Tsavo West Public Campsites
Public campsites · Tsavo West, three sites: Komboyo, Chyulu and Lake Jipe · Kenya Wildlife Service
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Tsavo West Public Campsites yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (KWS)
Three shared campsites covering very different corners of Tsavo West: Komboyo near headquarters, Chyulu in the north-west, and Lake Jipe on the Tanzanian border. At $20 a night they cost less than a quarter of the daily park fee, and the Jipe site puts you on a lake that holds a large share of the park's 600-plus bird species.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Three sites to choose from across Tsavo West
- Has water, showers and a kitchen area on site
- Lake Jipe site is the best birding base here
- Costs a quarter of the daily park fee
- Birding and walking both listed as activities
Cons
- Bring your own tent and camping gear entirely
- Conservation fees of $80 per adult per day extra
- Shared sites with other campers, not exclusive use
- Conservation fee due even for children aged 5 to 17
What's here
- Campsite
Arranged from the lodge:
- Guided walks
- Birding
Read from Tsavo West Public 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 Tsavo West Public Campsites
From $20 pppn. Camping fee only, per person per night: $20 adult and $15 child for non-residents, KSh 200 and 150 for East African citizens, KSh 300 and 200 for Kenya residents. Conservation fees of $80 per adult per day are extra and you bring your own gear.
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 Tsavo West Public Campsites
How much does it cost to camp at the Tsavo West Public Campsites?
Camping at Komboyo, Chyulu or Lake Jipe costs $20 a night for a non-resident adult and $15 for a child, or KSh 200 and 150 for East African citizens and KSh 300 and 200 for Kenya residents. On top of that, KWS charges a conservation fee of $80 per adult per day to enter Tsavo West.
Which Tsavo West Public Campsite is best for birding?
Lake Jipe. It sits on a transboundary lake rich in birdlife, and the record calls it the best birding base in either Tsavo park. The other two public sites, Komboyo near park headquarters and Chyulu in the north-west, cover very different corners of Tsavo West if Lake Jipe does not suit your route.
What facilities do the Tsavo West Public Campsites have?
All three sites, Komboyo, Chyulu and Lake Jipe, have water, toilets, showers and a kitchen area, more than the undeveloped special campsites in the park offer. They are shared sites rather than exclusive use, so expect other campers. Bring your own tent, bedding and food; KWS does not supply camping equipment.
Is camping at the Tsavo West Public Campsites good for families?
KWS does publish a child policy through its conservation fee rules: children aged five and younger are exempt from the fee entirely, and those from five to seventeen pay half the non-resident rate, $40 against $80 for Tsavo. The camping fee itself follows the same split, $15 for a child against $20 for an adult, which keeps a family's total down.