usually means the clearest Kilimanjaro views and easier wildlife spotting as animals cluster around water sources.

2. Is this a shared safari or private?

Private, start to finish. Your Land Cruiser and driver-guide work for your group only, nobody else joins the vehicle.

3. Can pickup be from Diani instead of Mombasa?

Yes, that’s standard. Diani, Mombasa city hotels, and the North and South Coast are all regular pickup points.

4. What vehicle do you use?

A 4×4 Land Cruiser Jeep with a pop-up roof. Tsavo’s terrain is rough in places, and this is the vehicle that handles it properly while still giving you a clear view for photos.

5. Will I actually see Kilimanjaro from Amboseli?

Most clear mornings, yes. Cloud tends to build up by mid-to-late morning, which is why the final game drive starts at sunrise.

6. How many nights are included?

Four, one in Tsavo East, one in Tsavo West, two in Amboseli, all full-board, with a choice of Standard or High Level lodges.