ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
7-Day Tsavo West Safari at Finch Hattons

Kenya - Fly-in safari

7-Day Tsavo West Safari at Finch Hattons

Duration
7 days
Countries
Kenya
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 9,680

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

Tsavo is Kenya's largest protected area and its least visited relative to size, which is the whole point of going. Tsavo West is the scenic half: volcanic hills, lava flows, the extraordinary Mzima Springs, and Kilimanjaro filling the southern horizon on any clear morning. Finch Hattons is built around a series of natural spring-fed pools inside the park, and hippo and crocodile use them exactly as they would if the camp were not there. Seventeen tented suites face the water, each with a deck and a plunge pool, and the style leans into the Denys Finch Hatton legend the name invokes: crystal, gramophones and an unembarrassed amount of comfort. Six nights at one address buys the thing most Kenyan itineraries lack, which is time. The park's red-dust elephant, the lion of the Ngulia hills, and the rhino sanctuary all sit within a morning's drive. Mzima Springs pushes 250 million litres of filtered water a day through its pools and has an underwater viewing chamber for watching hippo walk the bottom. June to October is dry and cool; the green months bring dramatic light and better rates.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Wilson to the Springs

An hour in the air from Wilson brings you over the Chyulu Hills and down onto the camp airstrip. Finch Hattons appears around its pools, hippo already in residence and the tents facing the water. Lunch is served with crystal and a straight face. The afternoon drive edges out into lava country as the heat drops.

Stay 2

Mzima Springs

An early start for Mzima, where twenty-five years of filtration through volcanic rock surfaces as pools clear enough to read through. The underwater chamber puts you level with hippo walking the bottom, and barbel shoal past the glass. The afternoon drive works the plains for Tsavo's elephant, red from rolling in the local dust.

Stay 3

Ngulia Hills

North to the Ngulia range, where the escarpment falls away at Roaring Rocks and the view runs out over the whole park. The hills hold lion and leopard, and the fenced rhino sanctuary below protects one of Kenya's important black rhino populations. Lunch is packed. The evening drive comes home along the Tsavo River line.

Stay 4

Lava and Kilimanjaro

The Chaimu crater and its black lava flow can be climbed on foot in twenty minutes for a view across to Kilimanjaro, which is usually out at dawn and gone by ten. The rest of the morning is game driving; the afternoon belongs to the spa, the pool and the hippo, who work to their own timetable entirely.

Stay 5

The Long Southern Loop

A full day south toward Lake Jipe on the Tanzanian border, driving through country most visitors never reach: buffalo herds, elephant coming down to water, and a bird list that runs to several hundred species. Lunch under a tree somewhere quiet. You will likely not see another vehicle from dawn until you turn for home.

Stay 6

Last Full Day

The final day follows the week's loose ends: the lion pride the guides have been tracking, a return to Mzima at a quieter hour, or a guided walk along the spring line with an armed ranger. Dinner is served beside the pools by lantern, with the hippo providing an unhurried and slightly alarming soundtrack.

Stay 7

Tsavo to Nairobi

Coffee at the water's edge, a last look south in case Kilimanjaro has come out, then the short drive to the airstrip and the hour back to Wilson, connecting to evening international departures. Six nights in Kenya's largest park, at a camp that decided the natural springs were the main attraction and built itself around them.

Safari highlights

  • Six nights at Finch Hattons on natural spring pools
  • Hippo and crocodile at the camp's own water
  • Kilimanjaro across the plain on clear mornings
  • Mzima Springs and its underwater viewing chamber
  • Tsavo's red-dust elephant and Ngulia lion
  • Kenya's biggest park, a fraction of the visitors

What is included

Included

  • 6 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Return light-aircraft flights Wilson-Finch Hattons airstrip
  • Road transfers between the airstrip and camp
  • All meals, house wines, local spirits, beers and soft drinks
  • Twice-daily game drives in Tsavo West
  • A Mzima Springs excursion and guided nature walks
  • Tsavo West National Park fees and government taxes
  • Laundry and emergency medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Kenya electronic travel authorisation and entry permits
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
  • Spa treatments and the Chyulu Hills excursion
  • Premium spirits, champagne and imported wines
  • Gratuities for guides, drivers and camp staff
  • Items of a personal nature and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 7-day Tsavo West safari at Finch Hattons cost?

From USD 9,680 per person sharing, rising to about USD 11,380 in peak season. That covers six nights in a tented suite, all meals and house drinks, twice-daily game drives, the Mzima Springs excursion, guided walks, Tsavo West park fees and the return light-aircraft flights from Wilson Airport. International flights to Africa are excluded and quoted separately.

What makes Tsavo West different from the Masai Mara?

Scale and solitude. Tsavo West is part of Kenya's largest protected area, and the landscape is volcanic rather than open savannah: lava flows, hills, and springs that surface from the Chyulu range. Game viewing takes more patience than the Mara but you will often have a sighting entirely to yourself, and Kilimanjaro on the horizon is a view the Mara cannot offer.

What is Mzima Springs?

A series of pools inside Tsavo West fed by rainwater that falls on the Chyulu Hills, filters through porous volcanic rock for about twenty-five years and surfaces here at roughly 250 million litres a day. The water is startlingly clear, hippo and crocodile live in it, and a submerged viewing chamber lets you watch hippo walking along the bottom.

Is six nights at one camp too long?

Not in Tsavo, where the drives cover genuinely different country each day: the Ngulia hills for lion and the rhino sanctuary, the Chaimu lava flow, the Roaring Rocks escarpment, Mzima Springs, and the plains toward Lake Jipe. Finch Hattons also fills the middle hours with a spa, a pool, birding walks and hippo at the deck, so days rarely feel repetitive.

Are international flights included?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded and booked separately, arriving at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport. Included are the return light-aircraft flights from Wilson Airport, roughly an hour each way, with a 15 kg soft-bag luggage limit. Road access from Nairobi takes about six hours if you would rather drive.

Is Tsavo a malaria area?

Yes. Tsavo is a low-lying, warm park and malaria transmission occurs year-round, with risk highest after the rains in April, May and November. Prophylaxis is recommended; arrange it with a travel clinic about six weeks before departure. The camp provides nets and repellent. A yellow fever certificate is required only if arriving from a transmission-risk country.