Amboseli & Tsavo: Elephants, Kilimanjaro & Red Earth

About the Trip

Trip Highlights

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• Elephants beneath the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro in Amboseli are the iconic highlight of this journey. Amboseli National Park, in the far south of Kenya, is one of the most beautiful and iconic wildlife settings in Africa, a landscape of open plains, seasonal swamps and dust-devils framed by the vast, snow-capped bulk of Mount Kilimanjaro rising just across the Tanzanian border. Amboseli is famous above all for its large, relaxed herds of elephants, among the most studied in the world, which you watch at close range as they cross the plains, bathe in the swamps and raise their calves, often with the mountain as a backdrop.
• The dramatic wilderness and red-dust elephants of Tsavo West are a spectacular highlight. Tsavo West National Park, part of one of the largest wildernesses in Kenya, is a rugged, romantic and beautiful landscape of volcanic hills, ancient lava flows, rocky outcrops and rolling savannah, far less crowded than the famous northern parks. It is famous for its elephants, which take on a distinctive red hue from bathing and dusting in the park's rich red volcanic soil, an unforgettable sight, along with lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, and a wealth of plains game and birds. The sense of wild, uncrowded space is profound.
• The crystal-clear Mzima Springs, with its underwater hippo chamber, is a magical highlight. One of the great wonders of Tsavo West is Mzima Springs, a series of crystal-clear natural pools fed by underground streams flowing from the volcanic Chyulu Hills, an oasis of clear turquoise water and lush greenery in the dry bush. The springs are home to hippos, crocodiles, and shoals of fish, and, remarkably, an underwater viewing chamber lets you watch the hippos and fish gliding through the clear water below the surface, a magical and unusual experience. Fringed by fig trees and alive with birds and monkeys, it is a beautiful, refreshing haven.
• Sweeping views, volcanic landscapes and big cats add drama to the wild south. The landscapes of Tsavo West are among the most dramatic in Kenya, from the black lava flows of the Shetani lava field, born of eruptions just a few centuries ago, to the volcanic Chyulu Hills and the sweeping views from lodges perched above waterholes where wildlife gathers to drink. Amid this rugged beauty roam lion, leopard, cheetah and the park's other predators, along with elephant, buffalo, giraffe and abundant plains game. Watching wildlife come and go at a floodlit waterhole below your lodge, against the backdrop of volcanic hills, is unforgettable.
• An uncrowded, wild safari far from the crowds is a rewarding highlight of this journey. While the Masai Mara and Amboseli draw many visitors, the vast wilderness of Tsavo remains gloriously uncrowded, offering a wilder, more remote and more romantic safari experience, where you can often have a sighting entirely to yourself amid immense, empty landscapes. Combined with the iconic scenery of Amboseli, this journey offers rich wildlife and dramatic beauty without the crowds, at an unhurried pace with expert guides. The sense of space, wildness and solitude is profound and rewarding.
• Above all, this journey explores the iconic, dramatic wildlife landscapes of southern Kenya. Southern Kenya holds some of the country's most iconic and dramatic wildlife landscapes, and this journey explores two of the finest. Over six days you watch elephants beneath the snows of Kilimanjaro in beautiful Amboseli, then journey into the vast, uncrowded wilderness of Tsavo West, with its volcanic hills, red-dust elephants, big cats and the magical Mzima Springs. Guided by expert driver-guides in custom 4x4 vehicles and staying in characterful lodges, the iconic scenery, rich wildlife and sense of wild space are extraordinary.

Day by Day

A detailed day-by-day plan for this 6-day journey.

Where You Will Travel

Frequently Asked Questions