Elephant Expedition
The expedition in Tsavo East National Park provides a unique opportunity to participate in the conservation of Tsavo elephants and their habitat. You will learn about Tsavo Elephant behavioral ecology, life histories of known bulls and families, the changing environment, diversity of birds and wildlife. You will have unlimited time to observe elephants and other wildlife behaviors and the opportunity to photograph beautiful landscapes with a diversity of species.
Barbara will provide training on elephant identification, behavior and data collection. Based on 30+ years of field research monitoring 770 individually recognized elephants you will learn about their history, many of them have been monitored for two decades. We will focus on known bull associations with other bulls, musth behaviors, location and habitat use. The focus on known families includes family-bond-clan associations, number of adult females per family, offspring: age & sex, births, survival, location and habitat use (see Research for details). You will soon learn each elephant is very different in appearance and behavior based on their individual history and the environment in which they live.
The 8-day expedition includes six field days and two travel days. Join the expedition on your own, invite a friend or group of friends. The expedition is affiliated with African Elephant Conservation Research Foundation, a Kenya registered NGO aecrf.org, and organized with our partner Cryptic Safaris, a Kenya based safari company. Questions about the expedition, contact Barbara at bmcknight@tsavoelephants.org.
Dates 2026: 22–29 October, 12–19 November, 10–17 December
Dates 2027: 11–18 February, 11–18 March, 15–22 April, 13–20 May, 10–17 June
Itinerary
We will be based at Voi Wildlife Lodge, an open-air lodge located on the south-west boundary of Tsavo East National Park. The lodge has a large waterhole, visible from all rooms, and a lookout structure adjacent to the waterhole. Depending on the weather, many species visit the waterhole: numerous birds, elephants and other wildlife. This waterhole is an ideal location to photograph wildlife close-up.
- Day 1
- 08:00 drive from Nairobi to Tsavo East National Park. Arrive at Voi Wildlife Lodge in time for lunch, around two pm. In the afternoon Barbara will give a brief geographical orientation and you have the opportunity to relax and observe wildlife at the waterholes.
- Day 2
- 06:30 breakfast. 08:00 Barbara will conduct a seminar on elephant identification, physiology, age and behavior. She will provide training on data collection: elephants, water sources & wildlife. 13:00 lunch. 15:00 to the field.
- Days 3–7
- Field days: 06:30 breakfast, then to the field to search for elephants in their favored areas — the Hills region: Mzinga, Lion, Voi and Irima, Mudonda Rock, Manyani, Galana River, Voi Riverine and Aruba. Some days we will return to the lodge for lunch and return to the field afterwards. Some days we will stay in the bush all day and take a box lunch.
- Day 8
- 06:30 breakfast. 08:00 drive to Nairobi.
Booking
Contact Cryptic Safaris at crypticsafaris.co.ke:
- To book your place on a team, cost and for logistical information.
- To book a day room after the team and before your flight out of Kenya.
- To extend your time in Kenya before or after the expedition — Cryptic Safaris will organize bookings for accommodations, vehicle, driver and guide.