Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West National Park covers approximatly 30 per cent of Kenya´s park area, and contains a diversity of habitats, wildlife and mountainous scenic landscape.
The park is a vast expanse of savanna stretching from Mtito Andei, along the Mombasa-Nairobi road and south to the Tanzanian border. The nroth-eastern boundry along the highway adjoins Tsavo East National Park, but Tsavo West has a more varied topography and a more diverse array of habitats than its neighbour.
The park´s habitats include open plains alternating with savannah bush and semi desert scrub, acacia woodlands; rocky ridges and outcrops and more
extensive ranges and isolated hills; belts if riverine vegetation; Palm thickets and on the Chyulu hills, mountain forest.
There are bumerous rocky outcrops and ridges and part of the Park, towards the Chuyulu Hills, is a recent volcanic orgin with lava flows and ash cones
including the Shetani lava flow, an example of a recent volcano.
In the far south western corner on the Kenya Tanzania Border is Lake Jipe, part of which is in the Park. This very attractive lake is fed by runoff from Mount Kilimanjaro and the North Pare Mountains.
At Mzima Springs, in the North of the Park, water that has filered underground from the Chuyulu Hills gushes from below a lva ridge into a series of clear pools. Visitors have a opportunity to vies animals under water through a glas house, man eaters-caves where two lions were shot in Tsavo Est by Col. Patterson, railway bridge forms boundary.
Location: South eastern Kenya, inland from Mombasa
Distance from Nairobi: 232 Km
Size: 9065 square Km
Climatic Conditions: Temperature ranges from 20-30 C and rainfall between 200 and 700 mm Two rain seasons: long rains in March and April and short rains – November and december. (through Climnate changes this has somehow changed)
Major attractions: Recent volcanoes, lava flows and caves with potentioal for geological and cave exploration, and hiking. Mzima springs and underwater hippo and fish watching, Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, Lake Jipe, Mount Kilimanjaro(Tanzania, can bee seen from some area´s in Tsavo west wenn it is clear) elephant, diverse bird and plant species
Wildlife: Leopard, cheetah, wild dogs, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, plains game, crocodile, mongoose, hyray, dik-dik, lesser kudu and porcupine. Prolific birdlife features 600 recorded species
Acess:
Roads:The main access routes are through Chuyulu Gate from Amboseli and Mtito Andei Gate from Nairobi (240 km) and Tsavo River Gate near Manyani from Mombasa (200 Km). The park can also be reached via the Taveta- Voi Road through Maktau, Ziwani and Jipe gates.
Air: Kamboyo, Kilanguni, Tsavo Gate, Jipe, Kasigau, Finch Hattons, Ziwani,
and Maktau airstrips are in good conditon
Accomodation:
Lodges: Ngulia Safari Lodge, Kilanguni Serena Lodge, Severin Safari Camp/Lodge, Rhino Valley Camp, Tsavo Voyager Camp (former Ziwani Camp)
Bandas: Kitani Bandas
Kamboyo Guest House (KWS)
Best time to Visit: All year round
Activities: Boat excursion at Lake Jipe; bird watching at Lake Jipe; annual bird ringing at
Ngulia Safari Lodge; hill and rock climbing at Chaimu and Ngulia Hills,
Roaring Rocks, Poachers Lookout, Caving at Shetani Caves
