Know before you go
Welcome to Tsavo
Kenya's largest protected area by a wide margin, split into Tsavo East and Tsavo West and covering a vast stretch of red-earth wilderness between Nairobi and the coast. It is emptier and wilder than the Mara, and its elephants are famously red from dusting themselves in the soil.
Plan with confidence
Make Tsavo work for you
Highlights
- Red elephants, coloured by the soil they throw over themselves
- Mzima Springs in Tsavo West, where filtered water surfaces and hippo and crocodile can be seen from an underwater viewing chamber
- Lugard Falls and the Galana river in Tsavo East
- The Yatta Plateau, one of the longest lava flows in the world, running the length of Tsavo East
- Genuine space — you can drive for long stretches and see nobody
Getting around
- Roughly midway between Nairobi and Mombasa, which makes it a natural stop on an overland route between the two.
- The Nairobi–Mombasa railway passes through and has stations serving the area.
- A 4x4 is necessary; distances between gates and lodges are long and the tracks are rough.
- Tsavo East and Tsavo West are separate experiences — decide which you are visiting rather than assuming one trip covers both.
Good to know
- Two to four nights, more if you intend to see both halves properly.
- Wildlife is more dispersed than in the Mara. Come for landscape and space as much as for sightings.
- It gets genuinely hot — plan around dawn and dusk.
- Fuel and supplies are limited inside the parks; fill up before you enter.
Distances are long and assistance is far away. Travel with a full tank, water and a guide or driver who knows the park, and tell your lodge your route.
Before you book
Tsavo questions, answered
East or West?
Tsavo East is drier, flatter and better for open plains and large elephant herds. Tsavo West is greener and more varied, with Mzima Springs and volcanic scenery.
Can I combine it with the coast?
Easily — it sits between Nairobi and Mombasa and works well as a stop on the way to or from the beach.
Curated for your journey
Experience Tsavo
Orientation
Find Tsavo
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Create your trip Ready for Tsavo?
Start here, then combine every stay, transfer and experience around your dates.
