Ruto Unveils Luxury Hotels in Tsavo West, Defends Premium Rates as Part of Wildlife Tourism Strategy

Kenya is set to elevate its wildlife tourism offerings with the construction of five high-end hotels in Tsavo West National Park, with nightly rates ranging from US$500 to US$1,000 (Sh65,000–Sh130,000). The announcement was made by President William Ruto during the launch of what is now the world’s largest rhino sanctuary, covering a vast 3,200-square-kilometre protected area.

The luxury accommodations aim to attract premium tourists, similar to those visiting the Maasai Mara, and form part of a broader strategy to strengthen conservation financing while offering world-class wildlife experiences.

“I have been informed by KWS that we will have five new hotels here. The five hotels will be high end, and visitors will pay US$500 or US$1,000 per night,” Ruto said.
“The amount is the same that hotels in Maasai Mara charge.”

Ruto defended the premium rates, stressing that the costs reflect the significant investments and logistical demands required to maintain and secure the sanctuary.

“Coming here to see these animals is not a small thing. We have done a lot to make this place what it is — 300 officers, radios, planes. All that work, and then someone thinks it will be easy to spend the night here. It will not happen,” he said.

The President also ruled out the development of low-cost accommodation within the protected area, clarifying that budget hotels would be restricted to nearby towns such as Voi.

“We have agreed with KWS, we will not have hotels here charging Sh2,000 or Sh3,000. For those kinds of hotels, you will have to go to Voi,” he added.

The launch of the sanctuary marks a historic milestone for conservation in Kenya, significantly expanding rhino habitat in a bid to enhance breeding success and reduce pressures from overcrowding. For decades, the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, measuring just 92 square kilometres, has hosted nearly 150 black rhinos — more than two and a half times its ecological capacity.

The overcrowding has hampered breeding, increased territorial conflicts, lowered calf survival rates, and caused severe stress to the animals. Across Kenya, more than 80% of the country’s black rhino population resides in similarly restricted protected areas, limiting efforts to boost numbers nationally.

“With this expansion, the 150 rhinos in Ngulia will now merge with 50 rhinos in the Tsavo West Intensive Protection Zone to form a single founder population of 200 black rhinos, the largest in Kenya and among the most significant on the African continent,” Ruto said.

The Tsavo landscape once served as one of Africa’s greatest black rhino havens, with over 8,000 rhinos recorded in the early 1970s. Decades of poaching, droughts, and human land pressure led to a catastrophic collapse, leaving fewer than 20 rhinos in the ecosystem.

With the expansion and the luxury tourism initiative, the government hopes to revive Kenya’s rhino population while positioning Tsavo West as a premier wildlife destination for discerning travelers worldwide.