Tsavo East N.P
Overview
Tsavo East National Park is the largest of the two Tsavos. Its relatively flat, semi-arid plains and savannahs consist of scrubland dotted with huge baobab trees. The park features the Yatta Plateau, which is the longest lava flow in the world, stretching about 290 kilometers (180 miles) and formed from ancient volcanic activity. This plateau provides a unique geological backdrop but lacks the dramatic topography found in Tsavo West.
The oasis banks of the Voi and Galana rivers and the enormous Aruba Dam, built across the Voi, attract game and birdlife galore that Kenya safari adventurers will revel. You’ll see herds of elephants and buffalo, waterbuck, and all kinds of animals coming to drink at the dam. The Lugard Falls, on the Galana River, is more a series of rapids than actual waterfalls; walk along the riverbank to catch a glimpse of the water-sculpted rocks.
Another fascinating feature in the park is the 180-mile-long Yatta Plateau, one of the world’s longest lava flows. It runs parallel to the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway and is 3 to 6 miles (5 to 10 km) wide and 1,000 feet (305 meters) high. Mudanda Rock, a 1.5-km (2-mile) outcropping, is a water catchment area. You’ll see plenty of wildlife coming to drink at the dam below.
The park became infamous in the late 1890s because of the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo,” a pride of lions that preyed on the Indian migrant laborers building the railway. More than 130 workers were killed; the incident was retold in the 1996 thriller The Ghost and the Darkness, starring Val Kilmer.
Attractions
Best described as elephants in Eden, and without a care in the wild world, the massive and mighty mammals wallow, roll and spray each other with the midnight blue waters of the palm-shaded Galana River. This must be one of the most evocative images of Africa.
The beautiful Aruba dam located to the north bank of the seasonal Voi River is visited by thousands of animals in the park and makes a great game viewing destination.
Mudanda rock is a whale-backed rock that towers above a natural dam. This rock formation runs for over 1.5km and it attracts elephants in the dry season and is a reminiscent of Australia’s Uluru (Ayers Rock), albeit on a much smaller scale. Leopards and elephants are among the wildlife to watch out for here.
Lugard’s Falls named after Captain Lugard, the first proconsul to East Africa, the falls feature a bizarrely eroded rock neck through which the waters of Galana River plunge into foaming rapids and crocodile infested pools.
A spectacular voyage of discovery, Tsavo East National Park offers some of the most magnificent game drives in the world – vast herds of dust-red elephants, fat pods of hippos, giant crocodiles and a kaleidoscope of bird life are set against a blazing backdrop of endless bush.
How to get there
By Road: Mtito Andei Gate is located 233 km South of Nairobi and 250 km North of Mombasa on the main Nairobi- Mombasa Road. From Malindi, take the western road (C103) and access the park via Sala gate(TO CONFIRM)
By Air: Airstrips; Voi, Aruba, Satao, Sala, Ithumba, Sangayaya, Mopeo, Bachuma and Cottars.
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