Tsavo National Park
Tsavo National Park is one of Kenya’s most popular tourist sites, located in the country’s southwest. Tsavo is separated into two national parks: Tsavo East and Tsavo West. The park is well-known for having a huge number of Lions, dubbed “Man-Eaters” by some, as well as other animal species such as big herds of elephants. The park has an area of 13,747 square kilometers.
Tsavo National Park is one of Kenya’s oldest national parks, located in the country’s southeastern corner and comprised of Tsavo West and Tsavo East national parks, which are divided by a railway line. Tsavo National Park is famous for its man-eating lions, but it also has harsh scenery with mountains and woodland grasslands in Tsavo West National Park. Tsavo East National Park, on the other hand, is distinguished by semiarid grasslands and savannahs, which are home to a variety of animals. When two maneless lions attacked construction workers during the construction of the railway that runs through Tsavo National Park, the man-eating lions were known as above. These lions are among the attractions that travelers visiting this national park want to see while exploring the area.
The national park is maintained by Kenya Wildlife Services, which maintains various tourism facilities in Tsavo, including roads leading to the park, bridges, and other infrastructure, as well as encouraging conservation at the destination.
Kenya Wildlife Services is also responsible for ensuring that visitors respect the laws and regulations in place in the national park, as well as managing, protecting, and conserving species in Tsavo National Park and throughout Kenya.
Tourists entering this national park must pay admission fees, which vary according to whether they are foreign residents, nonresidents, or East Africans. On safaris to Tsavo National Park, children pay different costs than adults.
Nonresidents pay 52 USD for adults and 35 USD for children, whereas East Africans pay in Kenyan shillings to enter Tsavo National Park (KSHS). The admission costs for Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks are the same.
Visitors can enter Tsavo West National Park through many entry gates, including Maktau, Mbuyuni, Jipe, Ziwani, Chyulu, and Kasigau. The national park may be reached by the Mtito Andei road from Nairobi, as well as the Chyulu gate.
Visitors visiting Tsavo East National Park can enter through the Manyani gate, Voi gate, Buchuma gate, and Sala gate.
Tourists can view the following attractions while on safari in Tsavo National Park:
Wildlife species: Tsavo West National Park is one of Kenya’s most popular wildlife-watching places, attracting visitors to witness rhinos, hippos, elephants, buffalos, leopards, lions, hartebeests, impalas, elands, fringe-eyed oryx, giraffes, and kudu, among others.
Mzima springs: Visitors to Tsavo West National Park may also go to Mzima springs, which contains clean water with hippos and crocodiles. The springs are made up of four springs located in the western half of the national park. The water for Mzima springs comes from a natural reservoir beneath the Chyulu hills. The springs provide water to the animal species that graze on the savannah grasslands. Vervet monkeys live in the trees that surround the springs and feast on the fruits of the date trees, raffia palms, winterberries, and figs. Birds of various types may also be spotted in the woods around the Mzima springs.
Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary: Ngulia rhino sanctuary, located at the base of Ngulia hill, is another feature in Tsavo West National Park. The Kenya Wildlife Service and the African Wildlife Foundation keep and breed a number of endangered rhinos there. Because of rhino poaching, the sanctuary was established to safeguard these animals from being murdered. The black rhinos held at the sanctuary are nocturnal creatures, which means they are difficult to view but not impossible. Because black rhinos are in risk of extinction, the sanctuary, which is well-fenced and monitored by rangers and personnel, helps to raise rhino numbers as well as other animal species such as elephants, which may be observed in the national park.
Shetani lava flow: Visitors may also see the black-folded lava that flows through the savannah, as well as the breathtaking vistas in the surrounding area. Visitors to the Shetani lava flows can also witness several animal species, including carnivores that can be spotted roaming about. Shetani caverns, produced by volcanic activity, may also be discovered near the lava flows. Shetani means “devil,” and it refers to a period when lava was gushing from the earth and the inhabitants believed it was the devil himself coming out of the ground. The Shetani lava flow may be reached via one of the Tsavo West national park’s entrance gates, the Chyulu gate.
The adjacent Tsavo East National Park features a number of sights that may be visited on a safari to the destination, including the following:
River Galana: Many animal species congregate near River Galana, one of the highlights of Tsavo East National Park. This river originates in the hills of Kenya’s southeast and goes through the national park to the Indian Ocean. Visitors to River Galana can also witness crocodiles while exploring the splendor of Tsavo East National Park.
The Yatta plateau: is one of the relief characteristics at this site and is an attraction in Tsavo East National Park, which is located between the rivers Athi and Tavi. The plateau is distinguished by plain large valleys as well as shallow scattered valleys caused by lava flows.
Lugard falls: On safaris to Tsavo East National Park, tourists may also see the Lugard falls, which are formed along the Galana River. This attraction is distinguished by cooled lava rock formations. The falls were named after Lord Fredrick Lugard, who passed through the area. The rapids were created as a consequence of carved channels and rocks interrupting the river flow. Tourists may witness animal species such as buffalos and hippos, as well as crocodiles, in the pool produced at the foot of the falls.
Mubanda rock: Located near the Manyani entrance in Tsavo East National Park, this rock stands out from the rest of the park. During the dry season, animal species congregate in the water catchment region near the stratified rock, making it simple for travelers to witness the various wildlife species while on safari as they see the wildlife drinking from the pool.
Aruba dam: Situated east of the Voi gate, Aruba dam serves as a watering hole for the numerous animal species found in Tsavo East National Park, including waterbucks, zebras, warthogs, elephants, duikers, hartebeest, dik-dik, leopards, rhinos, giraffes, and buffalo. It was erected by the park officials to provide water for animal species during the dry season of the year.
Kanderi wetland: Kanderi swamp is another site that visitors to Tsavo East National Park might enjoy witnessing. This swamp also serves as a source of fresh water for the national park’s fauna. The marsh is also close to the Voi gate, which serves as an entrance to the national park.
Tsavo River: The Tsavo River, which runs through Tsavo East National Park, is another feature of this area. The river merges with the Athi River to form the Galana River.
Game drives: Visitors may go on game drives while exploring Tsavo National Park to witness the many animal species and other attractions. These game drives take happen at various times of the day, including morning game drives, afternoon or evening game drives, and full-day game drives.
Tourists can witness several animal species that are active at this time of day on morning game drives. They are recommended for tourists to get an amazing wildlife viewing experience in Tsavo national park and to see wildlife species such as elephants, buffalos, baboons, warthogs, waterbucks, impalas, zebras, hyenas, giraffes, kudus, antelopes, leopards, and others as they graze around the national park.
Full-day game drives are also available for travelers to enjoy on their safaris to Tsavo East National Park. This type of game drive allows guests to witness animal species and monitor their behavior at various times of the day.
The national park also offers night game excursions to witness the nocturnal animal species. Tourists are accompanied by ranger guides on night wildlife drives, which allow for photography and filming.
Birding: Ostriches, starlings, storks, pied kingfishers, vulturine guinea fowl, African fin foot, reed warbler, corncrakes, lesser kestrel, martial eagles, northern brown bull, red-backed shrikes, black-faced sand grouse, and other bird species may be seen on safaris to Tsavo national park.
Mzima springs are a good birding destination in Tsavo West National Park, where visitors may also enjoy beautiful views and see monkeys in the trees surrounding the springs, as well as hippos and crocodiles.
Nature walks: Another unique approach to exploring the beauty is to go on a nature walk, which entails walking throughout Tsavo National Park. This wildlife-watching activity allows travelers to engage closely with nature in their surroundings.
These nature walks are led by a ranger guide who gives information about the various attractions available in the area as they go through Tsavo National Park.
Hiking: When on safari in Tsavo National Park, tourists can indulge in trekking activities to appreciate the lovely environment from a higher vantage point. The activity is feasible because of the steep and rough environment of Tsavo West National Park.
Climbers can also enjoy observing animal species such as elephants wandering the plains while mountaineering. Because of the nature of the climbs, which can be challenging and arduous at times and need less work than others, the diverse rocks that are climbed provide tourists with a unique climbing experience.
Tourists can visit Tsavo National Park in a variety of methods, including by road and by air or fly, to see its varied attractions and partake in various animal viewing activities.
Tsavo East National Park may be reached by vehicle through the Nairobi-Mombasa route. There are several airstrips from which travelers may fly to the national park, including Voi airstrip, Aruba airstrip, Satao airfield, Sala airstrip, Ithumba airstrip, and Bachuma airstrip, among others.
Tourists can fly into Tsavo West National Park through scheduled or charter planes. Tourists can go by road from Nairobi.
Tsavo National Park Accommodation
During a visit to Tsavo National Park, guests can stay in a variety of venues, including luxury lodgings, midrange accommodations, and budget hotels. The decision of where to stay is influenced by a variety of circumstances, including the visitors’ budget.
Finch Hatton’s camp, Sarova salt lick lodge, Rhino valley lodge, Kiboko camp, Satao camp, Kiboko camp, and many others provide luxurious accommodations.
Tsavo National Park’s midrange lodgings include Voi Wildlife Lodge, Asnil Aruba Lodge, Red Elephants Safari Lodge, Severin Safari Camp, and Lions Bluff Lodge.
Lake Jipe safari camp, Manyatta camp, Voyager Ziwani safari camp, and Leopard lodge are among the budget or basic accommodations.
By booking your safari to this area with Focus East Africa tours, you can relax and discover the home of the man-eating lions while partaking in various wildlife-watching excursions.