1-Day Tsavo East Safari from Mombasa & Diani

About this journey

Staying on the Kenyan coast and want to see wildlife without giving up a beach day? This 1-day Tsavo East safari from Mombasa and Diani takes you into one of Africa's largest national parks and back to your hotel in time for dinner.

We pick you up very early, usually between 5 and 6 am depending on where you are staying, so you reach the park gate as the animals are still active. The drive from Mombasa takes about two and a half to three hours; from Diani or the north coast, allow a little longer.

Tsavo East is famous for its red elephants, dusted in the park's iron-rich soil. In a single day of game driving you can also expect buffalo, giraffe, zebra and antelopes such as impala and lesser kudu, and with luck lion and cheetah on the open plains. Your guide usually heads for the Aruba Dam area and the Galana River, where wildlife gathers to drink in the dry months.

Lunch is served at a lodge inside the park, a welcome break in the shade before the afternoon game drive and the drive back to the coast. The vehicle is a private 4x4 with a pop-up roof, so your group has it to itself.

Good to know: it is a long day, around 13 to 14 hours door to door, so it suits travellers who want a taste of safari rather than a deep immersion. If you can stay a night, the 2-day Tsavo East safari adds sunset and sunrise drives, the two best times for big cats.

Highlights

• Red elephants of Tsavo East
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off anywhere on the south or north coast
• Full day of game drives with lunch inside the park
• Private 4x4 with pop-up roof
• Back at the beach the same evening

What's included

Day by day