Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo West National Park - Description

The section of Tsavo National Park south of the Mombasa Road, 9,000-square kilometre Tsavo West provides a unique step back in time - to the days when tens of thousands of giant beasts roamed this forested land. Tsavo West’s boundaries encompass a huge variety of habitats, from the lush forests on the Chyulu Hills to arid desert plains, rich riverine groves to the haunting lava-flows of Shaitani.

Tsavo West National Park - Wildlife and Game Viewing

Today, the forests are gone- the result of too many elephants and too little rain - but, thanks to the abundant snowmelt from Kilimanjaro, the land continues to water a huge variety of wildlife, from elephant and buffalo to lion, leopard, oryx, lesser kudu and klipspringer. Even the dangerously depleted black rhino are making a minor comeback in a small, fiercely-guarded 70-square-kilometre sanctuary

The park’s undisputed showpiece is the crystal clear bounty of Mzima Springs, where in an oasis of raffia palms and fig trees the melting snows of Kilimanjaro pump over 50 million gallons of water out of the ground each day. An underwater observation post here offers a novel close encounter with the large crocodile and pods of hippo that flourish in the cold waters.

Bird Watching - birding Safari in Tsavo West National Park

Bird watching safaris in Tsavo West are best between October and January, featuring many migratory birds including African skimmers, red and yellow bishops, goshawks, buffalo weavers and palm nut vultures, to name a few. Over 500 bird species have been recorded in the park, including ostriches, kestrels, buzzards, starlings, weavers, kingfishers, hornbills, secretary birds and herons.