Tsavo West National Park
"Full of wild beasts, such as rhinoceros, buffaloes and elephants" from a missionary's diary written in 1848.
Later in 1900 the notorious "Man Eaters of Tsavo", man-eating lions preyed on linesmen building the great Uganda Railway in 1900. The carriage from which they pulled a traveller is on display at the Nairobi Railway Museum. Tsavo-West has important historic connections as a major battleground in World War I where British and German troops battled for supremacy.
The park is easy to reach, located off the main Nairobi-Mombasa road. It offers tremendous views with diverse habitats ranging from mountains, river forests, plains, lakes and wooded grassland. Its plains border with Tanzania. Game includes: leopard, cheetah, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, plains game, crocodile and small mammals including mongoose, hyrax, dik dik and the nocturnal porcupine.
It is an excellent park for visitors who enjoy walking, offering a number of nature trails and the opportunity to explore the Chaimu volcanic crater and guides are available.
Mzima Springs is a star attraction, a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing hippos.
Accommodation: there lodges inside the park (total 276 beds), four tented lodges (total 154 beds), three public campsites and one special campsite (advance booking required) and three self-help banda sites (total 72 beds).
National Parks & Reserves in South Kenya
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