Tsavo West National Park

Location: Taita Taveta/Makueni Counties, Kenya

Area: 9,065 km² (3500 miles)

Overview

Tsavo West is a beautiful, rugged wilderness, savannah ecosystem that comprises open grasslands, scrublands, and Acacia woodlands. Belts of riverine vegetation and rocky ridges including the Poacher’s Lookout where visitors can see the teeming herds in the plains below.

This Park offers some of the most magnificent game viewing in the world including elephants, rhinos, Hippos, Lions, cheetahs, leopards, Buffaloes, and diverse plant and bird species including the threatened corncake and near-threatened Basra Reed Warbler.

Named “Land of Lava, springs, Man-Eaters & Magical Sunset”, Mzima Springs is a spectacular sight of fifty million gallons of crystal clear water gushing out from the under parched lava rocks – the Mzima Springs to the Shetani lava flows, forming the most welcoming and lovely scene in Africa.

Accessible by air through the following airstrips in the park:  Maktau airstrip is located in the southeastern part of Tsavo West National Park, Voyager Ziwani has its own private airstrip, Finch Hattons is located between Mount Kilimanjaro to the west and the Chyulu Hills to the northeast, Kasigau gate airstrip is located on the south-eastern border, Jipe airstrip is located the western shores of Lake Jipe.

Kilaguni airstrip is located in the western part of the park, Kamboyo airstrip is located at the northern end of the park, and by road through Tsavo Gate, Lake Jipe Gate, Mtito Andei (Kamboyo HQ), Chyulu Gate, Maktau Gate, and Jipe Gate a distance of 240km from Nairobi, 250km from Mombasa(Mtito Andei Gate)

Ancient lands of lions, 1898 the Uganda railway construction was abruptly halted by the two most voracious and insatiable man-eating lions appearing on the scene waging intermittent warfare against the railway and all those connected with it in the vicinity of Tsavo.

Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, where the growing population of highly endangered black rhinos is inching from the verge of extinction forced upon them by rampant poaching in the 1960s. This rhino sanctuary is home to about 80 black rhinos. Project Ngulia is a public-private partnership that aims at developing innovative cost-efficient technical solutions to assist the park rangers to monitor rhinos and combat poaching.

The Uniqueness of this Park

• The threatened corncrake and near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.
• Mzima springs, a spectacular sight of fifty million gallons of crystal clear water gushing out from thunder-parched lava rocks, a series of four natural springs in Tsavo National Park.
• Shetani lava flows are said to have been formed about 500 years ago, “Shetani” means ‘devil in Kiswahili’ where the local people believe that the devil himself emerged from the earth, this vast expanse of folded black lava spreads for 50sq.km across the savannah near the Chyulu hills.

Accommodation Options

• Finch Hatton Luxury Camp
• Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge

Activities at the Destination

Game viewing drives, trekking, wedding venue, bird watching, The Mudanda Rock is a 1.6 km inselberg, a picnic lunch to see both the Lugard falls and Yatta Plateau, sundowners, Visit LUMO Community Wildlife Sanctuary, Visit Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.