Ithumba Hill
Exclusive-use lodge · Tsavo East, Northern Area, built into a rock outcrop · Sheldrick Lodges, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Top-end
Inside the park
Owner/family-run
Built into granite above the Northern Area, the part of Tsavo East almost nobody reaches by road. The draw is exclusive access to the Ithumba elephant orphan unit, where the ex-orphans come back to the mud bath, and there is essentially no other vehicle traffic up here.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Clifftop panorama over the remote northern sector
- Infinity pool is set right into the rock
- Exclusive access to the Ithumba orphan elephant unit
- Almost no other vehicle traffic reaches this far north
- Whole lodge booked exclusively for up to eight guests
Cons
- Whole-lodge booking only; no single room or sharing option
- Conservation fees are extra on top of the lodge rate
- Site publishes no rates or child policy; the Trust confirms these directly
- Road access needs your own hired car and driver
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 Ithumba Hill
On request. Exclusive use only, quoted per property per night for up to eight guests 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 Ithumba Hill
Is Ithumba Hill good for families?
Sheldrick Lodges' site does not display rates or booking conditions, so no minimum age or child policy is published. The whole lodge is taken as one booking, four rooms for up to eight guests, so a family or two travelling together has it entirely to themselves. Ask about child rates when you enquire.
How much does it cost to stay at Ithumba Hill?
Ithumba Hill is booked as the whole property rather than by the room, so the quote is per property per night for up to eight guests, not per person, and it is given on request. Conservation fees are extra on top. It is often booked together with the smaller Ithumba Private for a larger party.
Can you self-drive to Ithumba Hill?
Ithumba Hill's nearest airstrip is Ithumba, and Sheldrick Lodges describes roughly a 50-minute flight or a five to six hour drive from Nairobi for its Tsavo East camps, reaching the park's remote Northern Area. Driving yourself means arranging your own hired car and driver; the Trust can advise if you need help booking one.
What does the rate at Ithumba Hill include?
Ithumba Hill's rate covers its infinity pool, game drives, picnics, sundowners and stargazing, plus exclusive access to the Trust's Ithumba Reintegration Unit, where the ex-orphan elephants come back to the mud bath. Sheldrick Lodges says park and conservation fees are not included in its lodge rates and are paid direct to KWS.