Amboseli & Tsavo Circuit

The drier months, roughly June to October and January to February, are usually best. Elephants gather around Amboseli's swamps and Tsavo's rivers and water points, and the air is often clearer for Kilimanjaro views. The parks can be visited all year, and there are no fixed departures, so ask us for dates that suit you.

On clear days, yes. Early morning is the best time, before cloud builds around the summit. The mountain often appears on the horizon as you approach on day one, and day two starts early for views and photos. Observation Hill gives a wide panorama of the park, its swamps and the mountain behind. Cloud can hide it, so no one can promise a view.

Amboseli's permanent swamps, fed by underground meltwater from Kilimanjaro, draw large numbers of elephants, including big-tusked bulls, along with hippos and waterbirds. You get an afternoon game drive on arrival and a full day on the marshes and the dry lake bed, which leaves time to watch family herds feeding and moving between the swamps.

Mzima Springs is a set of clear springs in Tsavo West National Park where an underwater observation chamber lets you watch hippos and crocodiles below the surface. You visit on day three after the drive from Amboseli. On the same day you explore the Shetani lava flows, a black volcanic landscape that looks nothing like the green springs.

They dust-bathe in the park's red laterite soil, which colours their skin a rusty shade. Days four and five follow the palm-lined Galana River and visit Mudanda Rock, a large rock outcrop that collects rainwater and draws elephants to drink. Tsavo East also holds lion, cheetah and the rare hirola antelope.

It starts in Nairobi with an early drive across the Athi Plains to Amboseli. After a sunrise game drive in Tsavo East on day six, you choose your finish: Mombasa on the coast, arriving around midday, or back to Nairobi along the Mombasa Highway, arriving in the late afternoon. Let us know your onward flight when you book.

The lodges aren't fixed for this circuit, so we match them to your style. Our Arusha team will suggest a lodge for each stop, in or near Amboseli, Tsavo West and Tsavo East, when you enquire. We can also adjust the route or run it privately for your own group.

Yes. Finishing in Mombasa on day six makes a beach stay on the Kenyan coast easy to add, since you arrive around midday. Tell our team how many nights you'd like by the sea and the kind of place you prefer, and we'll plan it as part of the same booking.

The Amboseli & Tsavo Circuit is 6 days and 5 nights. The day-by-day itinerary on this page shows where you go and stay each day.

This trip visits Amboseli National Park, Tsavo West National Park and Tsavo East National Park.

It is rated moderate: a reasonable level of general fitness is enough.

It runs for groups of 2 to 12 travellers.

Included: Full board accommodation at handpicked lodges and camps, All game drives in 4x4 safari vehicles with pop-up roofs, Professional English-speaking safari guide, Park entry fees for all national parks and reserves, Bottled water during game drives, All transfers and transportation and Emergency medical evacuation insurance.

Not included: International flights, Visa fees, Travel insurance (recommended), Alcoholic beverages, Tips and gratuities for guide and lodge staff, Personal items and souvenirs and Optional activities not mentioned in itinerary.