A family of four that had gone missing during a camping tour in Tsavo East National Park over the weekend has been found.
According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the family entered the park through the Manyani Gate and was scheduled to camp for two nights at the Lugard’s Falls Special Campsite.
They were expected to exit via the Sala Gate on Monday but did not.
When park authorities realized the visitors had not left by Monday evening, they launched an immediate ground search along the route from Lugard’s Falls to Sala Gate. The operation later expanded to include aerial support overnight.
According to the officials, the search started on Monday at 8:00 PM and continued overnight along the Luggards Falls-Sala Gate route.
An abandoned camping gear was found at the campsite, however, the family was nowhere to be seen.
On Tuesday pre-dawn, aerial support was deployed with two fixed-wing aircraft and one helicopter. At around 9:30 AM, the four were found near Kabaguchi Ranger Camp on the remote Yatta Plateau, approximately 50 kilometres north of their planned route, unharmed and in good health.
“A large-scale search and rescue operation is underway for a missing family of four in Tsavo East National Park. KWS has deployed two fixed-wing aircraft, a helicopter, and three land cruisers to locate two parents and their two children, who failed to exit the park as scheduled,” read a statement on Tuesday.
In a follow-up statement, KWS noted that the vehicle the family was using had broken down during an unauthorized deviation from their planned route while on a game drive, leaving them stranded.
UPDATE: Family of four that went missing on Saturday in Tsavo East National Park found after an ‘intense’ 24-hour search operation, KWS says. pic.twitter.com/AyM37hMm9A — The Standard Digital (@StandardKenya) April 8, 2025
They are currently undergoing routine medical evaluations and will soon be reunited with their loved ones. A full debriefing will follow to better understand how they became disoriented.
