Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Kenya. Park covers 13,747 square kilometers and it was opened in April 1948.The Park is situated in a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert, near the town of Voi in the Taita-Taveta County of the former coast province. The park is half of the large Tsavo national park, the other section is referred to as the Tsavo East National Park.
The park is named after the Tsavo river which flows from west to east of the park. Within the park is a place that is referred to as one of the world’s biodiversity strongholds where the Tsavo Rivers converge to form the Galana River. The Tsavo East National Park is generally flat and with dry plains across which the Galana River flows. Mostly the park consists of semi-arid grasslands and savanna.
The park forms the largest protected area in Kenya and hosts most of the larger mammals and a prolific birdlife. With its vastness, the park feels undiscovered with its vast open spaces. The park is good to visit because of the good wildlife viewing and present big five, excellent birding opportunities, great wilderness appeal and the beautiful landscape.
Attractions in Tsavo East National Park
Wildlife
The park is diverse and home to several including the famous African bush “Big Five” which are the lion, black rhino, Cape buffalo, leopard and elephant.
Tsavo East National Park
Famous in the park are the Tsavo Lions, a kind of population whose adult males often lack manes entirely. The lion population in the park is estimated to be up to 600 within the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem.
Other animals that can be seen in the Tsavo East Park are the aardwolf, Senegal bushbaby, bushbuck, caracal, African wildcat, southeast African cheetah, African civet, African wild dog, blue duiker, common eland, African bush elephant, bat-eared fox, gerenuk giraffe, African savanna hare, yellow spotted rock hyrax, side striped jackal, klipspringer, lesser kudu, mongoose, clawless otter, serval, common warthog, plains zebra, Grevy’s zebra.
Bird species
A prolific bird life has been seen in the park and these include the black kite, crowned crane, lovebird, and the sacred ibis. Over 500 bird species have been spotted within the park. Some of them are ostriches, kestrels, buzzards, starlings, weaver birds, kingfishers, secretary birds, hornbills, herons and many more.
Scenery
Tsavo East scenery is amazing with different features that make the park great to explore. These include the Mudanda rock which is a 1.6km inselberg that acts as a water catchment area and offers an excellent vintage point for the hundreds of elephants and other wildlife species.
The Yatta plateau is the world’s longest lava flow that runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi River. Lugard Falls are a series of white water rapids on the Galana River) and Aruba Dam, a reservoir created by the dam that attracts many animals and water birds.
Best time to visit the Tsavo East Park
The best time or month of the year to visit the Tsavo East National Park is during the months of June to September and January to February. However, the park is open all year round and tourists are free to visit.
Together with Tsavo West, these make one of the largest national parks in Africa with the best kind of vast wilderness experiences. Explore the vast park for great adventure and sights of different features.