Tsavo East National Park is Kenya's largest National Park covering an area of 11,700sq kms. It is across the highway from Tsavo West, located in Eastern and Coast Province, South East of Nairobi. It is a hot, waterless dry region with an annual rainfall of less than 51cm recorded, and has a large diversity of landscapes from the gorges of Lugard falls with its water carved rocks to the natural catchment at Muanda.

The Park is one of the world's largest game reserves, providing undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals. A comprehensive list of the animal types found in Tsavo East Park includes the great herds of elephant, antelope, hippos, black rhino, buffalo, eland, lions and giraffe plus a host of birdlife. It is an ideal place for exclusive camping, game circuits and adventures and is the greatest of all Kenya's parks. The middle section of the park has many rock and cave paintings.

Scrub-covered hills: These hills of the southern park have a very remote feel and the park, despite its great game, does not attract large numbers of tourists. The best game viewing is along the watercourses and at the Kanderi swamp, which is not far from the main Voi gate. Thirty kilometers from the gate is the Aruba Dam and lions are commonly spotted around here. The major attractions in the park are the Yatta plateau, Lugard Falls, Aruba Dam, Mudanda Rock, birds  and mammals many others.

A visitor's note on Tsavo East National Park

No word can describe the exotic flora and fauna of this magnificent park. It was the place that offered me a lifetime experience amidst some of the rarest species in the world. Every moment that I spent in this sanctuary was an experience in itself.

Fact file - Tsavo East National Park

Location: Between Nairobi and the coast
Total area: The entire Tsavo national park is spread across an area of 21, 288 sq. ms
Major attractions: Elephant, rhinos, hippos
Best time to visit: October to February
Places to stay: Satao Camp, Voi Safari Lodge

A word about Tsavo East National Park, Kenya

The colossal Tsavo National Park is located in the grassland, and shrub land between Nairobi and the coast. It proved too extensive as a single unit and has been divided in two. It has a water hole, which draws thousands of wildlife from miles. The famous Aruba Dam also provides a strong draw for wildlife. At Tsavo East, one has an excellent chance of seeing gazelles, impalas, buffaloes, greater kudus, Defassa waterbuck, lions, and associated predators.

My experience at Tsavo East National Park, Kenya

The weather was pleasant under the clear blue sky and it was a perfect time to explore the diverse beauty of Tsavo East National Park. The best way to view Tsavo East National Park's wildlife was to drive a car through its numerous dirt and paved roads. As I was making my way inside the park, the vivid pictures of the park flashed in front of my eyes.

The entire park was teeming with wildlife. I spotted the herds of lordly Maasai giraffe grazing in the vast green land. There were wild elephants with huge ears and tusks roaming freely in groups. Later in the day I reached at the imposing Mudanda Rock, a flat-topped inselberg of Promethean proportions, some 13 km south of Manyani gate.

There was a water hole near the Mudanda Rock, an ideal place to view the wild species. I spotted various wild species including gazelles, impalas, buffaloes and greater kudus coming towards the water hole.

Accommodation 

• Galdessa Main Camp,
• Ol Donyo and many others