6 Days Amboseli, Tsavo West & Tsavo East

The park offers a variety of wildlife such as wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, and we’ll be especially on the lookout for lion and cheetah. The park also features a diversity of landforms, and you may travel through wetlands, savannah, woodlands and thorn-bush country. You’ll have fun on these many game drives, but you’ll also have plenty of time for relaxation at your lodge or tented campground. Just let us know your preferences. You can also take advantage of an optional visit to the local Maasai village to meet its people and learn about their nomadic culture and way of life. As we depart Amboseli, we’ll take a last glance at Kilimanjaro and perhaps sneak a peek at its famous summit, if the clouds disperse.

Early morning game viewing drives at the Amboseli with possible chances of the morning Mount Kilimanjaro views. It’s a short drive to Tsavo West and we just may spot some wildlife on the way. We certainly will at the park itself, home to Africa’s “Big Five” plus giraffe, impala, dik-dik, baboon and monkey. We’ll visit the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary and look for some of these shy and endangered creatures. Some 80 black rhinos are here, and they like to forage about in the thick undergrowth. The foliage here tends to be dense and is part of the park’s physical attraction. Besides the rolling plains and natural springs, you’ll also come across ancient volcanic cones and lava beds, reminders of the park’s timelessness. One of Tsavo West’s more unexpected surprises is Mzima Springs. Mzima means “life” in Swahili and you’ll find aquatic life all about in this lush oasis. Besides being a popular watering hole for elephants and zebra, you can’t miss the rich parade of birdlife, fish, hippo and crocodile that make their home here.

Early morning game viewing drives at the Tsavo West with a visit to the Mzima springs as we head out to Taita Hills This private sanctuary is located right next to Tsavo West, so it’s an easy hop to get here. The landscape in this park is more verdant than Tsavo, and the game viewing is every bit as good. The sanctuary offers good birdwatching but that isn’t Taita Hills’ main attraction. A unique aspect of this small park is the rangers here usually have a very good idea where the larger animals can be found. It’s not unheard of for safari-goers to spot over a dozen species on a game drive.

We’ll enjoy one more early morning game drive as we depart Taita Hills and then it’s a short run to our next and final park, Tsavo East. You may have heard of Tsavo’s red dust elephants. The soil here has a rusty colour from oxidation so when the herds are ready for a dirt bath, they roll in this ruddy earth presenting a colourful coat for us to admire. The park will offer us opportunities to find other “Big Five” like the black rhino, Cape buffalo and leopard. On our game drives through Tsavo’s rugged plains we’ll also be tracking the famous maneless Tsavo lions, whose man-eating reputation from a century ago still sparks fascination and a little excitement. A sure spot to find some of this wildlife is at the Aruba Dam, a beautiful structure that has formed an impressive watering hole. Thousands of animals are attracted to its waters, and we’ll be there as they nourish themselves at this life-giving oasis.

On our 6th and final day of this wide-ranging safari we’ll take one more game drive before heading to the nearby train station at Voi and your trip to the coast. On that train ride, you’ll be traveling through parts of Tsavo East, so there are still more opportunities to view the park and possibly some wildlife.