Maps and navigation
Tsavo East and Tsavo West map
An interactive map of both parks, the gates and their coordinates, and the landmarks worth navigating to across twenty-two thousand square kilometres.
Download the official park map
Kenya Wildlife Service publishes park information online and hands out maps at the gates. For self-drivers the Tracks4Africa Kenya map is the more detailed reference for the internal track network.
Key coordinates
Save these before you go. Mobile coverage inside the park is patchy at best, and a set of waypoints in an offline app will get you out of trouble faster than anything else.
| Place | What it is | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Voi Gate | Tsavo East main gate, 6 km from Voi town | -3.36318, 38.59529 |
| Bachuma Gate | Tsavo East, closest gate to Mombasa | -3.66700, 38.94239 |
| Sala Gate | Tsavo East, the Malindi and Watamu approach | -3.07628, 39.21767 |
| Mtito Andei Gate | Main gate for Tsavo West, on the A109 | -2.71000, 38.19000 |
| Chyulu Gate | Tsavo West, the link road to Amboseli | -2.86172, 37.92074 |
| Maktau Gate | Tsavo West southern gate, 59 km from Voi on tar | -3.40434, 38.11944 |
| Kilaguni airstrip | Tsavo West, served by Safarilink from Nairobi Wilson | -2.90685, 38.07174 |
| Voi SGR station | Madaraka Express railway station, 15 km from Voi Gate | -3.4000, 38.5600 |
Two parks, two navigation problems
Tsavo East is flat, open and easy to read: the main circuits from Voi Gate through Kanderi Swamp to Aruba Dam, and north past Mudanda Rock, are graded murram and well signposted. A high-clearance 2WD copes in the dry season.
Tsavo West is another matter. Volcanic terrain, lava rock and a more tangled track network mean a 4x4 is effectively essential and a good offline map earns its keep. Kenya Wildlife Service charges KSh 10,500 to recover a stuck vehicle.
Practical points
- The two parks are separated by the A109 highway and the railway. Crossing between them means exiting one and entering the other, and paying twice unless you hold a combination ticket.
- Prepay your fees online through KWSPay and keep the e-ticket on your phone and printed.
- Fuel reliably at Voi and Mtito Andei on the highway. Assume there is none inside either park.
- Speed limit is 40 km/h, off-road driving is prohibited, and drones need a licence and cost $300 per day per park.