There’s probably no other parks as expansive and rich in biodiversity as the Tsavo. Divided into The Tsavo East and West parks, for administrative purposes in the 1940s, this wilderness is home to a good wealth of wildlife and history.
Day time safari drives are ‘cool’, but nothing beats night drives!
The Tsavo East national park boasts of being the only park that allows night-time game watching. Get caught up on the chase as the nightly predators seek out their prey during their nocturnal hunts. Most carnivore, including lions, hyena, leopards and jackals prefer night time hunting due to the additional element of surprise.
The silence and serenity of the star-lit African jungle is momentarily disrupted by shrieks and wails of a dying bush buck, antelope or buffalo in the jaws of a hungry lion. Experience the brutally savage predatory instincts of the Tsavo’s predators in ways NatGeo Wild wouldn’t ever show you!
Things to watch out for while in the Tsavo
Being a vast wilderness, it might take a while for you to start spotting wildlife or the impressive spectacle of a hunt. However, having an experienced team of guides who understand animal behavior and tracking gives you a better chance. Here’s a few things you should not miss while in the Tsavo:
- Mudanda Rock: This is a prominent rock formation on the Tsavo plains that disrupts water flow during the rainy season and acts as a natural dam and water reservoir during the drier seasons. It is a popular site for encountering wildlife.
- Yatta Plateau: The Tsavo is home to the world’s longest lava flow, known as the yatta plateau, formed from slow and continuous eruption of pre-historic volcanoes.
- Lugard falls: Formed from a series of rapid falls along the Galana river.
Take a trip in history: Home of the Man-eaters
In the formative years of the great nation’s of East Africa, the British colonialist undertook to build a railway through the region that would serve as a supply route. When the track reached the Tsavo, the builders were faced by a pack of lions that attacked a mauled them. Given the ease with which the lions caught the rail builders, the pack grew accustomed to hunting down and growing a liking to human flesh. A bounty was set on their heads and a couple of them were hunted down and killed… their remains are preserved in Museums accross the world in exhibits infamously known as ‘the man-eaters of the Tsavo‘. To this day, descendants of these feared lions still roam the Tsavo.
The Tsavo also plays home to the historical battlefields where the British and German soldiers exchanged gunfire in the 1st World War. Relic hunters and historians visit the park to live in the frozen history of the very first great war of the world.
Don’t hold back, start planning your next Safari today.