Tsavo West National Park

Adventure into the African nature

In the tourism in Kenya everyone is a winner: tourists, wild animals, guides and local inhabitants. Above all us tourists, to whom Kenya offers unforgettable experiences and unbelievable views.

Tsavo West is different from the other national parks especially with the landscapes. The animals blend into the landscape and are not very conspicuous. That’s why Tsavo West is not as touristic as the famous Kenyan national parks, but it is more original and authentic. Tsavo West is an interesting destination for botanists and ornithologists too. On the roadside you can see unknown plants and flowers, the names of which are sometimes hard to find. Tsavo West is an adventure into the African nature and you can’t be sure of what you will see the next. The wilderness hides inside it a number of animals that are fairly shy of tourists although it may also be possible that you suddenly come across a leopard posing on the path just next to your vehicle. The number of the elephants has decreased because of the poaching.

After the rains the nature is green and forms a colorful scene with orange soil and black lava backdrop. The Shetani lava flow was formed two hundred of years ago but has remained the same shape since then, and with a little imagination you can hear in your ears when it streams from Chyulu hills down to Tsavo. The crater is still within view although covered with green vegetation, but the lava seems like it has just hardened. The name local people have given fits well: shetani, meaning devil. The natural formations: Mzima Springs with hippos and crocodiles, Chaimu volcano, Poacher’s Lookout, Roaring Rocks, Tsavo river, abundant forests and savanna offer striking and mysterious views.

In two days you can’t see everything, but the guides show you the best places. The guides are important because the area is large and you can drive a long way without seeing other tourists. Unfortunately not all the roads are good and it is better not to take risks. The guides are in contact with each other by radio if something happens, which is not usual. The hotels are in the middle of the park, so you can see wild animals wandering nearby from the restaurant or your tent.

Tsavo West was the most beautiful place, and we saw so many wonderful animals there.

An unforgettable life experience

Uniglobe Let's Go Travel organized our tailor-made 21 days Kenyan safari. In addition to Tsavo West (Voyageur Ziwani), we visited Amboseli ( Serena Lodge), Mt. Kenya National Park (Serena Mountain Lodge), Samburu (Intrepids Tented Camp), Lake Baringo (Island Camp Resort), Lake Nakuru (Flamingo Hill Tented Camp), LakeNaivasha (Sopa Lodge), and the Masai Mara (Entim Tented Camp). Everything about our safari was wonderful: our driver/guide, the weather, the accommodations, the wildlife, and all the varied scenery. We preferred the tented camps to the Lodges, however, in all places the service and food were memorable. We are now planning a return to Africa and are lookimg forward to another perfect experience.

a unforgettable safari - this was pure adventure!

It was perfect! kenya is such a great place to having a good chance seeing the Big Five! I have been in South Africa in Kruger Nationalpark and it was nice too. But you can not compare this. kenya is so a lovely country - very friendly people, great food, wonderful accommodations.. even our guide was talking in german...In africa! (: See my video on youtube: http://youtu.be/QlkHCs54Amw

The Tsavo experience indeed!!

This was a really thrilling trip for us. We had been to the Masai Mara before which was really exciting. We wanted a change, but was a little worried that Tsavo wouldn't live up to the Masai experience. How wrong we were! We had four of us in a jeep with a driver called Sam. He was a friendly chap and so knowledgable like most of these drivers are. They are in radio contact with other drivers as well, so even more eyes to help when an interesting sighting occurs. It was a real jeep safari just as you would expect. We drove alongside all of the usual animals and really felt part of them, we were that close. The weather was fabulous, very warm and clear blue sky with breathtaking scenery. Having said that, wet weather would not have put us off going. We have had some really exciting safaris charging through mud puddles in pursuit of rhino! Our only regret was that we didn't stay longer but we met wonderful people and we left with wonderful photographs, wonderful video and wonderful memories.

Once in a lifetime experience that needs to be done again.

I was surprised at the beauty and luxury at Tsavo. From the tents overlooking the river, which were rustic but luxurious, to the amazing dining facility with incredible selection, everything exceeded expectations. When I got to my tent, I could see hippos in the river from my patio. On the safari, we saw elephants, cheetahs, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, and a pride of lions eating a water buffalo. Incredible experience. I travel to Kenya every summer to work with humanitarian organizations, and this year the safari was a special treat. I hope to do it again.

Where the "wild west" takes on new meaning

The smaller and quieter of the two Tsavo parks, Tsavo West fits that old cliché: it really is an undiscovered gem. “Undiscovered” because, although together with Tsavo East it forms part of Kenya’s biggest park, Tsavo West seems to enjoy far fewer visitors than its larger cousin, and a drive through the park, particularly the further west you go, will have you believing you’re the only people for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres.
If you head to the far south-eastern border of the park, where Kenya meets Tanzania, you’ll find yourself in a very remote area on the shore of Lake Jipe. There is an abundance of wildlife in this area, and we saw huge herds of waterbuck, eland, gemsbok, elephants, and troops of baboons.
There is a camp site and bandas on the shore of the lake. We camped alongside a large herd of waterbuck; had hippo grazing past our tent in the evening, and woke in the morning to views of Kilimanjaro. A short drive along the lake, where we breakfasted on top of our Land Cruiser, we spent more than an hour watching a herd of elephants moving over to an island in the lake.
Within an hour, this park had become one of my favourites in all of Africa.

Africa's last remaining jewel

Breathtaking landscapes, but shy wildlife due to infamous history of poaching. Despite that fact we saw many animals, one needs to be patient. Ngulia Safari Lodge offers a magical view of the families of elephants, buffalo bathing in a floodlit water holes and of course a famous Leopard dinning tree, an awesome eye to eye experience. As a regular traveler to Kenya and a member of Kenya Museum Society, I get to meet a lot of guides, but I would like to highlight two names: Collins Okello Japesa and Stanley A. Komoras, best guides ever.

its the biggest national park in kenya where you can see all types of wildlife, the views, the bush, and lots of lodges to stay and places to see like mizima springs.