Tsavo East National Park is Kenya’s oldest and biggest game park also most popular for its breathtakingly rugged volcanic landscapes and diversity of wildlife. Lying between Nairobi and Mombasa, Tsavo East is part of the extensive Tsavo Conservation Area. Gazetted in 1948, Tsavo East National Park covers 13,747 sq. km of land area and is well-known as a Theatre of the wild.
Tsavo East National Park is where you can find the unique red dusty elephants plus other diverse species and birds.
Location
Tsavo East National Park is located in the Southern end of Kenya along the Southwestern Kenya just between Nairobi and Mombasa. Not only is Tsavo East most famous for its iconic wildlife species but also volcanic features. It is also lying not far from the coast thus presenting visitors a chance to have a combined savanna experience and beach holiday.
By size, Tsavo East is about 9 times bigger than the Masai Mara Reserve. Its unique attractions include the huge herds of red dust elephants, mane-less lions, and cheetahs. The park’s topography is relatively gentle with sparse vegetation thus allowing you to encounter most of the wildlife with ease.
While in the Tsavo East, expect to explore iconic sites such as the Yatta plateau which is 290 km long –notably the world’s longest lava flow. The Yatta plateau is one of the main features to explore on Kenya safari in Tsavo East. Other attractions include the Galana, Tsavo, and Athi River which support survival of most wildlife as they confine here for water.
Tsavo East National Park has other unique features like the Lugard waterfalls, Aruba dam, Mudanda rock, diverse wildlife, and birds.
Wildlife species to encounter
Huge concentration of mammals to explore on Kenya wildlife tour in Tsavo East Park include the Big 5 and other small species. Top wildlife to see include the cape buffaloes, elephants, black rhinos, leopards, lions, zebras, warthogs, mongoose, wildcat, dik-diks, African hunting dogs, serval, waterbucks, bush baby, cheetahs, and others.
Bird species
A total of about 500 species of birds make Tsavo East an important birding area. Birds in Tsavo East National Park include the Northern brownbul, golden pipit, African fin-foot, slender-tailed nightjar, rufous chatterer, lesser kestrel, black-faced sand grouse, Taita falcon, vulturine guinea fowl, red-bellied parrot, pangani long claw, Somali ostrich, fulvous whistling-ducks, Garganey, Knob-billed ducks, blue-billed teal, Southern pochard, spur-winged goose, cape teal, Egyptian goose, Northern pintail, helmeted guineafowl, yellow-necked spurfowl, coqui francolins, crested francolin, rock pigeon, African green-pigeon, Namaqua dove, emerald-spotted wood-dove, laughing dove, mourning collared dove, yellow-throated sand grouse, hartlaub’s bustard, Kori bustard, Heuglin’s bustard, buff-crested bustard, and white-bellied go-away-bird.
Tsavo East National Park is also home to birds such as common cuckoo, red-chested cuckoos, Klaa’s cuckoos, Great spotted cuckoos, Green malkoha, dideric cuckoo, slender-tailed nightjar, Donaldson smith’s nightjars, Nubian nightjars, Eurasian nightjars, plain nightjars, fiery-necked nightjars, mottled spine tail, alpine swift, Eurasian moorhen, corn crakes, gray crowned crane, crowned lapwing, blacksmith lapwing, three-banded plovers, white-fronted plovers, little ringed plovers, sandpipers, herons, hawks, and more.
Top Activities to do in Tsavo East National Park
Game drives
If you are interested in the Big 5 and other wildlife encounters, then embarking on a game drive should be a must-do in Tsavo East National Park. On a game drive, expect to encounter mammals such as zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, lions, leopards, African elephants, giraffes, rhinos, cape buffaloes, and others.
It is possible to engage in the morning or afternoon/evening game drive. A 4×4 safari vehicle is ideal for your guided game viewing in Tsavo East. An experienced park ranger guide can be assigned to take you on your wildlife expedition in Tsavo East Park.
Birding/bird-watching
Hundreds of birds await you to sight on a guided birding tour in Tsavo East. Birds to spot include the golden pipit, Taita falcon, vulturine Guinea fowl, rosy-patched bush shrike, rufous chatterer, Somali bee-eaters, black-headed lapwing, Somali ostriches, Eurasian hoopoe, Narina trogon, speckled mousebirds, blue-napped mousebirds, green wood hoopoe, Northern red-billed hornbill, eastern yellow-billed hornbill, African gray hornbill, olive bee-eaters, European bee-eaters, little bee-eaters, white-throated bee-eaters, yellow-rumped tinker bird, purple rollers, European rollers, and Eurasian wryneck.
You may also come across birds such as Amur falcon, pygmy falcon, Nubian woodpeckers, eastern black-headed batis, white-crested helmet shrike, African golden oriole, chin spot batis, fork-tailed drongo, slate-colored boubou, brown-crowned tchagra, house crow, Somali tit, white-bellied tit, and others.
Bush walks
Tourists can also enjoy the rewarding guided nature or bush walks. The nature walks usher you to some of the finest habitats for you to explore the diverse attraction. Expect to encounter many wildlife, birds, and appreciate the breathtaking landscapes.
Hiking & rock climbing
Tsavo East offers the best hiking and rock climbing experiences. The park’s landscape is characterized by rugged outcrops like Yatta plateaus, and Mudanda rock.
The best time to visit Tsavo East National Park
July, August, September, December, January to February are the best months of the year to consider exploring Tsavo East National Park. These are the peak dry months and are characterized by low or no rains thus making the ground relatively drier for visitors to explore the park on a game drive or hiking adventures.
The wet months are characterized by heavy rains and the roads tend to be muddy thus making it a bit challenging to explore the park on a game drive. The routes can be slippery or muddy.
Tsavo East National Park accommodation facilities.
Accommodation options to consider booking for overnight stay in Tsavo East include Galdessa Camp, Ithumba Camp, Satao Camp, Ashnil Aruba Lodge, Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge, Sentrim Tsavo East, Tsavo Lodge Voi, and Tausa Tsavo Eco-Lodge. Other lodges include Sarova Taita Hills Game Lodge, Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge, Voi Lutheran Guesthouse and others.
How to get to Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo East National Park is accessible by road or air. Using road travel, you can drive from Nairobi and access the park via Manyani gate. If you are traveling from Mombasa, you can use Buchuma gate. Flights offer quick access to Tsavo East and the park is serviced by airstrips like Mopeo, Satao, Ithumba, Sala airstrip, and Bachuma etc.
