Tsavo East National Park

Pros & Cons

• Good wildlife viewing with all of the Big Five present
• Excellent birding with many dry-country specials
• Great wilderness appeal with off-the-beaten track options
• Beautiful landscape with scenic landmarks like the Galana river and Taita Hills
• All tourism facilities are in a small area
• Wildlife densities are rather low

Wildlife

Tsavo East is home to the Big Five, but it isn’t the kind of park to mark off species from your list. Elephants are abundant, and big herds can be seen crossing the endless plains. The park is also famous for its maneless lions. The most localized of the many dry country specials that can be found in the park is the fringe-eared oryx.

• More about Tsavo East’s wildlife

Scenery

Tsavo East offers miles of open plains, bushy grassland and semi-arid shrub. The Galana river is a major feature in the park and is fringed by riverine forests. Another scenic highlight is Mudanda rock, a towering, quartzite (hard, metamorphic rock) formation.

Weather & Climate

Conditions stay hot and dry throughout the year at Tsavo, with the exception of the park’s higher altitudes where it gets progressively cooler as you head up the hills. The Wet season gets particularly hot, especially the interlude between the so-called ‘short rains’ at year’s end and those of the later ‘long rains’. The Dry season (June to September) brings a little relief from the heat.

• More about the weather and climate

Best Time to Visit

The park doesn’t look its best in the Dry season (June to September), when the sky is hazy from the dust, but this is the best time to spot animals. The grass is much shorter than in the Wet season (October to May), so the wildlife can’t easily disappear into the bush when your vehicle approaches. And, of course, getting wet is not an issue.

• More about the best time to visit

Want to Visit Tsavo East NP?

• Tsavo East safaris and tours
• Tour operators for Tsavo East