Tsavo East and the Taita Hills, 3 days
- How long
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Starting from
- Collected from your resort in Watamu
- Parks
- Tsavo East · Taita Hills
The Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary sits between the Tsavos, and the reason to go is Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge: a cluster of thatched towers standing on stilts over a waterhole, joined by walkways, with the game coming to you.
You can watch elephants and buffalo from your own balcony after dinner, which is not something the other lodges on this coast can offer.
Day 1
Watamu to Tsavo East
The drive inland, a first game drive before midday, and a second that runs to sunset.
- 06:00
Departure from your resort
We collect you at around 06:00 after a light breakfast and head for Tsavo East National Park.
Inside the park there is scrub, huge baobabs and the vegetation of the savannah, and among it baboons, elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, leopards and much else.
- 10:00
Into the park
We reach the gate at about 10:00 and start the first game drive of the day, which runs until roughly midday.
- 12:00
Lunch and a pause
On to the lodge for lunch, to drop your bags, and to sit out the hottest hours until about 15:30.
- 16:00
Afternoon game drive
Your vehicle and guide are at the lodge entrance at 16:00, and the drive runs to sunset.
Late afternoon is the best of the day for watching animals behave as they actually do, hunting included.
- Evening
Dinner at the lodge
Back after the light goes for dinner and the night in the park.
Day 2
Into the Taita Hills
A game drive out of Tsavo towards the sanctuary, then an afternoon and an evening at Salt Lick.
- 06:00
Breakfast, then a drive out
Breakfast at 06:00 and out on a game drive heading towards the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.
- 11:30
Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge
We arrive at about 11:30 at Salt Lick, a lodge built on stilts in the middle of the sanctuary.
Check in, then a buffet lunch. The afternoon is for the pool or your room — and for watching whatever walks up to the waterhole below.
- 15:45
Afternoon game drive
Out again at around 15:45, through to sunset, looking for game across the sanctuary.
- 20:00
A night drive, if you want one
The sanctuary runs a night game drive with one of its own rangers. It usually starts around 20:00 and lasts about an hour.
It is a genuinely different park after dark: animals that were invisible all day are out, and hunting is far easier to see. There is a supplement, and it is paid separately.
Day 3
The Taita Hills to Watamu
A last morning drive, an optional Maasai village, lunch at Voi, and the coast by late afternoon.
- 06:00
The last game drive
Breakfast at 06:00, then a final drive working gradually towards the gate.
- Morning
A Maasai village, if you want it
On request we stop at a Maasai village along the way: the manyatta houses, how the community lives, and crafts bought directly from the people who made them.
Entry is not included in the safari price.
- 13:00
Lunch at Voi
Out of the sanctuary and on to Voi, where we stop for lunch and a break.
- 15:30
The road back to Watamu
Back on the road at about 15:30, into Watamu in the late afternoon. End of the safari.
The times in this itinerary are indicative. Roads, traffic, weather, what the animals are doing and the practicalities of running a safari all move them. The shape of the day holds; the clock bends around it.
Where you sleep
Subject to availability, and confirmed when you book.
Tsavo East
- Sentrim Tsavo Camp
- Voi Safari Lodge
- Voi Wildlife Lodge
- Manyatta Luxury Camp
Taita Hills
- Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge
What the price covers
- All transfers in a 4x4 safari vehicle fitted out for photography, with an opening roof
- Entrance to Tsavo East National Park
- Game drives as set out in the itinerary
- All-inclusive at the lodge or camp, drinks excluded
- Bottled mineral water throughout every game drive
- A licensed, registered local guide working in Italian — ask us for English
- A professional local driver qualified for game driving
- Comprehensive safari insurance, including a replacement vehicle and rescue assistance
What it does not
- Drinks with meals
- Breakfast on the morning you leave, where the property does not serve it
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses
- Entrance to a Maasai village
- The night game drive in the Taita Hills, which carries a supplement
- Anything not written down under what the price covers
Worth putting in the bag
- Light summer clothing
- A hat or cap
- Something warm for the evening and the early starts
- Tropical insect repellent
- High-protection sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Swimwear
- A power adapter
- Binoculars
- A camera or a phone you like taking photographs with
And an adventurous spirit, obviously.
Ask about this trip
The price moves with the lodge or camp you pick in Tsavo and with how many of you are travelling. Send us your dates and we will come back with a figure.