Visitor Information
The two Tsavo parks are separately managed. For information or assistance, however, you're best off contacting the senior warden at Tsavo West (P.O. Box 14, Voi; tel. 43/30-049 or 43/31-011; www.kws.org; travowestnp@kws.go.ke).
Getting There
By Air -- Tsavo is close to both the Malindi/Mombasa coast and the Chyulu Hills, which by private charter takes approximately 35 minutes. A 50-minute flight will get you from Nairobi to Tsavo West; Safarilink (www.safarilink-kenya.com) has daily flights departing the capital at 7:30am ($150-$161 one-way, $237-$260 round-trip). Note that the return flight takes 70 to 80 minutes. Mombasa Air Safari (www.mombasaairsafari.com) flies from the coast to the private airstrip at Finch Hattons in Tsavo West. There are no scheduled flights to Tsavo East, but 6 airstrips in the southern part of the park and 13 in the northern part are available for charter flights -- your ground operator will make arrangements for you to be dropped at the one nearest your lodge or camp, and land transfers will be organized, too.
By Road -- Thanks to the Mombasa-Nairobi highway and its proximity to the coast, many people visiting Tsavo do so as a sidebar to seaside holidays. By road, Tsavo East is 3 1/2 hours from Mombasa and 4 1/2 hours from Nairobi -- of course, traffic can be scary if you have no control over the speed at which your driver decides to tear along the highway. Coming from Nairobi, Tsavo East is accessed via the town of Voi (where KWS has its headquarters) through either of two gates: Voi or Manyani. From Mombasa, entry is via Bachuma Gate, whereas if you're on the road from Malindi, you'll arrive via Sala Gate. Such details aren't likely to affect you, though, as your driver and ground operator will conspire to make sure you get there in the quickest possible time -- in fact, better to request a more modestly paced drive, if you can. For Tsavo West, the main access points are Chyulu Gate, if coming from Amboseli, or Mtito Andei Gate if approaching via the highway from either Nairobi (240km/149 miles) or Mombasa. Visitors from Mombasa also use Tsavo Gate near Manyani.
Park Fees
Entry to either park is $50 per day for adults and $25 for children ages 3 to 18; if you want to see both parks in a single day (although, given the enormity of each of them, you should have no reason to do this), you will need to pay twice. Access to either park is by means of a KWS Smartcard, which your ground operator can purchase and load for you in advance of your arrival; don't arrive without a prepaid card, as this will mean making a time-consuming detour to park headquarters to pick up a new card.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
