The Great Tsavo Parks of Kenya, These are some of Kenya’s oldest and biggest wildlife parks. In Tsavo East and West National Parks, you can get close to many natural surprises and marvels:Huge, old lava flows and strange baobab trees that look like they were planted backwards.
You can see all the big and small animals you’d expect on an Africa safari in these two famous national parks. There are big cats, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, zebras, and giraffes, among other animals. The parks also have dramatic landscapes that will draw you into their huge swaths.

The Elephants in Tsavo East

Ever see elephants with red dust on them? You will in this big, open park with endless views. The big elephants like to roll around in this red oxide soil, which makes them look pink. This is a colorful show for safari-goers in the park.

There are lots of these big animals quenching their thirst on the dry plains around Tsavo’s watering holes and rivers. As part of their bathing ritual, they will drink and sometimes spray each other for fun.

There are elephants in Tsavo East National Park. Kenya went up to Tsavo East National Park.

The other big game in the park

The Tsavo lions come with a reputation. The males are famous for their lack of a distinctive long mane. However, their ferocity is legendary – known to stalk railway workers long ago, they were feared as brutal maneaters… though that was over 100 years in the past.

As you travel through this lightly touristed park, you may also come upon leopard, Cape buffalo, giraffe, and along the rivers, waterbuck, hippos, and crocodiles.

Don’t Miss the Falls

The park offers lots of natural attractions as well. Lugard’s Falls, on the Galana River, is a natural rock formation that spits out a torrent of cascading waters into the rapids and pools below.

The Aruba Dam set astride the Voi River is a great spot to catch the wildlife bathing and drinking. Lions and other big cats are known to frequent its life-giving waters.

Lugard Falls Tsavo East Natinoal Park Kenya Leopard at Tsavo West National Park Kenya scaled Sister Park – Tsavo West
A short drive away, you’ll discover the smaller, greener, and equally enchanting Tsavo West. Amongst its green rolling hills and volcanic formations, look for elephants, buffalos, lions, and leopards.

Smaller wildlife appears in the form of bushbaby, hartebeest, gerenuk, and impala which you may spot amongst the acacia bush. And the birdlife here is rich, with over 500 species coloring the land and skyscapes.

Here Be Rhinos

Not every park features the endangered and shy rhino, but you’ll find them at the Ngulia Rhino sanctuary at Tsavo West. At this 70 sq km (27 sq mi) special enclosure look for the over 80 rhinos thriving in protection from poachers, ensuring that their numbers will continue to increase after decades of decimation.

An Unexpected Oasis

Breaking up the savannah, fields, and hills of Tsavo West is an unexpected garden of lush growth and riverine life called Mzima Springs. Walking the palm-shrouded banks of the waterway, you’ll quickly spot exotic fish and birds.

The millions of gallons of water here attract the park’s thirsty wildlife such as elephants, gazelles, and zebras. Look a bit closer and you’ll discover hippos bathing in the clear waters and crocodiles lurking here as well.

So take your pick of these two parks or discover both during your safari. We offer dozens of safaris to Tsavo Land. For variety of landscapes, foliage, and especially wildlife, Tsavo East and West will fill up your sightlines and your soul with the bounty of Africa’s gifts.