Tsavo West

Tsavo West is the more dramatic and mountainous half of Tsavo, one of the largest national parks in the world. Defined by its rust-red volcanic lava flows, ancient cinder cones, and dense dry thornbush, the park has a rugged, primal beauty that sets it apart from Kenya's more open savanna parks. 

The centrepiece of Tsavo West is Mzima Springs, a series of crystal-clear blue pools fed by underground streams that flow from Mount Kilimanjaro beneath the lava fields. Here, hippos drift weightlessly just below the surface in water that is so clear you can watch them from an underwater viewing chamber. Crocodiles patrol the banks with ancient patience. The springs are an oasis of extraordinary life in the middle of the arid bush.

Tsavo West is home to the famous Tsavo lions, broad-shouldered and often maneless, the lions made legendary by the real-life story of the man-eating lions of Tsavo in 1898. Today, healthy prides roam the thick bush alongside large elephant herds, black rhino, leopard, buffalo, and an astonishing variety of plains game. Populations of hippo, lesser kudu, klipspringer, and gerenuk add further diversity. 

For travellers who want to feel the rawness and solitude of the African wild without the vehicle congestion of the more popular parks, Tsavo West is an outstanding choice.