Taita Hills sits in the gap between Tsavo East and Tsavo West, a private wildlife sanctuary rather than a national park, which changes what’s possible here. Because it’s privately managed land, we can take you out after dark for a night game drive, something the national parks around it don’t allow. It’s a compact, easy add-on to a Tsavo safari from Malindi or Diani, rather than a destination most guests visit on its own.
Why Visit Taita Hills?
The sanctuary covers around 28,000 acres at the foot of the Taita Hills, set up in 1972 and still privately run today. Being private land means the rules are different from the parks next door, most notably that lodges here can run guided night game drives, giving you a chance at nocturnal animals you’d otherwise miss entirely. The sanctuary’s best-known lodge, Salt Lick, is built on stilts overlooking a floodlit waterhole, so a good amount of wildlife-watching here happens without even leaving your room. The area also carries some First World War history, with battles once fought in the surrounding hills, something reflected in the architecture of the lodges and in a small museum nearby.
Wildlife in Taita Hills
Elephant is the biggest draw, and herds gather in real numbers at the waterholes below the lodges, especially in the dry season. Lion, buffalo, giraffe and Coke’s hartebeest are commonly seen on day game drives, along with greater kudu, a striking antelope with long spiral horns that’s harder to find in the busier parks nearby. Because the sanctuary is fenced and privately managed, its wildlife tends to be a little easier to spot than in the vast open space of Tsavo itself. Night game drives add a different set of species to look for, including leopard, hyena, genet, aardvark and white-tailed mongoose. The wider Taita Hills area is also known among birders for a handful of critically endangered species found only in the forested hills nearby, though these are a highland specialty rather than something you’ll see from the sanctuary’s plains.
Best Time to Visit Taita Hills
June to October and January to February: the dry months, when wildlife concentrates more predictably around the waterholes.
November to May: wetter, greener and quieter, with wildlife more spread out but the landscape at its most dramatic.
After dark, any time of year: since this is one of the only places in the region where a proper night game drive is possible.
Top Safari Experiences in Taita Hills
- Night game drives, a genuine point of difference from the surrounding national parks.
- Waterhole watching from Salt Lick Lodge, where elephants and other wildlife gather right below the rooms, especially after dark under floodlight.
- Day game drives across open savanna and riverine woodland, with a good chance of elephant, lion and giraffe.
- A short stop at the local WWI history display, for guests interested in the area’s wartime past.
