Tsavo East and West National Parks

If you combine the two Tsavo parks - East and West - you are left with one of the largest Wildlife sanctuaries in the world: 20,000 sq. km of protected terrain. It is one of the oldest parks in Kenya, opening in 1948. The Park is divided into 2 sections as it is bisected by a major road and railway line from north to south. Named after the river that runs through it, it shares boundaries with the Mkomazi Reserve in Tanzania and the Chyulu Hills National Park.

The Park itself mainly consists of dry grasslands and savannah and contains an amazing diversity of animal and birdlife. The East section of the park contains these open grasslands, while the western section is more mountainous and contains some swamps. Tsavo West also has over 2,000 km of well-maintained roads allowing you to cover longer distances and see plenty of the sights and landscapes on offer. There are the Mzima Springs, fed with over 20,000,000 litres of fresh water every day from the Chulu Hills. As you would imagine with so much water, it is a popular spot for Hippos and crocodiles, the later because of the thousands of animals that come to drink there. Surrounded by thick Acacia it is also a wonderful area of birdlife. And for larger animals, there are lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena.

Other attractions in the East include the Yatta Plateau, the world's longest lava flow and the Lugard Falls, a series of rapids on the Galana River. Because of its size it is a good park for conservation projects, with both a Rhino and Elephant project currently being done.

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