Galdessa Camp
Exclusive-use tented camp · Tsavo East, on the Galana River facing the Yatta Plateau · Sheldrick Lodges, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Top-end
Inside the park
Owner/family-run
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust took Galdessa over and runs it as a whole-camp booking for ten people, on a stretch of the Galana that faces the Yatta Plateau. Guests get private access to the Trust's Voi orphan unit, which no commercial camp can offer, and the money goes back into the conservation work.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Infinity pool sits right over the Galana River
- Looks straight across at the world's longest lava flow
- Private access to the Trust's Voi orphan elephant unit
- Whole camp booked exclusively, so no other guests
- Fully staffed with its own chefs and a gym
Cons
- Whole-camp booking only; no single room or sharing option
- Conservation fees are extra on top of the camp rate
- Site publishes no rates or child policy; the Trust confirms these directly
- Road access needs your own hired car and driver
What's here
- Swimming pool
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
Read from Galdessa Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Tsavo National Parks charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe non-resident rate, and East and West are ticketed separately.
- $80per person, per day
- VehicleKSh 600 a day for a typical hire car, roughly $5.
- $5per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $495 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
A combination ticket covering both parks saves about $35 over two single tickets.
The full fee schedule for Tsavo National ParksRates at Galdessa Camp
On request. Exclusive use only: you book the entire camp, so the quote is per camp per night rather than per person. Conservation fees extra.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates gathered in July 2026 from operators' own rate cards and the official KWS tariffs. Watch the pricing basis: most Tsavo camps quote per person per night sharing, while Serena, the KWS guest houses and the self-catering bandas quote per room or per unit, so two sets of numbers are not directly comparable. KWS conservation fees are extra almost everywhere at $80 per adult per park per day, plus KSh 600 for a car under six seats.
Questions about Galdessa Camp
Is Galdessa Camp good for families?
Sheldrick Lodges' site does not display rates or booking conditions, so no minimum age or child policy is published. What makes the camp workable for a family is the exclusive-use model: you book the whole camp, five rooms for up to ten guests, so a family or two has the place to themselves. Ask about child rates when you enquire.
How much does it cost to stay at Galdessa Camp?
Galdessa Camp is booked as the whole camp rather than by the room, so the quote is per camp per night for up to ten guests, not per person, and it is on request rather than published. Conservation fees are extra on top. The smaller sister camp, Galdessa Little, can be combined with it for a party of sixteen.
Can you self-drive to Galdessa Camp?
Galdessa Camp's nearest airstrip is Lugard Falls South, and Sheldrick Lodges' own guidance for its Tsavo East camps describes roughly a 50-minute flight or a five to six hour drive from Nairobi. If you drive, you arrange your own hired car and driver; the Trust says it can advise on hiring one if you need help.
What does the rate at Galdessa Camp include?
Galdessa Camp is fully staffed with its own chefs, and the published activities, game drives, bush breakfasts, sundowners, stargazing and private access to the Trust's Voi elephant unit, are run as part of the stay. Sheldrick Lodges says park and conservation fees are not included in its lodge rates and are paid direct to KWS, so budget for those separately.