Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo East National Park also known as the “Theater of Wildlife” is located in the Southwest part of Nairobi with an area of 13,747sqkm. The park is one of the oldest National parks of Kenya established in 1948 and it is characterized by semi-arid grasslands and savannah where wildlife species can be seen wandering in. A home to larger mammals and vast herds of dust–red elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, Rhino, pods of hippo, crocodile, Lesser Kudu, waterbucks, Gerenuk among others.
The park also boosts of over 500 recorded species of birds like the vulturine guinea fowl, Eastern chanting goshawk, red-winged lark, black headed lapwing, rosy-patched bush shrike, red-bellied parrot, Somali bee-eater, Somali ostrich, taita falcon, red-bellied parrot, martial eagle, golden pipit, taita fiscal, Rufous chatterer among others.
The sight of dust – red elephants wallowing, rolling and spraying each other with the midnight blue waters of palm-shaded Galana River is one of the most powerful images in Africa. This, along with the 300km long Yatta Plateau which is the longest lava flow in the world make a very incredible Adventure in the park.
Activities in Tsavo East National Park
There are quite a number of Activities that can be enjoyed while at Tsavo East National Park and they include the following
Game Drives
Tourists can go game driving as they explore Tsavo East National Park to see its different wildlife species and other attractions around the Park. These game drives take place at different times of day and they include Morning game drives, Afternoon or Evening game drives, Night game drives as well as full day game drives. However the best time to watch these wildlife is in the morning from 6:30am before the early rising of the sun to 9am and also during the night which gives you an opportunity to see the nocturnals that become active in the night for example leopards.
Nature walk and Hiking Safaris
Nature walks and Hiking Safaris are also one of the amazing activities that can be enjoyed by Tourists as they enjoy the beautiful scenery at the destination from a higher view point. The rugged volcanic landscape of Tsavo East National Park makes it possible to carry out hiking and nature walks so as to view the open plains for example from Lugard Falls or Mudanda rock, a 1.5km rock outcrop that stretches in the Centre of the park.
Birding
Tsavo East National Park is also a birders’ Haven and is home to over 500 easy-to-spot bird species. This amazing activity can be done all year round therefore carry your cameras with you so as not to miss on any sightings for this is the only park that offers a rare sighting of some of the continent’s unique birds. Such as vulturine Guinea fowl, golden-breasted starling, Somali ostrich, Rosy-patched bush shrike, eastern chanting goshawk, black-headed lapwing and the red-winged lark.
Maasai Community Visit
Tsavo East National Park surrounded by the Maasai people who have their own distinct traditional culture. The Maasai of Kenya have one of the world’s distinctive cultures with special dress codes and a nomadic lifestyle. Meanwhile, visiting the Maasai of Tsavo East will expose you to the unique culture and traditions of these indigenous people including their remarkable traditional dance.
When to Visit
Tsavo East is open all year round for Tourists to visit though the best time to visit is from June to October and from December to March for this is the dry season in Kenya and the less rainfall makes it easier to spot wildlife.
How to Get to Tsavo East National Park
One can access Tsavo East National Park by either Road or by Air.
By road, from Nairobi through Mombasa Road which is about 240km to reach Mtito Adei Gate. Then it is another 290km journey to Tsavo Gate. Thus it should be noted that road transportation is incredibly gratifying with the wonderful scenery of landscape and the Countryside.
By Air, You can fly from either Wilson Airport or Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to one of the park’s airstrips like Voi Airstrip which is about 40 minutes.
Tsavo East Entry Gates
The Park has a number of gates which are:
Sala gate
Voi gate
Buchuma gate
Manyani gate
Accommodations in Tsavo East National Park
Accommodations range from Luxury to Mid-Range to Budget and they include;
Luxury Accommodations
Finch Hattons Luxury Tented Camp
Lions Bluff Lodge
Hunters Lodge Kiboko
Ithumba Camp
Galdessa Camp
Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge
Mid-Range Accommodations
Satao Camp
Leopards Lair Cottages
Saltlick Safari Lodge
Voi Wildlife Lodge
Man Eaters Lodge
Kulalu Camp
Ashnil Aruba Lodge
Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp