7 Days Amboseli, Tsavo & Mombasa Bush-and-Beach Safari

Overview

Highlights

• ✦Elephant herds beneath Mount Kilimanjaro in Amboseli
• ✦Mzima Springs underwater hippo viewing chamber in Tsavo West
• ✦Tsavo East's red-dust elephants and the Galana River
• ✦Three nights on Diani Beach — Africa's #1 ranked beach
• ✦Optional dhow cruise to Wasini Island and Kisite Marine Park
• ✦Climb Observation Hill for panoramic Maasai-country views
• ✦Mid-range lodges plus a four-star beach resort
• ✦Optional half-day Mombasa Old Town and Fort Jesus tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Nairobi → Amboseli National Park

   Nairobi → Amboseli

   Collect from your Nairobi hotel after breakfast for the four-hour drive south on the Mombasa highway, then off the tarmac onto red murram into Amboseli National Park — the legendary park where elephant herds amble beneath the snow-capped silhouette of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. After lunch at your lodge, head out on the afternoon game drive. Amboseli's open plains, swamps and dust-bowls offer some of the best elephant viewing on the continent — the matriarchs here are among the most studied in the world, with families known by name to researchers. You will also see hippo pods at Enkongo Narok swamp, Maasai giraffes browsing acacia, plains zebra in their hundreds, hyena, jackal, wildebeest and over 400 bird species. Return to the lodge for sundowners on the verandah and dinner with Kilimanjaro glowing pink at dusk.

   Meals: L, D · Stay: Amboseli Sopa Lodge or Ol Tukai Lodge

2. 2

   Amboseli — Full day with Kilimanjaro views

   Amboseli National Park

   Today is a full Amboseli day timed around Kilimanjaro. Pre-dawn coffee, then out by 6am to catch the mountain at its clearest — its glaciers blushing rose, then white, then dazzling in the rising sun before cloud builds by 10am. Drive the swamp circuit where elephant families wade chest-deep through the green wallows, climb Observation Hill for a panoramic view, and watch the resident hippos in Enkongo Narok. Return to the lodge for late breakfast and a long lunch. The afternoon drive heads to the western plains for hyena clans, jackal and serval. Optional cultural walk to a Maasai manyatta in the buffer zone — the Maasai of Amboseli are some of the most traditional in Kenya. Sundowners on the lodge verandah as Kilimanjaro reappears in the cool evening air.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 1

3. 3

   Amboseli → Tsavo West with Mzima Springs

   Amboseli → Tsavo West

   After breakfast and a final Amboseli game drive en route, head east on the dramatic drive across the Chyulu Hills — Hemingway's "green hills of Africa" — and into Tsavo West National Park, a vast volcanic wilderness of basalt cones, lava flows and palm-fringed springs. After lunch at your lodge, visit the famous Mzima Springs where 250 million litres of crystal-clear water surge daily from the lava fields. From the underwater viewing chamber you can watch hippo and crocodile glide silently past at eye level, and shoals of barbel turning in the current. Continue with an afternoon game drive on the Tsavo West circuit, where the red-dust elephants for which Tsavo is famous emerge from the bush in family groups, dyed terracotta from rolling in the iron-rich soil. Dinner and overnight at your Tsavo West lodge.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Kilaguni Serena Lodge or Severin Safari Camp

4. 4

   Tsavo West → Tsavo East via Aruba Dam

   Tsavo West → Tsavo East

   Cross the famous Tsavo Bridge — site of the 1898 man-eating lion drama — and enter Tsavo East National Park, the larger and wilder of the two Tsavos. After lunch you head out on the afternoon game drive across the open Aruba plains and along the Galana River, where Tsavo's red elephants gather in herds of fifty and more, and where you may spot the rare hirola antelope, fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk standing on hind legs to browse acacia. The Yatta Plateau — at 290 km the world's longest lava flow — runs as a dark wall along the western horizon. Sundowners on the riverbank and dinner at your lodge, with the night chorus of hyena, fiery-necked nightjar and distant lion roars rolling across the savanna.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Voi Safari Lodge or Ashnil Aruba Lodge

5. 5

   Tsavo East → Diani Beach via Mombasa

   Tsavo East → Diani Beach

   An early breakfast and a final game drive east through Tsavo, exiting the park toward Voi and onto the Mombasa highway. Lunch is served en route. By mid-afternoon you arrive at the Indian Ocean — the white sand and turquoise water of Diani Beach, fringed by palm trees and coral reef. Check in at your beach resort, change into swimwear and feel the sea wash six days of safari dust off your shoulders. The reef offshore protects a calm lagoon perfect for swimming, with kite-surfing, dhow sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving and dolphin trips all available. Sunset over the dhow harbour, dinner of grilled tropical fish on the beach terrace, and the soft sound of palm fronds in the trade wind sending you to sleep. Overnight at your Diani Beach resort.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Diani Reef Beach Resort or Leopard Beach Resort

6. 6

   Diani Beach — Leisure and ocean activities

   Diani Beach

   A full beach day at your own pace. Sleep in, take breakfast on a sea-view terrace, and choose your day: pure beach time on the white sand; a snorkeling trip to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park where you can swim with dolphins and see dazzling reef life; a traditional dhow cruise to Wasini Island for a Swahili seafood lunch; a guided forest walk in the Colobus Conservation reserve to meet the endangered Angolan colobus monkey; a Shimba Hills day trip for a chance to see sable antelope and elephants in the coastal forest; or simply a hammock between two palms and a good book. The Indian Ocean here is bath-warm, the lagoon shallow and safe for children, and the resort kitchens serve some of East Africa's best seafood. Sundowners on the beach as the moon rises out of the sea.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 5

7. 7

   Diani → Mombasa Airport — Departure

   Diani → Mombasa

   A leisurely final breakfast on the beach, late check-out, and transfer to Mombasa Moi International Airport (or Ukunda airstrip for a Wilson Airport connection) for your departing flight. If your flight is in the late afternoon or evening, we can arrange a guided half-day Mombasa Old Town walking tour: the 16th-century Portuguese Fort Jesus, the carved Swahili doors of the Old Town, the spice market and the dhow harbour. End of safari. We will be waiting for your next visit — perhaps Tanzania and the Serengeti, perhaps Mount Kenya, perhaps a return trip to introduce a friend or family member to the Africa you have just discovered.

   Meals: B · Stay: N/A (departure)

What to bring

• • Lightweight neutral-color clothing (khaki, olive, beige)
• • Warm fleece for cool early morning game drives
• • Sun hat and sunglasses with UV protection
• • High-SPF sunscreen and lip balm
• • Insect repellent (DEET)
• • Comfortable walking shoes and sandals
• • Swimsuit for lodge pools
• • Binoculars (8x42 ideal for safari)
• • Camera with telephoto lens (200mm or longer)
• • Spare batteries, memory cards, power bank
• • Refillable water bottle
• • Small daypack
• • Anti-malarial prophylaxis (consult your doctor)
• • Copies of passport and travel insurance
• • Snorkel mask if you have a preferred fit
• • Beach sandals and reef shoes
• • Beach cover-up and modest clothing for Mombasa Old Town

Frequently asked questions