2-Day Safari from Mombasa: Taita Hills & Tsavo game drives

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration2d

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Watch wildlife from a lodge built over a watering hole where animals drink at dusk

A two-day safari from Mombasa combines game drives in Ngutuni Sanctuary and Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, with an overnight stay at either Taita Hills Lodge or Salt Lick Lodge—the latter built on stilts overlooking a waterhole where you can watch animals arrive to drink. Shared 4x4 game drives happen during peak wildlife hours; meals, park entry and hotel pickup are included. Children from age 7 are welcome; the route is not suitable for travelers with spinal injuries or certain cardiovascular conditions.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Mombasa to Taita Hills Safari

Meet driver and depart hotel at 6am
Drive north towards Nairobi
Enter Ngutuni Sanctuary for game drive
Lunch at Ngutuni Lodge by waterhole
Proceed to Taita Hills Sanctuary
Arrive at Salt Lick Lodge
Afternoon game drive in Taita Hills
Dinner at lodge

Day 2 — Taita Hills to Mombasa Return

Early morning game drive in Sanctuary
Return to lodge for breakfast
Short game drive after breakfast
Lunch at Taita Hills Lodge
Drive back to Mombasa hotel

The Experience

You leave your Mombasa hotel around 6am and drive north along the main highway toward Nairobi, following the old railway line built in the nineteenth century. The road climbs out of the city warehouses and workshops, and soon the vast Tsavo plains open ahead with the Taita Hills visible on the horizon. The drive itself is part of the journey—the landscape shifts as you move inland, and your English-speaking driver narrates the route and the history of the region, including the railway's construction and the area's past.

By mid-morning you enter Ngutuni Sanctuary, which borders Tsavo East National Park, for your first game drive in a shared 4x4 vehicle. You stop for lunch at Ngutuni Lodge overlooking a waterhole, then continue in the afternoon to Taita Hills Sanctuary. Your overnight lodge choice shapes the rest of the day: Taita Hills Lodge sits on the main sanctuary grounds where you can relax by the pool, or Salt Lick Lodge, built on stilts directly over a watering hole where you watch animals arrive to drink at dusk. Around 4pm you're out on a second game drive through the sanctuary, where lions, elephants, giraffes and zebras move through the rolling hills. Dinner is at your lodge.

On day two, an early morning game drive takes you out when animals are most active; on clear days Mount Kilimanjaro appears on the horizon. You return for breakfast, do a short mid-morning game drive, then drive back to Mombasa in the afternoon, arriving at your hotel in the evening. The two sanctuaries together mean you see more diverse wildlife than a single reserve would offer, and the overnight stay lets you experience the nocturnal activity around the lodges—the sounds and movement of animals at the watering holes after dark.

What’s included

Overnight accommodation at Taita Hills Lodge or Salt Lick Lodge.
shared game drives in a 4x4 safari vehicle on both days.
lunch at Ngutuni Lodge, dinner and breakfast at your overnight lodge.
park entry fees and government taxes.
hotel pickup and drop-off in Mombasa.
English-speaking driver and guide throughout.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by ARP Travel Group

Is this one for you?Choose this safari if you want to see two wildlife reserves in one trip and experience animals at the watering holes when they're most active—the overnight stay and fixed schedule mean the route, timing and logistics are all arranged, so you focus on the wildlife instead of building the itinerary yourself.