Tsavo National Park: Kenya’s Wilderness Giant

Tsavo is Kenya’s largest protected area, covering approximately 22,000 km² across two contiguous national parks — Tsavo East and Tsavo West. Together they form an ecosystem larger than Wales and support one of Africa’s most significant elephant populations.

Tsavo East: Open Savannah and Red Elephants

Tsavo East is characterised by flat, semi-arid savannah cut by the Galana River. The elephants here are famous for their red colouring — a result of dust-bathing in the distinctive red volcanic soil. Bull elephants tend to be larger in Tsavo than in the Mara ecosystem, and large bachelor groups of bulls are a regular sighting. The Lugard Falls on the Galana River, where the water forces through a narrow gorge of eroded rock, is one of the park’s iconic sites.

Tsavo West: Lava, Springs, and Underwater Glass

Tsavo West is more topographically varied, featuring the Chaimu lava fields (a solidified lava flow walkable with a ranger), and the Mzima Springs — a series of pools fed by underground water filtered through the Chyulu Hills lava rock. An underwater viewing chamber allows visitors to observe hippos and giant barbus fish from below the waterline.

Combining Tsavo with Other Destinations

Tsavo sits on the road and rail route between Nairobi and Mombasa, making it a natural add-on to a coastal trip. Most travellers combine Tsavo with either Amboseli (to the west) or a Mombasa beach extension (to the east).