Tsavo National Park is vast. Put together,
the western and eastern areas of Tsavo make up one of the largest animal
sanctuaries in the world - imagine the whole of Wales being a park.
Tsavo East became renowned, or perhaps more correctly, infamous in the
early 20th century, as the home of man-eating lions which treated the
railway workers building the Mombasa to Kampala line as a new food source.
Tsavo was also the setting in the First World War of battles between
British and German troops vying for supremacy in East Africa. Tsavo
is old, in that is one of Kenya's longest established parks and yet
at the same time young, because the Ngulia Hills that dominate the area
are of comparatively recent volcanic origin.
Tsavo West, Volcanic activity such as the cones, outcrops and lava flows
are still visible. The most striking of the hardened flows is Shaitana,
which looks like it cooled down only recently and whose name (meaning
'devil' in Swahili) seems particularly apposite as it burst from beneath
the ground. The surrounding cave formations should not be missed but
you will need a torch.
As each year draws to an end the Ngulia hills become host to an amazing
nightly display when birds, literally in their thousands, appear out
of the darkening mists. Some 40 species make this journey to escape
the cold winters of Northern Europe. A netting and ringing project has
tracked some of them back to as far as northern Russia.
The region is also home to an incredibly important water source - the
Mzima Springs. The springs produce approximately 50 million gallons
of water a day - 30 million of which are piped to Mombasa. The source
of the springs is the ice-cap on Kilimanjaro and the rains that fall
on the Chyulu Hills which soak through the porous volcanic rock to form
subterranean rivers. The springs attracts Hippo, barbels and crocodiles
and an underwater viewing platform allows you to see the animals. The
best observation time is in the early morning before the hippos get
too hot and shelter themselves out of sight in the surrounding papyrus
cover.
Lake Jipe in southwest of Tsavo West is very important wetland. Birds
commonly seen are pied-kingfishers, knob-billed geese, palm nut vultures
and the African skimmer. A few rhino are left in Tsavo protected in
a enclosed sanctuary at the foot of the Ngulia Hills. Other wildlife
includes cheetah, buffalo, oryx, eland, zebra, leopard, buffalo, spotted
hyena, kongoni, waterbuck, impala, duiker and klipspringer. The lions
of Tsavo may once have been infamous but when the rains have fallen
and the grass is long - they are very difficult to spot.
Tsavo East is the much less visited side of the park and a photographer's
dream. Large elephant herds roam the vast scrubland plains that make
up most of the terrain. An exception to this terrain is the Yatta Plateau.
The plateau, standing at 1000 ft high and stretching for roughly 180
miles, can attribute its existence to the planet's largest lava flow.
Erosion over the years has sculpted the plateau into its present, slightly
brooding shape. Lugard's Fall, another highlight, are the waters of
the Galana river rushing through water polished rocks. Crocodiles and
hippos live downstream and can best seen at Crocodile Point.
In addition to the wildlife species that it has in common with Tsavo
West; the eastern park has rare local birds which come in a rainbow
of hues and include the colourful yellow throated longclaws, rosy-patched
shrikes, red and yellow barbets, carmine bee-eaters and the white-headed
buffalo weaver - to list just a few of the 500 species that have been
recorded here.
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