Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites
Undeveloped exclusive-use campsites · Tsavo East, southern sector: Lugards, Epiya Chepeyo, Mbololo, Durusikale and Thabagunji · Kenya Wildlife Service
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (KWS)
Five undeveloped campsites in the southern sector, including one near Lugard's Falls, each taken for exclusive use by a single party. Booking runs through the park warden in advance and you must be entirely self-sufficient, water included.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Five sites spread across the busier southern half
- Lugards sits right near the falls on the river
- Exclusive use, so no neighbours whatever the season
- Game drives and walking both listed as activities
- Two airstrips nearby: Voi Park or Lugard Falls South
Cons
- Completely undeveloped: no water, toilet or shade structure
- Non-refundable KSh 10,000 per week reservation fee per site
- Conservation fees of $80 per adult per day extra
- Must book ahead through the park warden directly
What's here
- Campsite
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
Read from Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites'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 Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites
From $35 pppn. Camping fee per person per night: $35 adult and $20 child for non-residents, KSh 250 and 200 for East African citizens, KSh 350 and 250 for Kenya residents. Plus a non-refundable KSh 10,000 per week reservation fee per site, and conservation fees.
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 Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites
How much does it cost to camp at the Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites?
Camping at any of the five southern sites, Lugards, Epiya Chepeyo, Mbololo, Durusikale or Thabagunji, costs $35 a night for a non-resident adult and $20 for a child, or KSh 250 and 200 for East African citizens and KSh 350 and 250 for Kenya residents. A non-refundable KSh 10,000 reservation fee per site per week and the usual conservation fee come on top.
How do you book the Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites?
The five southern special campsites, including Lugards near Lugard's Falls on the Athi-Galana-Sabaki, are booked exclusively through the park warden in advance. Each booking has no neighbours for the length of your stay, but you pay a non-refundable KSh 10,000 reservation fee per site per week on top of the per-person camping fee.
What facilities do the Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites have?
None. All five sites are completely undeveloped, with no water, toilet or shade structure provided. You need to carry your own water, fuel and food, and be entirely self-sufficient for the stay, whichever of the five southern sites, including Lugards by the falls, you choose.
Can you self-drive to the Southern Tsavo East Special Campsites?
Yes, the five southern sites are reached by road, with Voi Park or Lugard Falls South as the nearest airstrips if you prefer to fly in and hire a vehicle on arrival. KWS's general park rules apply: gates run 6am to 6pm unless you are staying overnight, and the speed limit on park roads is 40 km/h.