5-Day Tsavo East, West & Salt Lick Lodge Safari from Mombasa

Drive into Kenya’s largest wildlife ecosystem for 5 days of Big Five game drives across Tsavo East and West, an underground hippo viewing session at Mzima Springs, and a night above the waterhole at the iconic Salt Lick Lodge.

Overview

This Tsavo safari from Mombasa 5 days circuit takes you into the largest wildlife ecosystem in Kenya — Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks together cover over 20,000 square kilometres of savannah, volcanic landscape, and riverine forest along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway corridor. You depart from Mombasa’s coast and enter Tsavo East through the Bachuma Gate, spending two nights at the wildlife-rich boundary of the park. Tsavo East is famous above all for its red elephants — massive herds whose skin takes on a dusty crimson hue from rolling in the park’s distinctive volcanic soil. Lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and cheetah complete the Big Five picture across open grasslands cut by the Galana River.

Day 3 crosses into Tsavo West for a visit to Mzima Springs — a series of crystal-clear freshwater springs that produce millions of gallons of water daily, part of which feeds a 160 km pipeline supplying Mombasa. An underground glass-fronted observation chamber places you below the waterline, watching hippos and Nile crocodiles move silently overhead in water so clear it resembles an aquarium. Ngulia Safari Lodge in Tsavo West is one of Kenya’s most atmospheric properties — set in forested hills where resident leopards are regularly spotted from the lodge deck in the evenings.

Day 4 moves into the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, a private 28,000-acre conservancy adjacent to Tsavo West, for a night at Salt Lick Lodge. Salt Lick is one of the world’s most photographed lodges: 96 rooms built entirely on stilts above an active waterhole, connected by raised walkways, with an underground tunnel that gives ground-level views of wildlife coming to drink at night. Elephants, buffalos, and plains game arrive in large numbers after dark. Day 5 returns to Mombasa with a morning game drive and an optional Maasai village stop en route.

Trip Highlights

Track the Big Five — including Tsavo's famous large-tusked elephants — across Kenya's largest combined wildlife ecosystem
See Tsavo's distinctive red elephants: their dusty crimson coat comes from bathing in the park's red volcanic soil
Watch hippos and Nile crocodiles through the glass underwater observation chamber at Mzima Springs, Tsavo West
Spend a night at Salt Lick Lodge — 96 stilt rooms above an active waterhole visited by elephants, buffalos, and plains game after dark
Watch for the Ngulia Safari Lodge resident leopard during the evening floodlit session in the lodge grounds
Enjoy an evening game drive at sunset as big cats and predators become active across Tsavo's open savannah
Drop-off flexibility: Mombasa, Diani Beach, Malindi, Watamu, or the airport at tour end

Your 5-Day Tsavo & Salt Lick Lodge Circuit

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This safari uses a combination of established park lodges and a private conservancy lodge across four nights — Voi Wildlife Lodge (Tsavo East, 2 nights), Ngulia Safari Lodge (Tsavo West, 1 night), and Salt Lick Lodge (Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 night). All accommodation is full-board with meals included as specified. Transport is overland in a customised 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof throughout. The circuit begins and ends in Mombasa.

Day 01 :

Mombasa to Tsavo East

Your guide collects you from your Mombasa hotel in the morning and you drive west along the Trans-African Mombasa-Nairobi highway into Tsavo country. Enter Tsavo East National Park through the Bachuma Gate and begin your first game drive en route to the lodge — Tsavo East’s open savannah stretches in every direction, with herds of buffalo and elephant commonly seen even on the drive in. Arrive at Voi Wildlife Lodge in time for lunch. Voi Wildlife Lodge sits on the boundary of Tsavo East, with game-facing rooms and water holes visible from the lodge grounds. At 3:30 p.m., depart for an evening game drive using the Voi main gate — the golden late-afternoon light draws out lions, giraffes, zebras, and the park’s large-tusked elephants. Return for dinner and overnight.

Lunch + Dinner

Day 02 :

Full Day in Tsavo East

After breakfast, spend the entire day on an open game drive through Tsavo East. Tsavo East is home to some of Africa’s largest elephant herds — and unlike anywhere else in Kenya, the elephants here are visibly coated in red from dust-bathing in the park’s iron-rich volcanic soil, a Tsavo signature that makes for exceptional photography. Big cats — lions, leopards, and cheetahs — patrol the open plains alongside buffalo, giraffe, oryx, and large flocks of ostrich. A packed picnic lunch is taken inside the park at a shaded rest stop or beside a waterhole, keeping you in prime game-viewing territory through midday. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon for a swim before dinner and overnight.

Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 03 :

Tsavo East to Mzima Springs to Tsavo West

Check out early and drive west into Tsavo West National Park. Your first stop is Mzima Springs — a sequence of crystal-clear springs fed by volcanic aquifers beneath the Chyulu Hills, producing millions of gallons of fresh water daily, part of which flows via a 160 km pipeline to supply Mombasa. Walk down a paved path to the glass-fronted underground observation chamber: hippopotamus and Nile crocodiles move through the water directly in front of the viewing glass in conditions so clear they appear to be swimming in an aquarium, not a wild spring. After the Mzima experience, continue to Ngulia Safari Lodge in the forested Ngulia Hills — one of Tsavo West’s most atmospheric properties. Arrive in time for lunch. In the evening, the lodge’s floodlit grounds become a stage for resident leopards, which are regularly spotted moving through the trees and rocky outcrops in the lodge vicinity at dusk. Dinner and overnight at Ngulia.

Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 04 :

Ngulia to Taita Hills — Salt Lick Lodge

After breakfast, depart Ngulia and drive south to the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary — a private 28,000-acre conservancy at the foot of the Taita Hills, adjacent to Tsavo West, and home to over 50 mammal species and 300 bird species. Arrive for lunch at the Taita Hills Safari Resort & Spa. In the afternoon, check in and settle at the iconic Salt Lick Safari Lodge — 96 rooms elevated on stilts above an active waterhole, connected by raised wooden walkways that span the open ground where wildlife comes to drink. Photography from the elevated decks gives unobstructed eye-level shots as elephants, buffalos, impalas, and zebras gather below. At 4:00 p.m., join an evening sunset game drive across the sanctuary and return for dinner. After dark, the underground tunnel at the lodge provides ground-level views of animals visiting the waterhole — one of Salt Lick’s most extraordinary experiences.

Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 05 :

Salt Lick to Mombasa

Rise early for a morning game drive through the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary before breakfast and checkout. Begin the return drive to Mombasa (approximately 3 hours). En route, make an optional stop at a traditional Maasai village ($10–20 per person) for a cultural encounter with the local community. Stop for a complimentary lunch at a traveller’s restaurant on the road. Drop-off at your Mombasa hotel, Diani Beach, Malindi, Watamu, or Mombasa Airport, marking the end of your 5-day Tsavo safari. Optional drop-off in Nairobi available at an additional fee — contact your agent at booking.

Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner