Tsavo West National Park

a unforgettable safari - this was pure adventure!

It was perfect! kenya is such a great place to having a good chance seeing the Big Five! I have been in South Africa in Kruger Nationalpark and it was nice too. But you can not compare this. kenya is so a lovely country - very friendly people, great food, wonderful accommodations.. even our guide was talking in german...In africa! (: See my video on youtube: http://youtu.be/QlkHCs54Amw

Tsavo West lies between the main Nairobi to Mombasa road and Mount Kilimanjaro.

The area is best known for its broad red plains, whose endless acacia scrub and occasional waterholes provide sustenance to a population of elephants

An unforgettable life experience

Uniglobe Let's Go Travel organized our tailor-made 21 days Kenyan safari. In addition to Tsavo West (Voyageur Ziwani), we visited Amboseli ( Serena Lodge), Mt. Kenya National Park (Serena Mountain Lodge), Samburu (Intrepids Tented Camp), Lake Baringo (Island Camp Resort), Lake Nakuru (Flamingo Hill Tented Camp), LakeNaivasha (Sopa Lodge), and the Masai Mara (Entim Tented Camp). Everything about our safari was wonderful: our driver/guide, the weather, the accommodations, the wildlife, and all the varied scenery. We preferred the tented camps to the Lodges, however, in all places the service and food were memorable. We are now planning a return to Africa and are lookimg forward to another perfect experience.

Tsavo West was the most beautiful place, and we saw so many wonderful animals there.

Adventure into the African nature

In the tourism in Kenya everyone is a winner: tourists, wild animals, guides and local inhabitants. Above all us tourists, to whom Kenya offers unforgettable experiences and unbelievable views.

Tsavo West is different from the other national parks especially with the landscapes. The animals blend into the landscape and are not very conspicuous. That’s why Tsavo West is not as touristic as the famous Kenyan national parks, but it is more original and authentic. Tsavo West is an interesting destination for botanists and ornithologists too. On the roadside you can see unknown plants and flowers, the names of which are sometimes hard to find. Tsavo West is an adventure into the African nature and you can’t be sure of what you will see the next. The wilderness hides inside it a number of animals that are fairly shy of tourists although it may also be possible that you suddenly come across a leopard posing on the path just next to your vehicle. The number of the elephants has decreased because of the poaching.

After the rains the nature is green and forms a colorful scene with orange soil and black lava backdrop. The Shetani lava flow was formed two hundred of years ago but has remained the same shape since then, and with a little imagination you can hear in your ears when it streams from Chyulu hills down to Tsavo. The crater is still within view although covered with green vegetation, but the lava seems like it has just hardened. The name local people have given fits well: shetani, meaning devil. The natural formations: Mzima Springs with hippos and crocodiles, Chaimu volcano, Poacher’s Lookout, Roaring Rocks, Tsavo river, abundant forests and savanna offer striking and mysterious views.

In two days you can’t see everything, but the guides show you the best places. The guides are important because the area is large and you can drive a long way without seeing other tourists. Unfortunately not all the roads are good and it is better not to take risks. The guides are in contact with each other by radio if something happens, which is not usual. The hotels are in the middle of the park, so you can see wild animals wandering nearby from the restaurant or your tent.

Got upclose with the animals

The wildlife is exceptional, you can see the big five as well as numerous birding opportunities. The weather is just perfect for safari and accommodation is top notch.

A once in a lifetime experience

Our trip to Kenya and vistit to Tsavo West National Park was our first (and so far only) safari. It was one of our most enjoyable and memorable vacations so far. Although we did not spot any cats, we basically saw every other animal: giraffes, elephants, zebras, hippos, owls, etc.

We slept in a (fully equipped) tent , which made the experience complete. In the night you could literally hear the animals passing by. Amazing.

After a couple of days we stayed in a resort at the beach. That was nice as well, but we all hoped the safari would have last a little longer. The days just seemed to flew by!

Please have a look a my pictures to get an impression of Kenya and Tsavo West National Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/beukhof/sets/72157639847428163

Having only been once I felt the wildlife numbers were low compared to other parks. One of the contributing factors was the density of arid scrub brush making is difficult to see wildlife. Having the ability to stay at a lodge within the park boundary was a plus.

Abundance and proximity of large number of different wildlife and birds

Red bushy Tsavo

Along with the eastern portion the Tsavo National Park is around 20,000 square kilometers, dwarfing the more popular Masai Mara which is 1,510 square kilometers. Although Tsavo is a large park its vegetation may make game spotting a lot more difficult, and thus the popularity of Masai Mara. But Tsavo with its red soil, blue skies and black lava flows offers a unique beauty of its own. Even the animals are coloured red because of the soil! The Mzima spring was a first for me and it was intriguing to see water just appearing from the ground, and quite a bit of it! The water was so pure that we could drink straight from the spring!

If you have some luck on your side Tsavo can be a great place. It's sheer size means there is enough wildlife in the park, but you may have to be patient and spend more time here. Unlike animals, birds are a lot easier to spot and if you are into birding you will certainly not be disappointed.

One more interesting feature of the park is the "Shetani" lava flow. It was surreal to see the landscape suddenly change to dark black. In fact you can see the border between the red soil and the black soil from past volcanic eruptions clearly in certain spots.