African Kenya: Animal Sights And Sounds - Tsavo Park Article

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African Kenya: Animal sights and sounds - Tsavo Park

African Kenya animals information. The best Kenya animal safari parks includes sightings of animals like the lion, monkeys, lynx, elephant, hyena, birds, giraffe and other wild life. You will follow tracks of all African Kenya animals and hear sounds in Kenya wild. Nature treks in Kenya teach you names and the occasional eating of animal steak.

Author: Robert Muhoho

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At nearly 22,000 sq km. Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya. For administrative and practical purposes, it has been split into Tsavo West National Park (9,000sqkm) and Tsavo East National Park (11,747 sq km) divided by the Nairobi-Mombasa road (A109). Both parks feature some excellent scenery but the undergrowth is considerably higher than in Amboseli and Maasai Mara, so it takes a little more effort to spot the wildlife, particularly the big predators.

The compensation for this is that the landscape are some of the most dramatic in Kenya, animals are that bit little wilder ( you really don’t want to mess with a Tsavo elephant) and the parks receive comparatively few visitors compared to the hordes who descend on Amboseli and the Maasai Mara. The northern half of

Tsavo West is the most developed, with a number of excellent lodges and several places you can get out of your vehicle and walk. The landscape here is made of volcanic hills and sweeping expanses of savanna. The southern part of the park, on the far side of the dirt road between voi and Taveta on the Tanzanian border, is rarely visited.

Tsavo East is more remote, but there are a number of lodges, and, refreshingly, a number of independent budget tented camps. Most of the action here is concentrated along the Galana River; north part of the park has been bandit country but security has now improved greatly. The landscape here is drier, with rolling plains hugging the edge of the Yatta escarpment, a vast prehistoric lava flow.

During the dry season, the landscape in both parks is dusty and parched, but it erupts into colour at the end of the wet season, although of course, that means there’s more greenery to hide the wildlife.

Both Parks were once the lands of the Orma, Watta, Maasai and the Kamba people, but all the villagers were displaced when the park was gazetted. Some of these communities have now established wildlife sanctuaries and group ranches on the outskirts of the park.

Tsavo had terrible problems with poachers during the 1980s, when the elephant population dropped from 45,000 to just 5000 and rhinos were almost wiped out entirely. Populations are slowly recovering and there are now about 9000 elephants in the two parks, but less than 100 rhinos, down from about 9000 in 1969. The last few years have once again seen a worrying upsurge in poaching.

Tourist information on Tsavo National Parks

Entry is US 27/10 per adult/child per day, vehicles cost Kshs 200 and camping is US $10 per adult; as the two parks are administered separately you have to pay separate entrance fees for each. Both parks use the smart card system-you’ll need enough credit for your vehicle, entry fee and any camping charges for as long as you are staying. Smart cards can be bought and recharged at the Voi Gate to Tsavo East.

There is a small visitor centre near Mtito andei gate to Tsavo west, with an interesting display on conservation issues and some of the animals and birds in the park.

All the track junctions in Tsavo East and Tsavo West have numbered and sign posted cairns, which in theory makes navigation fairly simple. In practice, some sign posts are missing and the numbering system is often confusing, so a park map is helpful. Survey of Kenya publishes a Tsavo East National Park map (Kshs 500) and a newer Tsavo West National Park MAP (Kshs 700).

Both are available at the main entrance gates and the visitor centre at the Tsavo West. Tourist maps’ Tsavo national park (Kshs 250) covers both parks.

Fuel is available at Kilaguni Serena and Ngulia Safari lodges in Tsavo West, and at Voi Safari Lodge in Tsavo East.

About Author

Robert is a travel expert with http://www.Landmarksafaris.com . Degreed in tourism management, he has authored more than 1000 articles on Kenya East Africa travel. To find out what happens to you on your African Kenya animal, take the hook, line and sinker: http://www.landmarksafaris.com/tours/wildlife.php

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African Kenya: Animal sights and sounds - Tsavo Park