Tsavo Park is stunning!It seems that many visitors to Kenya somehow disregard Tsavo in favour of the more well known parks such as Maasai Mara and Amboseli. Tsavo I feel is underrated as a destination for travellers to Kenya. Its enormous expanse (almost the size of The Netherlands) invites you to explore its vastness and incredible variety of game and landscapes. I know Tsavo extremely well having included it in all my visits to Kenya. Living in Kenya on the coast from 1963 to 1970, my family and I spent most of our weekends and holidays in Tsavo and we experienced the changes in the country on subsequent frequent visits. We used to see many black rhinos in the park in the early years. In the 1980’s rhinos and elephants had been poached so extensively that it was heartbreaking to visit Tsavo in those years. It is a wonderful thing that through the efforts of the Kenyan people the black rhino has returned to Tsavo and other sanctuaries in Kenya as well as the elephant.Some special places of interest in Tsavo West include: the world famous Mzima Springs, Poachers Lookout, Chyulu Hills, Tsavo River, Chaimu crater and lava flow, Rhino Sanctuary and the water pools at Ngulia. On a clear day one can see Mount Kilimanjaro form Tsavo West. In Tsavo East: Saiwa Swamps, Lugards Falls, Galana River, Aruba Dam, Mudanda Rock and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
The most attractive aspect of Tsavo is the diversity of the game and landscapes one sees here; the incredible herds of 500 or more buffaloes, elephants and rhinos. One never leaves Tsavo without having seen zebras, giraffes, impalas, dikdiks, kudus, hartebeest, eland, warthogs, jackals, lions, leopard, hippos, gerenuk, waterbuck, gazelle and many more species. The bird life is astounding. Some aspects of the landscape include hills, escarpments and rocky outcrops of volcanic origin, enormous expanses of plains and savannah, many rivers, river courses, pools, waterholes, dams and springs, dense riverine forests and bush, marshland and forests of baobab trees.
The park is well kept, the roads are good and the Kenya Wildlife Service works hard at controlling the poaching and other illegal activities in the park. The accommodation facilities in the park are excellent and there is a wide choice of lodges and eco-camps in both Tsavo East and West as well as on the perimeters of both parks. Malaika Safaris in Europe in conjunction with Woni Safaris are able to cater to the wishes of the visitor. We do strongly recommend a stay of at least two days in Tsavo East as well as Tsavo West. You do need the time to explore the park and even in two days one can see but a small part of the park. We guarantee you will fall in love with this special place!!
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