Tsavo East National Park is the larger of the two covering Tsavo National Parks just over 12,000sq km although much of the area north of the Galana River is closed to the public. The Southern section of the park is very accessible with a good network of dusty tracks. Certain sections around the Voi Gate can be pretty busy with traffic but the park is so vast that it is possible in other areas to drive several hours without seeing another vehicle.
The terrain is not as varied as in West Tsavo but switches between open plains, semi arid acacia scrub and woodlands. The most scenic section is along the Galana River which flows throughout the year and provides a corridor of lush greenery amongst a frequently harsh and arid landscape. At Lugard Falls the entire river disappears into a rocky grove so narrow that it is possible to stand astride the cleft with the Falls immediately below.
Tsavo is not a reserve to come and tick off large numbers of big game. Rather, it is about relaxing and enjoying the animals and birds in a true wilderness. Elephants in big herds are possibly the main attraction of the park with many converging on the rivers and waterholes to drink in the dry season. Many of these elephants are "red", and this unusual color is created by taking dust baths in the brick red earth. Lions are not uncommon and it is also a good park to see lesser kudu as well as buffalo, common waterbuck, eland, gerenuk, fringe-eared oryx, impala and Maasai giraffe.
Over five hundred species of birds have been recorded including the saddle billed stork, martial eagle and the violet wood hoopoe.
Why Visit Tsavo East National Park, Parks & Reserves of Southern Kenya.
- Enjoy the animals and birds in a rugged landscape at Tsavo East National Park.
- See some spectacular Lugard Falls at Tsavo East National Park.
- The Galana River and waterholes experience where animals congregate to drink water during the dry season.
- See the famous Red elephants and some big tuskers with really big horns stretching almost to the ground at Tsavo East National Park.
- Ability to combine the Tsavo experience with a beach holiday vacation in Mombasa, Malindi, Diani, Watamu or Lamu Island.
Featured Tsavo East National Park, Safari Holiday Vacation Trips