Tsavo National Parks - Kenya Safari Guide

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Tsavo National Parks present some of the most evocative images of a typical Kenya safari. The most thrilling is the sight of dust-red elephants wallowing, rolling, and spraying each other with the midnight blue waters of the palm-shaded Galana River. Therefore, in this guide, we have shared important facts to help you plan a dream Kenya safari in Tsavo National Parks.

Tsavo National Park at a Glance
Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo West National Park
Wildlife in Tsavo National Parks
Best time to visit Tsavo National Park
Getting to Tsavo National Park
Where to stay in Tsavo National Park
Ready for an adventure?

Tsavo National Park at a Glance

Tsavo National Park is located in southwest Kenya, near the town of Voi in Taita-Taveta County. Opened in April 1948, it is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya, sprawling over 22,812 square kilometres of area. The park is known for having quite a number of lions, previously referred to as “man-eaters,” and herds of elephants.

The eastern section of Tsavo National Park spans approximately 13,747 km² (5,308 sq mi), while the western section spans 9,065 km². The two parks are transected by the A109 road and a railway from Mombasa connecting to the interior.

The name Tsavo comes from the Tsavo River, which flows through the park from west to east. It borders Chyulu Hills National Park and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania. The 300-kilometer-long Yatta Plateau, which is the longest lava flow in the world, is worth exploring on your trip to Tsavo East.

The park is Kenya’s largest protected area and is home to most of the larger mammals, including vast herds of red elephants, buffalo, rhinos, lions, leopards, pods of hippopotamus, crocodiles, waterbucks, lesser Kudu, and gerenuk. A prolific bird life features 500 recorded species.

Tsavo East National Park

This section of the park is traversed by Galana River, which receives water from the Athi and Tsavo rivers, the impressive Yata Plateau (the longest lava flow in the world at 300 kilometers), and the Lugard Falls. Tsavo East is virtually flat, with dry plains cutting across such as semi-arid grasslands and savannah.

It hosts one of the world’s biodiversity strongholds and is popular for a diversity of wildlife, such as the famous ‘big five‘. The park is also home to a variety of bird life, such as the gray-crowned crane, black kite, lovebird, and sacred ibis. Attractions in Tsavo East National Park include.

1. Mudanda Rock

Mudanda Rock is a 1.6-kilometer inselberg of stratified rock situated in the southwest shrublands of Tsavo East National Park. This water catchment area supplies a natural dam below, and its strategic position allows hundreds of elephants and other wildlife to come and drink from it during hot days. This strategic spot offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the park that you can explore on a walking safari.

2. Yatta Plateau

The Yatta Plateau, the remnants of the world’s longest lava flow, extends over some 300 kilometers in length but is generally only several kilometers wide. It runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi River.

It is perfect for:

Gama drives
Camping with several lodges, tented camps, and campsites established on it, offering breathtaking views of Tsavo.
Walking Safari
Bird watching
Lodging

3. Lugard Falls

Named after the British explorer Capt. Fredrick Lugard, this spectacular gem features a series of whitewater rapids in the Galana River that form as the water rushes through the rocks blocking its flow.

It is perfect for:

Wildlife safaris with a variety of animal species such as cheetahs, zebras, hippos, wildebeest, giraffes, wild dogs, hyenas, and many others
Bird watching with species such as the gray-crowned crane, black kite, lovebird, sacred ibis, and many more
Nature walking offers an incredible wildlife experience
Hiking with several hiking trails available, you follow the clockwise direction, which offers great views of the Peak Tower as you finish your hike in 40 minutes.

4. Aruba Dam

Aruba dam attracts a large concentration of wildlife including prides of lions while the open grasslands provide the perfect habitat for cheetahs, and sightings are also regular here. With an abundance of bird species, it offers bird watching opportunities to avid birders as well as nature walks.

Tsavo West National Park

This section is more mountainous and wetter, dotted with swamps, Lake Jipe, and the Mzima Springs. Visitors who venture to Tsavo West will be greeted by the Tsavo River flowing from west to east through the park. It borders Chyulu Hills National Park and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania. The park is home to a black rhino sanctuary, a prolific birdlife and large mammal species. Major attractions in Tsavo West include:

1. Ngulia Rhino sanctuary

Located at the base of Ngulia Hills, this 90-square-kilometer area is enclosed by a 1m-high electric fence to protect around 80 of the park’s highly endangered black rhinos. There are driving tracks and waterholes within the enclosed area, but the rhinos are mainly nocturnal, and the chances of seeing one are slim.

Black rhinos, apart from being understandably shy and more active at night, are browsers, not grazers, and prefer to pass their time in thick undergrowth. These archaic creatures are breeding successfully, and around 15 have been released elsewhere in Tsavo West National Park. Elephants are also present in the park.

2. Shetani lava flow

‘Shetani’ refers to ‘devil’ in Kiswahili; the spectacular Shetani lava flows sit 4km west of the Chyulu gate of Tsavo West National Park, on the road to Amboseli. The flows were formed only a few hundred years ago, and local people believed that it was the devil himself emerging from the earth.

This wide swath of folded black lava extends for 50 sq km across the savannah next to the Chyulu Hills. It looks strangely as if Vesuvius dropped its comfort blanket here. Visitors are rewarded with spectacular views of the black, folded lava that flows across the savannah.

3. Mzima spring

Mzima Springs is an oasis of green in the west of the park and produces an incredible 250 million litres of fresh, clear water a day. The spring comprises four other springs on the park’s western side, whose sources are a natural reservoir that rises in the Chyulu Hills and provides the bulk of Mombasa’s fresh water. A walking trail leads along the shoreline to observe crocodiles and a wide variety of birdlife.

Wildlife in Tsavo National Parks

Birds

A prolific birdlife with over 500 species has been recorded in the area, including kingfishers, buzzards, ostriches, secretary birds, weaver birds, kestrels, herons, hornbills, and starlings, among others.

Animals

Tsavo National Park is home to a wide variety of animals, such as the famous Tsavo lions, a population whose adult males often lack manes entirely. There are a total of about 675 lions in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem.

Other animal species include buffalos, cheetahs, elephants, Masai giraffes, African wild dog, Bush duiker, Harvey’s red duiker, Kirk’s dik-dik, Coke’s hartebeest, Grant’s gazelle, Blue duiker, Common eland, Impala, Lesser Kudu, Ellipsen Waterbuck, Grevy’s Zebra, Black rhinoceros, Bushbuck, Gerenuk, Hunter’s hartebeest and Leopard, among others

Best time to visit Tsavo National Park

The best time to visit Tsavo National Parks is in the dry months from June to October and January to February. Wildlife is easier to spot since the vegetation is thin, and they gather around waterholes.

Although the parks can be visited any time of year, wildlife viewing during the height of the Wet season (November, April, and May) may be challenging but worth it. During this period, animals tend to spread out due to the abundance of pasture and water.

Avid birders are greatly rewarded with excellent bird watching opportunities. It is the wet season, and birds, both migratory and endemic, are present. It is also their breeding season.

Getting to Tsavo National Park

Tsavo East is in southeast Kenya, 325 km (201 mi) from Nairobi and 250 km (155 mi) from Mombasa. You can drive to the reserve from Nairobi, Mombasa, or other parks, depending on your itinerary.

There are no scheduled flights to Tsavo, but there are several airstrips available for charter flights. Airstrips in the East include Voi, Satao, Aruba, Sala, Mopo, and Bachuma, while in the west they include Tsavo Gate, Kamboyo, Jipe, and Kasigau.

The distance from Lake Nakuru National Park is 450 km (280 mi), and the driving time is about 7½ hours. The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) is 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Nairobi, and the smaller Moi International Airport (MBA) is 9 km (6 mi) west of Mombasa. These are the two most useful international airports.