Tsavo West National Park

September 13th, 2008 | Cat: Kenya with 1 Comment | | Tags: Kenya, park, tsavo, west

Covers about 7065 km2, approximately Tsavo West National Park is 30% of Kenya’s area under parks, and contains a diversity of wildlife, habitats and a mountainous scenic landscape. The Mzima springs is one of the top attractions of this national park. You can get to watch elephants bathe among the the crocs and the hippos under-water glass tank from a unique vantage point. The baobabs that dot the landscape aren’t too shabby either.

Stretching from Mtito Andei, The park is a vast expanse of savanna south to the Tanzanian border and along the Mombasa-Nairobi road. Along the Highway at The North Eastern boundary adjoins Tsavo East National Park, but Tsavo West has a more diverse array of habitats and a more varied topography than its neighbour. With Savannah bush and semi desert scrub, the park’s habitats include open plains alternating acacia woodlands; outcrops, rocky ridges and more belts of riverine vegetation; extensive ranges and isolated hills; palm thickets and on the Chyulu hills, mountain forest.

There are numerous ridges and rocky outcrops, while a part of the park towards the Chyulu Hills, is of recent volcanic origin with lava flows and ash cones including the Shetani lava flow, an example of a recent volacano. On the Kenya-Tanzania in the far south western corner border is Lake Jipe, part of which is in the park. This very attractive lake is fed by the North Pare mountains and runoff from Mt. Kilimanjaro.

In the North of the park, at Mzima Springs, water that has filtered underground from the Chyulu Hills gushes from below a lava ridge into a series of clear pools. Actually, Tsavo West National Park located on South Eastern Kenya, inland from Mombasa, and the altitude ranges between 200 – 1000m.

The Major Attractions

Recent volcanoes, caves and lava flows with potential for cave exploration and geological hiking. Mzima Springs & underwater hippo watching, Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, Lake Jipe, Mt. Kilimanjaro, elephant, rhino, diverse bird and plant species. If you are lucky, there is also Wild dogs.

Common Vegetation

Acacia commiphora is the most of the northern sector bushland with scattered trees such as baobabs, Adansonia digitata and Delonix elata. A range of craggy hills in the Ngulia area is heavily wooded and reaches around 1800m. The southern sector consists of open grassy plains. Through the northern part of the park with a fringe of riverine Acacia elatior, the permanent tsavo river runs Hyphaene compressa woodland. Bordered by extensive beds to Typha, Lake Jipe has large permanent swamps at its western and eastern ends. Fringed by Phoenix reclinata and Raphia farinifera palms is Mzima springs.

To get to Tsavo West National Park

By roads, from Amboseli and Mtito Andei Gate from Nairobi (240 km) and Mombasa, the main access routes are through Chyulu Gate. From Mombasa, Visitors also use Tsavo Gate near Manyani. The park can also be reached via Taveta-Voi road through Maktau, Ziwani and Jipe gates.

By Airstrips, there are in good conditions of airstrips like Kamboyo, Kilaguni, Tsavo Gate, Jipe, Kasigau, Finch Hottons, Ziwani and Maktau airstrips.

Or via Park gates such as Chyulu, Mtito Andei, Tsavo, Jipe, Maktau Gate, Kasigau and Ziwani Gates.