Kitani Bandas
Self-catering cottages · Tsavo West, 1.5 km from Severin between Mzima Springs and the Tsavo River · Severin Safari Camp
Budget
Inside the park
Safari company
Eight self-catering cottages a kilometre and a half from Severin, letting you sleep in the middle of Tsavo West at a fraction of the tented-camp price. You bring your own food and cook it, but you get a room steward and the run of Severin's pool and gym, which is an unusual combination.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Kitchenette has a fridge, gas cooker and full cookware
- Room steward included even though you cook yourself
- Free use of Severin's pool and gym nearby
- Baby bed available on prior request
- About an hour's drive from Mtito Andei
Cons
- You bring and cook your own food entirely
- 1.5 km from the main camp; a vehicle helps
- No published rates; book through Severin's reservations office
- Inside the park, so Tsavo West entry fees apply
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Restaurant
- Bar
- En-suite bathrooms
- Self-catering
- Spa or massage
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Birding
Read from Kitani Bandas'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 Kitani Bandas
On request. Cottages are let per unit sleeping up to three, not per person, and you self-cater. Rates are not published online; book through Severin's reservations office.
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 Kitani Bandas
Is Kitani Bandas good for families?
Yes, for a small family. Kitani Bandas' own page says a baby bed can be provided on request, and each of the eight cottages sleeps up to three in a fitted kitchenette you cook in yourself. A room steward is included even though you self-cater, which takes some of the work off a family's hands.
What does the rate at Kitani Bandas include?
Kitani Bandas are let per cottage, not per person, each sleeping up to three on a self-catering basis: you bring and cook your own food in a kitchenette with a fridge, gas cooker and cookware. A room steward is included, and guests get free use of Severin Safari Camp's pool and gym, 1.5 km away. Rates are not published online.
Can you self-drive to Kitani Bandas?
Yes. Kitani Bandas' own page puts it about a 50 km, roughly one-hour drive from Mtito Andei, inside Tsavo West. The nearest airstrip is Kilaguni if you would rather fly, but you will still want a vehicle on the ground to reach Severin's pool and gym 1.5 km away.
Do you need to cook for yourself at Kitani Bandas?
Yes. Each cottage has a 4.5 square metre kitchenette with a fridge, plates, pots, cutlery and a small gas cooker, and you bring and prepare your own food. A room steward is still included, and guests can use Severin Safari Camp's pool, gym and wifi for free, about 1.5 km from the bandas.