Tsavo West National Park

Introducing

Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo West National Park is known as “ Land of Lava, Springs, Man-eaters and Magical Sunsets”. Its popularity is based on the man eating lions that killed hundreds of people during the construction of the Railway line and the highway during the colonial era. Tsavo West national park is the second largest national park in Kenya covering an area of 9,065 square kilometres. Its separated from Tsavo East national by the A109 highway that connects Nairobi to Mombasa. The park is also a home of over fifty million gallons of crystal clear water that comes from under parched lava rock. The park is more scenic than tsavo east national park with rugged mountainous areas. The Mzima springs and the Shetani lava flows are unique attractions found at the park. Tsavo West national park is wetter than tsavo east national park.

To the south of Tsavo West, the Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary, directly bordering the well-known Taita Hills Game Sanctuary, is one of Kenya’s most successful new community conservation initiatives. If you’re interested in Lumo safaris you’ll find there’s just one lodge on the conservancy and that it shares a common border with the Taita Hills Sanctuary.

Experience the Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo West has a variety of landscapes, from swamps and natural springs to rocky peaks, extinct volcanic cones, to rolling plains and sharp reddish outcrops. Wildlife can be difficult to spot because of the dense scrubs. In May 1948, a month after its conception Tsavo National Park was divided into East and West for administrative purposes. At 21 812 square km, Tsavo National Park is the largest park in Kenya. Named after the Tsavo River which flows from west to east, Tsavo West National Park is considered one of the world's biodiversity strongholds. It is the only Kenyan park that permits night drives and also allows off-road driving so one can see the wildlife close up.

Tsavo West’s prolific birdlife features over 400-recorded species. Ngulia Hills, one of the landmarks in the park, is situated along one of the world’s busiest avian migration routes. Bird ringers make an annual pilgrimage here between October and January. Ngulia is the site of Africa’s foremost bird-ringing (tagging to enable individual bird identification) project. More than 100 migrant and resident species have been ringed here – the most prolific being marsh warbler, river warbler, red-backed shrike, thrush nightingale and common whitethroat.

Locate the Tsavo West National Park

Discover: Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo West National Park has a rugged, arid beauty, with varied landscapes of dense woodlands, rocky outcrops, and volcanic hills and lava flows. The jagged Ngulia Hills run like a spine through the park. Underpinning everything here is the park’s black volcanic soil and Tsavo’s famous red dust. A small number of rivers (most seasonal, some year-round) meander through the park, but Mzima Springs is like a verdant oasis.

Tsavo West National Park is a real wilderness destination. All of the Big Five are present, and good lion, leopard and elephant sightings are possible. Elephant herds can be found gathered at the waterholes. However, wildlife densities are lower than in some of the more popular parks in Kenya. There is a good variety of animals though with many dry-country specials, including the shy lesser kudu and the rare fringe-eared oryx.

Getting There

By Air: Fly-in Safaris are accessed through the following airstrips: Ziwani, Kamboyo, Kilaguni, Jipe, Finchhattons and Maktau. The flight time is approximately 1 hour from Wilson Airport in Nairobi.

By Road: The drive from Nairobi to the parks gate Chyulu gate and Ziwani Gate is approximately 240km South of Nairobi. Tsavo West park is located an estimated 250km north of Mombasa on the main Nairobi-Mombasa road and the journey takes approximately 4-6 hours by road.

Best time to visit

The dry months of June to October and January to mid-March are the best times to visit Tsavo West National Park. Mid-March to May and November are rainy months in Tsavo West National Park. You can still visit the park during these times.Tsavo West National Park is best visited in the dry months from June to October and January to February. Although the park can be visited at any time of year, during the peaks of the Wet season (April and November) animals tend to spread out due to the abundance of water and food, and the vegetation can be quite dense.

Wildlife Experience

Tsavo West National Park has an abundance of wildlife. During your adventure, you will see and take pictures of your favourite animals as they roam freely in their natural environment. Some of the animals you will expect to see are the “Big Five” (Elephants, Rhinos, Buffalos, Lions and Leopards) other include Giraffes, Zebras, Wildebeests, Wildogs, Gazelles, Kudus, Oryx, Eland, Crocodiles, Hippos, Bush Buck, Bush Baby, Caracal, African Civet, Dik-Dik, Bat-Eared-Fox, Gerenuk, SpringHare, Mongoose, Vervet Monkey, Syke’s Monkey, Baboons and many others.

Birdlife

If you enjoy birdwatching, there is plenty to be excited for as Tsavo West National Parks attracts over 500 species of birds. Birding in the park is a thrilling safari activity many tourists appreciate. 400 bird species constitute the resident birds, while the other 100 are migratory birds. Migratory birds are present for only 2-3 months before they leave for different parts. Rainy seasons, March to May and November, are the best times for birding because they are the breeding season and time for migrant birds to flock to the park.

Birds in Tsavo West national Park: They include the martial eagle, African finfoot, parrot, secretary bird, Somali ostrich, golden-breasted starling, little egret, hamerkop, Masai ostrich, black-faced sandgrouse, love birds, vultures, Savi's warbler, ortolan bunting, Isabelline shrike, house sparrow, house crow, golden pipit, papyrus gonolek, red-bellied parrot, vulturine guineafowl, Taita fiscal, little egret, slender tailed night jar, common bulbul, martial eagle, Rufous chatterer, and many more.

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