Tsavo safari itineraries: 3 to 7 nights, with Amboseli, the coast and the train (2026)

Three nights in Tsavo East by train, no car needed

The simplest Tsavo safari, and the one most people from the coast should take. You ride the Madaraka Express to Voi and stay at Ashnil Aruba Lodge on its Ground Package, which includes return transfers from Voi SGR station and a shared game drive each day. Book trains at metickets.krc.co.ke with your original passport.

1. Day 108:00 Inter-County train from Mombasa, arriving Voi 09:49 (from Nairobi, Voi at 12:02). Lodge transfer through Voi Gate, game driving on the way to Aruba Dam.
2. Day 2Shared morning drive on the Aruba and Kanderi circuits; afternoon watching the dam from the lodge.
3. Day 3Shared drive towards Mudanda Rock, where elephants drink below the rock in the dry season.
4. Day 4Early drive, then the transfer to Voi station: the 08:00 from Nairobi calls at Voi at 12:02 on its way to Mombasa, and the 08:00 from Mombasa calls at 09:49 on its way to Nairobi.

Three nights self-drive: Voi Gate and the southern circuits

For anyone with a hire car or their own vehicle. Tsavo East is the easier park to drive, and Voi has everything you need to shop and refuel. Sleep at Voi Wildlife Lodge the night before if you arrive late, so the arrival night costs no park fee.

1. Night beforeComing from Nairobi (334 km, 4.5 to 5.5 hours), sleep at Voi Wildlife Lodge on the boundary, which costs no park fee.
2. Day 1From Mombasa (156 km, 2 to 2.75 hours) or Voi, enter Voi Gate late morning and drive Kanderi Swamp to Aruba Dam; settle into Satao Camp or Ashnil Aruba Lodge.
3. Day 2Dawn at the water, a midday stop at Mudanda Rock, evening at the camp's waterhole.
4. Day 3North to Lugard's Falls on the Galana River, back by 18:00.
5. Day 4Dawn drive and out before the hour you entered on day 1, so three 24-hour tickets cover the trip; through Voi Gate, or Bachuma Gate for Mombasa (110 km, 1.5 hours).

Three nights fly-in: Tsavo West from Nairobi

Tsavo West is the only half with scheduled flights. Safarilink leaves Nairobi Wilson daily at 07:30 and lands at Kilaguni and Finch Hattons around 08:20, with an afternoon rotation in high season. Baggage is 15 kg in a soft bag.

1. Day 107:30 Safarilink from Wilson, met at the strip by the lodge. Morning in camp, afternoon drive to Mzima Springs.
2. Day 2Early drive in the Chyulu foothills; a night drive (Kilaguni Serena charges $85 per person).
3. Day 3The Shetani lava flow and Chaimu crater, or a cloud-forest walk at Finch Hattons.
4. Day 4Morning drive, 08:30 flight back to Wilson (lands 09:50), or onward connections to the Mara, Laikipia and Samburu.

Five nights self-drive: Tsavo West, then Tsavo East

The classic route through both parks, from Nairobi to the coast. You see the volcanic west first, cross once at Voi, and finish in the open east with the shortest drive out to Mombasa. A 4x4 is needed for the Tsavo West half.

1. Day 1Nairobi to Mtito Andei Gate, 233 km and 3 to 3.5 hours on the A109. Afternoon at Mzima Springs; night at Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge or Severin Safari Camp.
2. Day 2The Shetani lava flow, the Chyulu side and Ngulia's escarpment view. Second night in Tsavo West.
3. Day 3Leave through Maktau Gate within your second 24-hour ticket, 59 km of tarmac to Voi (45 minutes), fuel, then in through Voi Gate. Night at Satao Camp or Ashnil Aruba Lodge.
4. Days 4 and 5Aruba Dam, Mudanda Rock and Lugard's Falls.
5. Day 6Out through Bachuma Gate to Mombasa, 110 km and about 1.5 hours, or Voi for the train.

Five nights, two camps at the top end

For a fly-in trip through both parks, combine a Tsavo West camp reached by Safarilink with a Tsavo East camp reached by road. Tsavo East has no scheduled flights, and charters are priced per aircraft, so a vehicle with a driver-guide for the crossing is usually the better buy.

1. Day 1Safarilink from Wilson to Finch Hattons' own strip, 50 minutes.
2. Days 1 to 3Three nights at Finch Hattons: twice-daily drives, a night drive, cloud-forest walks.
3. Day 4Road transfer with a driver-guide via Mtito Andei and the A109 to Voi, about 100 km between the two towns, then in through Voi Gate to Satao Camp. Lodges do not publish this transfer time, so allow most of the day with a game drive.
4. Days 4 to 6Two nights at Satao Camp around the waterhole.
5. Day 6Out to Voi for the train to Mombasa or Nairobi, or a charter from Satao's own strip.

Combination route: Amboseli and Tsavo

Amboseli adds Kilimanjaro and close-up elephants on open swamps; Tsavo adds space, the red elephants and Mzima Springs. The parks connect through Amboseli's Kimana Gate and Tsavo West's Chyulu Gate, 74 km and 2 to 2.5 hours on part tarmac, part corrugated murram; a 4x4 is recommended. KWS sells all three parks for $215 per non-resident adult against $250 separately, or Tsavo West plus Amboseli for $150, for a continuous stay paid at once.

1. Day 1Nairobi to Amboseli via Emali, 204 km, 4 to 5 hours. Night at Ol Tukai Lodge.
2. Day 2Dawn drive for Kilimanjaro, the swamps by day. Second night in Amboseli.
3. Day 3Out through Kimana Gate, fuel in Kimana, then 74 km to Chyulu Gate. Night at Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge.
4. Day 4Mzima Springs and the lava flows. Second night in Tsavo West.
5. Day 5Maktau Gate, Voi, and into Tsavo East. Night at Ashnil Aruba Lodge.
6. Days 6 and 7Aruba Dam and Mudanda Rock, then out through Bachuma to Mombasa or by train from Voi.

Combination route: Tsavo and the coast (Mombasa, Diani, Watamu)

Tsavo East is the coast's park. Bachuma Gate is 110 km and about 1.5 hours from Mombasa, Voi Gate 156 km, and the 08:00 train from Mombasa reaches Voi at 09:49. Beach hotels sell day trips, but they spend most of the day on the road and arrive after the best light. Two or three nights is the better version, safari first and then the beach, at Satao Camp or at Ashnil Aruba Lodge with its station transfers.

From Watamu and Malindi on the north coast, Sala Gate is 107 km from Malindi, 2.5 to 3 hours, with the last stretch on murram where a 4x4 is advised. Galana Crocodile Camp is the nearest bed inside the park. From Diani, Mombasa Air Safari flies from Ukunda towards Tsavo West on its Amboseli and Mara circuit, but it needs four passengers on the Tsavo leg, so couples pay for the empty seats.

1. Day 1Mombasa 08:00 train to Voi, or a road transfer from Mombasa to Voi Gate. Night at Satao Camp or Ashnil Aruba Lodge.
2. Day 2Full day on the Aruba and Galana circuits.
3. Day 3Dawn drive, then out through Bachuma Gate (1.5 hours to Mombasa) or the train from Voi, and on to the coast hotel.
4. North coast versionIn and out through Sala Gate with two nights at Galana Crocodile Camp, which publishes no rate, so ask for a full-board quote.

Combination route: Nairobi to the coast by train, with Tsavo in the middle

The Madaraka Express runs straight between the two parks, so Tsavo fits into a Nairobi to Mombasa journey with no extra travel. Foreigners pay the same fare as Kenyans: KSh 1,050 from Nairobi to Voi and KSh 440 from Voi to Mombasa in economy.

1. Day 108:00 Inter-County train from Nairobi, reaching Mtito Andei at 10:50 for Tsavo West or Voi at 12:02 for Tsavo East. Lodge pickup; afternoon drive.
2. Days 2 and 3Two full days on lodge drives, at Ashnil Aruba Lodge with its station transfers, or Zomeni Lion Hill Lodge 7.6 km from Voi station with a hired driver.
3. Day 4Transfer to Voi station and the train on to Mombasa, then south to Diani or north to Watamu.

Which kind of lodge fits each leg

On a self-drive trip, use the gate lodges for arrival nights and the in-park camps for the days that matter. Voi Wildlife Lodge or Red Elephant Safari Lodge outside Voi Gate cost you no park fee for the night you arrive; Satao Camp and Ashnil Aruba Lodge put you at permanent water for the game days. Man Eaters Lodge at Mtito Andei works as a hinge night between the parks.

On a train trip, choose a lodge that does station transfers, which in practice means Ashnil Aruba Lodge, or book a driver. On a fly-in trip, Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge and Finch Hattons sit beside their airstrips. With children, Voyager Ziwani runs a children's club and Salt Lick Safari Lodge takes children from five. Our where to stay page has every pick with prices.

Booking an itinerary

KWS campsites and the Kamboyo and Goss houses are booked only with KWS, at reservations@kws.go.ke or +254 113 434 304, and park fees are prepaid on KWSPay. Trains are booked at metickets.krc.co.ke, and Safarilink seats directly with the airline or through your lodge. Most private lodges take direct bookings; several, including Ndololo Camp and Galana Crocodile Camp, have no working website and book through Kenyan agents.

For July to October, book small camps and fly-in seats as soon as your dates are firm, ideally several months ahead. We do not take bookings ourselves; a booking request sent through this site goes to a safari specialist we work with, who may pay us a commission. Our getting there page has the full road, rail and air detail.