Tsavo East National Park is Kenya’s largest Park and is most famous for its diverse wildlife and rugged volcanic landscapes a must-visit for anyone on Kenya safaris. Tsavo East is most popular for its dust-red elephants and is one of the top game-viewing destinations in Kenya. Together with Tsavo West, Tsavo East makes up the vast Tsavo Conservation Area.  Tsavo East National Park is found in Southeastern Kenya and extends over 13,747 sq. km. Tsavo East was officially designated a National Park status in 1948, making it one of Kenya’s oldest Game Parks. The Park lies between Nairobi Capital City and Mombasa Coastal Town. Tsavo East National Park is approximately 9 times larger than the Maasai Mara National Reserve. This vast Protected Area features diverse attractions, including the 300 km extensive Yatta Plateau. The Yatta Plateau happens to be one of the world’s longest lava flows and its presence makes Tsavo East National Park a favorite adventure spot.

Other unique features of tourists interested when on a vacation in the Tsavo East National Park include the Athi River, Tsavo River, and Galana River. Additionally, expect to also explore attractions such as Aruba Dam, Lugard waterfalls, and Mudanda Rock. Superfine Safaris is your reliable travel guide on your Kenya safari to Tsavo East National Park

Wildlife to see

Tsavo East National Park holds a large profusion of wildlife that is widely spread across the Park’s stunning savannas. Top wildlife to encounter on Kenya wildlife tour in Tsavo East include wildcats, the red elephants, black rhinos, dik-diks, bush babies, waterbucks, African hunting dogs, cheetahs, elands, gazelles, jackals, leopards, zebras, mongoose, gerenuk, waterbucks, hippos, warthogs, tree hyrax, hartebeest, and more.

The bird species

About 500 species of birds are concentrated in the varying habitats in Tsavo East National Park. They include migratory and resident species of birds. The key bird species to explore in Tsavo East National Park include slender-tailed nightjar, Taita falcon, Fischer’s starling, Somali ostriches, red-bellied parrots, black-faced sandgrouse, vulturine guineafowl, Northern brownbul, African fin-foots, martial eagle, golden pipit, lesser kestrel, Southern pochard, Egyptian goose, Knob-billed ducks, fulvous whistling-ducks, laughing dove, Kori bustards, emerald-spotted wood-dove, cape teal, mourning collared dove, pangani long-claws, buff-crested bustard, Heuglin’s bustards, Donaldson smith’s nightjars, coqui francolins, yellow-necked spurfowl, black cuckoos, Klaas’s cuckoos, pied cuckoos, great spotted cuckoos, green malkoha, and dideric cuckoos.

The other birds to find in Tsavo East National Park include Eurasian moorhen, little ringed plovers, fiery-necked nightjars, Alpine swift, three-banded plovers, Nubian nightjars, African swift, spotted thick-knee, wood sand pipers, spotted redshank, gull-billed tern, black-headed gull, white-winged tern, collared pratincole, Madagascar pratincole, lesser & greater flamingo, African open bill, little grebe, white stork, saddle-billed storks, secretary birds, and more.

4 Best Things to Do in Tsavo East National Park

Guided game drives

Tsavo East National Park offers memorable game viewing experiences to nature enthusiasts. On a guided game drive tour, expect to search for diverse wildlife in the Tsavo East National Park including the Big 5 (leopards, red elephants, rhinos, lions, and cape buffaloes); giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, and zebras. Diversity of antelopes also exists in this Protected Area and can be spotted during the guided game drive. Antelope families that you may come across include impalas, Kirk’s dik-diks, Hartebeest, gerenuk, elands, and more.

Birding tours

A birding tour in Tsavo East National Park offers you a great opportunity to look out for amazing birds. Bird species that you may come across during a birding excursion include blue-napped mousebirds, purple heron, goliath heron, secretary bird, squacco heron, little egrets, gray heron, yellow-billed egret, western cattle-egrets, striated heron, white-headed vultures, hooded vultures, palm-nut vultures, scissor-tailed kite, white-backed vulture, lizard buzzard, western marsh harriers, steppe eagle, Eastern chanting-goshawks, tawny eagle, booted eagle, pearl-spotted owlets, verreaux’s eagle-owl, Eurasian scops-owl, grayish eagle-owl, Northern red-billed hornbill, Nubian woodpeckers, fork-tailed drongo, olive bee-eaters, brown-crowned tchagra, Somali tit, rosy-patched bush shrikes, Eastern black-headed batis, and vulturine guineafowl.

Other species of birds to identify on a birding excursion in Tsavo East include speckled mousebirds, European bee-eaters, Eurasian hobby, peregrine falcon, red-bellied parrot, black cuckoo shrike, white-crested helmet shrike, black-backed puffback, Pringle’s puffback, Sulphur-breasted bushshrike, house crow, white-necked raven, Northern fiscal, long-tailed fiscal, singing bush lark, Friedman’s lark, Sentinel lark, flappet lark, yellow-vented eremomela, and gray wren-warblers.

Guided nature walks

Nature walks in Tsavo East National Park offer a thrilling wilderness experience. Visitors embark on a guided foot walk to explore the wonders of Tsavo East. During the guided nature walks, you get a chance to visit most of the hidden habitats while encountering a diversity of attractions including birds, wildlife plus other natural features.

Hiking/rock climbing

Guided hiking expeditions in Tsavo East National Park introduce you to some of the finest landscapes. You have a chance to explore the spectacular Yatta Plateaus and Mudanda rocks. Guests are led by experienced guides from the Tsavo East National Park on a journey to conquer most of the rocks.

When to visit Tsavo East National Park 

Trips to Tsavo East Game Park can be planned at any time of the year. But the dry season is the best period for visitors to experience the most of guided game viewing excursions. This can be during the long dry months of June to October or around the short dry season which occurs from January to February. Access to Tsavo East is easier on a game drive than during the wet or rainy season.

The rainy or wet season in Tsavo East National Park begins from March to May and short rains start from November. The wet season is mainly characterized by heavy rains that make the ground muddy or slippery. Navigation through the Park on a game viewing tends to be challenging compared to when it is the dry season with low or no rain.

Accommodation Options

Tsavo East National Park is a complete destination with a range of accommodation options including budget, midrange, and luxury. The luxury lodging choices include Salt Lick Safari lodge, Ashnil Aruba Lodge, and Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge. Midrange accommodation options in Tsavo East include Ngutuni Lodge, Tsavo Lodge Voi, and others. Other lodges include Satao Tented Camp, Sentrim Tsavo Lodge, Tausa Tsavo Eco-Lodge, Voi Lutheran Guesthouse, Ithumba Camp, and Ngulia Safari Lodge.

Getting to Tsavo East National Park 

By road, expect to set off from Nairobi or Mombasa to Tsavo East National Park, about a 6-8 hours’ drive. From Mombasa, you can spend between 2 and 4 hours. Visitors can have access to Tsavo East National Park through the Buchuma gate, Voi gate, or Manyani gate. By air –Visitors can depart from Nairobi and land at the airstrips in Tsavo East including Sala, Satao, Bachuma, Ithumba, or Mapeo (Mopeo) Airstrip.