3 Day Amboseli Tsavo East Safari from Nairobi to Mombasa

A 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari is the smart way to get from Nairobi to the coast: two parks on the way, and no flight needed.

You leave Nairobi in your own pop up roof 4×4 with a driver guide, spend a night at Amboseli under Kilimanjaro, then a night in Tsavo East, and finish at your beach hotel in Mombasa, Diani or Watamu.

This page shows the day by day plan, what each tier gets you, the park fees in the price and when to go. Send your dates on WhatsApp and we reply with a written quote.

Highlights

• Elephant herds and Kilimanjaro views at Amboseli
• Red elephants and open plains at Tsavo East
• A one way trip that finishes at the coast
• Drop off at Mombasa, Diani, Watamu, the SGR station or the airport
• Park fees, lodge nights and meals counted in the price
• Budget, mid range and luxury lodges to match your style

Day by day plan

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Amboseli

   You leave Nairobi at about 7 am and drive south. The journey takes four to five hours. You reach your lodge for lunch and a short rest, then take an afternoon game drive. Elephants wade through the swamps in long lines, and Kilimanjaro rises behind them if the sky is clear. Your 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari starts with its best view.

2. Day 2

   Amboseli to Tsavo East

   You rise early for a dawn game drive, when the mountain is clearest. After breakfast you leave Amboseli and drive east to Tsavo East. The journey takes five to six hours with a lunch stop and game viewing on the way. You enter the park in the afternoon and drive to your lodge. An evening drive looks for lion, buffalo and gerenuk.

3. Day 3

   Tsavo East to the coast

   You take a final early game drive, with a stop at the Galana River or Mudanda Rock. After breakfast you leave for the coast. The drive to Mombasa takes about three hours, and Diani adds another hour and a half with the Likoni ferry. Your guide drops you at your hotel, the SGR station or the airport.

3 Day Amboseli Tsavo East Safari, guide price per person sharing, USD, low season

• Guide price per person sharing, confirmed in writing on WhatsApp before any payment
• One way fee for the vehicle return to Nairobi is included
• Low season (Jan to Jun) shown, with KWS fees of about USD 90 in Amboseli and USD 80 in Tsavo
• Jul to Dec adds about USD 40 to 100 per person for high season lodge rates

Get my exact price on WhatsApp

What a 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari Really Gets You

The Nairobi to Mombasa road is long, and many travellers fly. A 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari turns that transfer into a short safari. You see elephants under Kilimanjaro, then red elephants in Tsavo, and arrive at the beach with a story.

The route is one way, so it suits anyone ending their trip at the coast. If you start at the coast, see our 3 day Tsavo East and Amboseli safari from Mombasa, which runs the other way.

How Much Is a 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari?

Our guide prices start at USD 830 per person for six people sharing a budget lodge in low season. Two people in a mid range lodge pay about USD 1,270 each. Two people in a luxury lodge pay about USD 1,950 each.

The price covers your vehicle, guide, two nights on full board and the park fees. From 1 Oct 2025, KWS fees for non resident adults are about USD 90 a day in Amboseli and USD 80 a day in Tsavo. Confirm exact fees at booking.

See our Kenya national park entry fees guide for the fee table and the Kenya safari packages and prices page to compare trips.

Amboseli: Elephants and Kilimanjaro

Amboseli is small and open, and it is the best place in Kenya to photograph elephants with Kilimanjaro behind them. Swamps fed by mountain snow keep the grass green and the herds large.

You also see lion, cheetah, hyena, buffalo, wildebeest and many birds. Our 2 day Amboseli safari and our Amboseli National Park safari give more on the park.

Tsavo East: Red Elephants and Open Plains

Tsavo East is flat, hot and wide. The red soil coats the elephants, which gives them their famous colour. You also see zebra, buffalo, lion, lesser kudu and gerenuk.

The Galana River draws herds in the dry months, and Mudanda Rock is a long stone ridge above a busy water pan. See our 2 day Tsavo East safari from Mombasa for a coast based trip to the same park.

Best Time for a 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari

Jun to Oct and Jan to Feb are the driest months and the best for game viewing. Amboseli has clear skies and strong mountain views. Nov and Mar to May bring rain, green bush and fewer vehicles.

Apr and May are the wettest. Roads can turn muddy and some tracks close. Our Kenya safari month by month guide gives a month by month view, and the Kenya public holidays and peak dates shows peak dates when lodges fill up.

Lodge or Camp: What Each Tier Gets You

On a 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari, every tier visits the same parks with the same guide. The difference is comfort and location.

Budget stays give you clean rooms or tents, hot water and plain meals. Mid range stays give you private bathrooms, a pool and a waterhole view. Luxury stays give you large rooms, a bar and top service, often inside the park.

• Budget: simple rooms or tents, shared or basic facilities, full meals
• Mid range: private bathrooms, pool, lounge, often a floodlit waterhole
• Luxury: large suites, pool, bar and top service

Ending at the Coast

Your guide can drop you at any hotel in Mombasa, Nyali, Bamburi, Diani or Watamu. Diani is about an hour and a half beyond Mombasa because of the Likoni ferry. Watamu adds another two hours north.

You can also end at the Mombasa SGR station or Moi International Airport. Read our SGR Madaraka Express guide if you want to return to Nairobi by train. For beach ideas, see our Diani beach holiday packages and Watamu and Malindi holiday packages.

Tell us your hotel name when you book, so we plan the last day around check in time. Most hotels let you check in from about 2 pm, so a mid afternoon arrival works well. If you arrive early, your guide can stop for lunch at a good coast restaurant first.

What You Can Expect to See

Amboseli gives you elephant, lion, cheetah, hyena, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and giraffe. Flamingos and pelicans visit the marsh in some seasons. Tsavo East adds gerenuk, lesser kudu, dik dik and large buffalo herds.

On a 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari, you may not see the whole Big Five, since rhino are rare in both parks. Lion, elephant and buffalo are common, and leopard is possible. Our guide to the Big Five in Kenya shows where to find each animal.

Photography Tips for Two Parks

The best light on a 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari comes at dawn and dusk. Amboseli rewards you with mountain and elephant shots at sunrise. Tsavo East rewards you with red dust and long shadows in the afternoon.

Bring a zoom lens, a dust cover and a bean bag for the roof. Your guide parks so the sun sits behind you whenever the road allows. Ask for a stop at the Mudanda Rock for wide shots. Charge batteries at your lodge each night, since the vehicle sockets are slow. A small tripod rarely helps in a safari vehicle, so a bean bag works better. Pack a second memory card in case you shoot more than you expect.

Why Take the Road Instead of Flying

A direct flight from Nairobi to Mombasa is quick, but you miss the land between them. The road trip gives you two parks, local towns and a feel for how Kenya changes from highland to coast.

It also fits tight budgets. A flight plus two nights plus a safari costs more than our 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari. For a car only trip, see our car hire in Nairobi service, and for transfers see airport transfers in Nairobi.

Health, Packing and Comfort

Amboseli and Tsavo are hot and dusty, so bring a hat, sunscreen and a scarf. Both are malaria areas, so speak to your doctor about tablets and pack repellent.

Our Kenya safari packing checklist and our Kenya vaccinations and malaria guide cover the details. Pack swimwear in your day bag, because you reach the beach on Day 3.

Book Your 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari

Send your dates, hotel name, group size and budget for the 3 day Amboseli Tsavo East safari on WhatsApp at +254 720 731957. We reply with a written quote and a lodge shortlist, usually within a few hours.

Book Dec and Jul to Oct trips three months ahead. Low season trips often work with a week or two of notice. Browse the full list of our safari packages to compare other lengths.

How to book your 3 day Amboseli Tsavo east

Booking your 3 day Amboseli Tsavo east with us takes about five minutes of your time. The rest is our job. Here is exactly what happens, step by step, so there are no surprises along the way.

1. Send your dates. Message us on WhatsApp with your travel dates, how many people are coming and the ages of any children. Tell us if you have a budget in mind. We plan with it, not around it.
2. Get a written quote. We reply with a clear price per person, what it includes and what it does not. No hidden park fees and no vague extras. If a cheaper camp or a shorter route makes more sense, we say so.
3. Tweak it until it fits. Change a camp, add a night or swap a park. Ask as many questions as you like. Changes cost nothing until you confirm.
4. Confirm with a deposit. A deposit holds your vehicle, guide and rooms. You get a written confirmation with every detail and the date the balance is due.
5. Travel day. Your driver guide meets you at your hotel or the airport with a name board. You have their number and ours for the whole trip.

What every trip with us includes

Every 3 day Amboseli Tsavo east plan we put together comes with the basics done properly. You ride in a safari vehicle with a pop up roof, with a professional driver guide who knows the parks. Water is in the cooler box, and park fees are sorted in advance so you do not stand in a queue at the gate.

We also stay reachable. If something changes on the road, a flat tyre, a closed route or a sudden storm, we sort it and keep you posted on WhatsApp.

Paying safely

We share payment details in writing only, and every payment gets a receipt. The payment options and the balance date sit on your written quote, so nothing is left to memory or a phone call.

Why book with a Nairobi team

We live here. We drive these roads all year, we know which camps are honest about their photos, and we know when a park is too busy to enjoy. That local knowledge is what turns a good 3 day Amboseli Tsavo east into a great one. Our Google rating sits at 5.0 from 46 reviews, and we plan to keep it that way.

Ready when you are. Send us a message and we will put a plan together for you shortly.

Questions people ask

Official information: Kenya Wildlife Service, the official park authority.

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