Tsavo West
“Land of Lava, Springs, Man-Eaters & Magical Sunsets”
Tsavo West together with its expansive Tsavo East neighbor form one of the largest national parks in the world. From the sight of fifty million gallons of crystal clear water gushing out of from the under parched lava rock that is the Mzima Springs to the Shetani lava flows, Tsavo West is a beautiful, rugged wilderness. The savannah ecosystem comprises of open grasslands, scrublands, and Acacia woodlands, belts of riverine vegetation and rocky ridges including the Poacher’s Lookout where visitors can see the teeming herds in the plains below. Tsavo West offers some of the most magnificent game viewing in the world and attractions include elephant, rhino, Hippos, lions, cheetah, leopards, Buffalos, diverse plant and bird species including the threatened corncrake and near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.
The reserve is popular for short safaris from the Kenya coast, such as Mombasa, which makes for a stunning East Africa beach and bush vacation. Tsavo East National Park lies to the east of the Nairobi – Mombasa highway, equi-distant between Nairobi and Mombasa and offers a vast and untapped arena of arid bush which is washed by the azure and emerald meanderings of the Galana River, guarded by the limitless lava reaches of the Yatta Plateau and patrolled by some of the largest elephant herds in Kenya.
Tsavo West is a real wilderness destination. All of the Big Five are present, but wildlife densities are lower than in some of the more popular parks in Kenya. However, there is a good variety of animals with many dry-country specials, including the shy lesser kudu and the rare fringe-eared oryx. Large elephant herds can be found gathering at the waterholes. here are many elephants, and they are often covered in red dust, giving them an eerie appearance. The park is also known for its maneless lions and big herds of buffalo. Black rhinos have been on the comeback in Tsavo since the ’80s when they were close to being locally extinct.