What makes Tsavo National Park famous?
What makes Tsavo National Park famous? With a total surface of around 22,000 km², Tsavo National Park is the biggest national park in Kenya and among the largest worldwide. Owing to its immense expanse, the Park has been divided into two distinct regions: Tsavo West and Tsavo East. The Nairobi to Mombasa highway serves as the park’s dividing line. The experiences offered by the two regions differ.
Tsavo is the perfect safari destination for anyone looking to mix the excitement of a safari with some leisurely beach time because it is fairly near to Mombasa less than 100 km away. For those seeking a two-center safari vacation, combining a visit to Tsavo with a stay in the Amboseli National Park is also rather simple.
Most likely, Tsavo is best known for its red elephants and man-eating lions which makes it the most famous safari destination in Kenya, not only those the park is a home to the big five mammals, beautiful and colorful bird species, stunning landscape and among others.
The man-Eating lions of Tsavo.
The man-eating lions gained notoriety in 1898 when, throughout the course of nine months during the construction of the Kenyan-Uganda railway, two male lions devoured their way through 135 railway workers. Eventually, Colonel John Patterson shot and killed the lions, which are now on exhibit at the Chicago Natural History Museum in the United States. Fortunately, the lions’ progeny are still abundant in the Park, albeit they now favor zebra and gazelles as their main foods.
Tsavo’s Red Elephants.
There are no other red elephants in the world outside those found in Tsavo. Actually, they actually have the same colour as every other elephant in the world, but they just show up red due to constantly dust-bathing with the Park’s fine red volcanic soil. Over 10,000 of them inhabit the Park, so the chances of seeing one are hopefully pretty high.
General Game Viewing.
As well as lions and elephants, Tsavo overall is also residence to the other members of Africa Big 5 buffalo, leopard and rhino – as well as zebra, giraffe, antelope, spotted and striped hyena, baboons, a large population of hippo and many crocodiles. There are currently about 500 known species of birds.
Tsavo West.
Tsavo West has a volcanic landscape, featuring lava flows and rocky outcrops mingling with the long grass and African bushveld. The game viewing is somewhat more challenging here as you have to really ‘search out’ the wildlife amongst the difficult terrain but it just means the final rewards when you do find that elusive lion or shy leopard feels extra special! Together with impala, giraffes, buffalo, and zebras, there are a lot of elephants in this area. There is an abundance of birds.
Aside from the wildlife, Mzima Springs, which comprises of two sizable freshwater pools connected by rapids, is one of the most popular destinations in Tsavo West. This area offers superb game viewing due to the fresh water acting as a magnet for a variety of animals, and the underwater viewing shelters are great for observing hippos. The Chaimu Crater, a volcanic crater constructed less than 200 years ago that may be climbed on foot, is located just west of the springs.
Tsavo East.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is nearly nine times smaller than Tsavo East. Despite its size, it receives less visitors than its well-liked neighbor since it lacks many campers and lodges. Because of this, it’s ideal for the more daring safari traveler who truly wants to escape the masses, since you will frequently find yourself returning from a game drive without having seeing another car or person. Among the species you might encounter are zebras, black rhinos, gerenuks, Somali ostriches, cheetahs, and the well-known “red” elephants.
The Yatta Plateau, one of the longest and largest lava flows in the world (300 km), and the Lugard Falls, which are actually a series of swift-moving rapids along the Galana River, are two of the park’s own visual features.
