5 Questions About 2-Day Tsavo East Safaris

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Answered by

Anthony Ham

Anthony is a writer and author of more than 150 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including guides to ‘Kenya’ and ‘East Africa’. He has written about Kenya for magazines and newspapers around the world. He is also the author of ‘The Last Lions of Africa’.
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Is 2 days enough time for a Tsavo East National Park trip?

“The short answer to this question is no, 2 days is not enough time for the best kind of Tsavo East safari. This is especially true when you consider that a 2-day safari only includes 1 night: you travel here on day 1, and you leave on day 2. Even if you arrive early and leave late, it’s not much time to enjoy this spectacular place. If you can add an extra day, do so. That said, 2 days here is better than no days at all. If I had the choice between 2 days on safari here and 2 days in many other places, I would choose Tsavo East most times. Assuming that you arrive no later than the middle of day 1 and leave in the afternoon of day 2, you should have time for two guided game drives. On two game drives, you can see plenty. Although you won’t be able to explore the whole park, you’ll get to experience the best of it and see lots of animals as you go.”

Is it better to fly or go overland to Tsavo East for a 2-day safari?

“If you’re coming from Nairobi, you should definitely fly into one of the park’s airstrips from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to begin your 2-day Tsavo East safari. This will be significantly more expensive than traveling by road, but it maximizes the amount of time you can spend in the park. If you travel by road, you’ll spend most of the first day of your safari (both days if you come back the same way) in the car. Bear in mind it’s not the prettiest of roads, the traffic can be awful, and it’s time that would be much better spent in the park itself. If, on the other hand, you begin day 1 in Mombasa, traveling by road may be possible, although you’ll still be spending hours on the road on each day of your safari. It will be much quicker to travel by air, which is certainly worth considering if you’re coming from anywhere else along the coast (or elsewhere in Kenya). If you’re arriving by air, you will, of course, need a vehicle for getting around the park. That’s something your tour operator will organize.”

What are the accommodations options on a 2-day safari in Tsavo East?

“Tsavo East has a good range of accommodations, with most of the choices either inside the park or close to Voi Gate in the park’s west. There is a small number of budget campsites and cheaper lodges or camps, but budget travelers in general have less choice than you’ll have in other price categories. There are mid-range and top-end lodges and tented camps inside the national park, as well as a number of places (mostly lodges) lined up in a row just outside the western gate. The options outside the gate look out across the boundary fence and into the park, so at times it feels like you’re in the park itself. Staying in a tented camp deep inside the park is perhaps the most romantic choice. Only here can you lie in bed at night and listen to lions roaring not far away.”

How can I combine Tsavo East with a beach holiday?

“Visiting Tsavo East and spending time at the beach is a superb way to experience two of Kenya’s most appealing natural attractions. Tsavo East is the closest of Kenya’s major parks along the southern safari circuit to the country’s Indian Ocean coastline, and that makes it an ideal choice for combining the two. In fact, if travelers on holiday along the coast choose to visit just one park, it’s usually Tsavo East. Some even visit on a day trip from the coast, but that’s definitely rushing things. Apart from anything else, the popularity of this combination means that safari tour operators have lots of experience in making arrangements. To connect Tsavo East with the beach of your choice, talk with an operator about how best to make it work. Given that you only have 2 days in Tsavo East, you’ll almost certainly want to fly between the park and an airstrip near the beach.”

How much does a 2-day trip in Tsavo East cost?

“You can expect the cheapest 2-day Tsavo East camping safari to start at around US$150 per person per day. For a high-end luxury experience, you’re likely to pay at least US$350 per person per day, or even more. Park fees (US$52/35 per adult/child per day) will make up a significant part of the cost. And remember that the per-day cost is higher here than for a longer safari because you have to include the cost of getting here in your calculations for each day. One reason why prices vary so much is the type of accommodations. You will, of course, pay much less to camp in a basic campsite than you will to stay in a luxury lodge. You also need to decide whether you want a private safari (where you get your own guide, driver and vehicle) or a group safari (where the costs of these are shared). If you’re on a group safari, small-group tours generally cost more as well. There is also a difference between prices in the high season (December to March and July to October) and what you’ll pay during the rest of the year.”

Tsavo East Reviews

4.2/5 83 Reviews

Expert

Mark Eveleigh –

Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 700 titles for Condé Nast Traveller, Travel Africa, BBC Wildlife and others.

Kenya's biggest park is one of Africa's great 'lost worlds'

5/5

If you have your own vehicle and can explore farther afield – and even to drive into the virtually unexplored region north of the Galana River – you’ll find that Kenya’s biggest national park (roughly the same size as Israel) is a...

Full Review

Expert

Lizzie Williams –

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The Big 5 in a wide East African savannah

4/5

A vast, flat scrubland, broken by the emerald-green meandering Galana River fringed by doum palms, Tsavo East is popular since it offers a pretty sure chance of seeing plenty of wildlife, just half a day’s drive from Kenya’s coastal...

Full Review

Jane –

Reviewed: Jun 14, 2024

Satao Camp

5/5

My overall rating for SATAO CAMP is excellent in all respects. This is a friendly and welcoming camp. Perfectly situated and open to all the animals that inhabit it. The accommodation, service and attention to detail are superb. The staff...

Full Review

Yolanda Moerkens –

Reviewed: Oct 19, 2023

5/5

Great place to go on safari when you stay at the coast. It's only a few hours by car and here you can see so many elephants in a red color. Not red cause of the skin but red cause of the red soil. Nice landscap with plains and bush and very...

Full Review

Bruno Vidal de Souza –

Reviewed: Sep 14, 2023

5/5

This park is quite large, so it is harder to find things. It is perfect for a calm and real safari experience! You are really in contact with nature and it is more difficult to run across many cars and tourists in the same place. The...

Full Review

rgreen_se –

Reviewed: May 8, 2017

5/5

Elephants on the rocks just above the track and a tower of giraffes on a steep incline. Amazing to the these huge animals in this terrain. Mzima Springs is worth a visit to see hippos, crocs, monkeys and blue fish. When we arrived at...

Full Review

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5 Questions About 2-Day Tsavo East Safaris

Answered by

Anthony Ham

5 Questions About 2-Day Tsavo East Safaris

Is 2 days enough time for a Tsavo East National Park trip?

Is it better to fly or go overland to Tsavo East for a 2-day safari?

What are the accommodations options on a 2-day safari in Tsavo East?

How can I combine Tsavo East with a beach holiday?

How much does a 2-day trip in Tsavo East cost?

Tsavo East Reviews

Kenya's biggest park is one of Africa's great 'lost worlds'

The Big 5 in a wide East African savannah

Satao Camp