Tsavo East national park in Kenya was established in 1948 in the South east of Kenya. It’s part of the former Taru Desert seated on 13,747 km² of dry plains and flat terrain. It has semi-arid grasslands plus acacia woodlands running along the longest lava flows, the Yatta plateau.

This National Park has an extensive array of wildlife that inhabit its semi-arid plains. The park harbors herds of elephants, multiple lion prides, the African buffalo plus its counterpart species, giraffes, antelopes, numerous bird species and so much more.

The experience at this park is an implosive one strategized by beautiful features like the Galana River, the Yatta plateau, great camp sites and so much more. The park is renowned for its elegant significance through its wildlife conservation campaigns, cultural and historical significances and its diverse landscapes.

Tourist attractions at Tsavo East National Park

• The Mudanda Rock
• Yatta Plateau.
• Aruba Dam
• The Lugard Falls
• The Galana River
• The Big Five ( elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards and buffaloes)

Activities at Tsavo East National Park

This park organizes quite a lengthy list of activities for visitors to engage in. On these activities, visitors get to encounter a variety of wildlife that this park offers in their natural habitats. These activities are well coordinated by experienced tour guides and park rangers at every session of the activity reached.

Top activities to do at Tsavo East National Park

1. Safari game drives: This adventure at Tsavo East National Park is executed by experienced tour guides that have in-depth knowledge about the park’s wildlife. It’s excursed under raised all-wheel drive vehicles with a pop up roof and clear light windows, specified for navigating through all terrain. This design of the vehicles allows the tourists to obtain uncensored scenes of the wildlife plus excellent photographic snaps.

On this trip, await exposure to large troops of elephants, various lion prides, giraffes, antelopes, zebras, buffaloes, and countless species of birds in the semi-arid grasslands.

These drives are conducted in three sessions, i.e. in the mornings, in the afternoons and in the night. These sessions especially the morning and afternoon drives are the best since they happen at times where wildlife is in the fields hunting and grazing.

On the morning drives, watching the sunrise is arguably the top insight of this adventure as it is for the sunset on the evening drives. The guides take you through the best routes to witness these incredible nature aspects.

Safari drives at Tsavo East National park are charged at 50 USD for adults and 35 USD for infants.

2. Nature walks: These on foot trails present amazing wildlife experience for tourists at Tsavo East National Park. These walks are headed by professional guides with adverse knowledge on the park’s navigable pathways and potential dangers.

These walks are organized in small individual troops to make interactions with guides efficient. This makes the walk a memorable one and also minimizes effects on the wildlife along the trails.

On these walks, various wildlife of different genres is encountered. Expect to observe diverse plant life like the shrubs and acacia trees, numerous bird species like the wood peckers and shoebill storks, various insects and reptiles plus an array of wild animals of this park especially antelopes and buffalos as they graze in these savannah plains.

This walk has iconic features that are trekked around like the Mudanda Rock, the Lugard falls and the Galana River. The guides provide in-depth insights on the features so that tourists understand more about this places.

3. Visiting the Lugard Falls: The Lugard falls are a scenic attraction at this park with waterfalls and rapids. This trek around this scenic attraction is headed by experienced guides and marine rangers along this point where the waters flash on the Galana River.

On these walks, await scenic views of the natural beauty deprived from the water gushing through this narrow stream on rugged rocks. These moments are very memorable and recording the scenes is very ok at this park, only on spots declared safe by the tour guides.

The trails to the Lugard Falls are very navigable and surrounded by a variety of wildlife such as the acacia woodlands, multiple insect families and bird species. These walks are charged 20 USD.

4. Visiting the Aruba Dam: The dam is found in the southern parts of this park along River Voi. Its primary role for its construction was to give water to the various wildlife species in this park. You can observe many of these animals along the dam drinking from this dam especially in the late afternoon hours of the day such as the buffalos, elephants, zebras and more herbivores.

The scenes encountered are absolutely priceless ordained in the open plains and tall acacia trees. The trails to this dam are easily navigable and are headed by experienced guides that provide detailed insights on the history of the dam plus about the notable wildlife species encountered.

Taking pictures and recording these memorable scenes while at the dam is very ok but at only the points declared safe from potential danger and life risk.

Other interesting activities at this park include;

• Bird watching
• Elephant watching
• Exploring the Yatta plateau
• Visiting the Mudanda Rock
• Night game drives.

Accommodation at Tsavo East National Park

An impressive number of resorts, hotels, camp sites and lodges reside and surround this park. These accommodation options are distinctive in accommodation, i.e. there are luxury lodges, midrange lodges and budget friendly lodges. Lodges under all the above classes are well equipped with accommodation facilities and amenities but with distinctive extras.

Best luxurious stay

Voi Wildlife Lodge is undoubtedly the best luxury stay at Tsavo East National Park. It is situated inside the park with the best proximity to the park attractions and activities.

This lodge has world class rooms modeled with an African touch, self-contained with all the abode necessities. The meals prepared are vast covering both international and native delicacies. Additionally, the lodge opts you to exclusive safe spaces on balconies, all time health club and child care support services.

Voi Wildlife lodge charges 230 USD per couple for an all-inclusive accommodation every night you spend at the beautiful premises of this fine establishment.

Other luxurious stays you could consider if not Voi wildlife Lodge should be Voi Villa and Taita Hills Safari Resort. They are the closest alternatives to the kind of luxury services Voi Wildlife Lodge can provide.

Best midrange stay

The best midrange stay while Exploring Tsavo East National Park is Boma Simba Lodge. Boma Simba lodge is found resides in the premises of Tsavo East national park. It’s a charming establishment that confines lavishness and affordability.

Facilities and amenities offered at Boma Simba Lodge are innumerable and moderately charged. A full day accommodation package at this lodge comprising of all meal time sessions, beddings and recreational ventures is charged 105 USD. This fee is inclusive of all taxes and minor miscellaneous accommodation.

For those in need of a variety to choose from, consider picking either Sagala Lodge or Ilala House Voi as the two best alternatives to Boma Simba Lodge.

Best budget friendly stay

Budget friendly stays at Tsavo East National Park are denoted with low end accommodation and basic amenities. The rooms are comfortable though not as spacious and over toned like in other classes. Facilities are often shared in these kinds of stays pinning togetherness and interaction.

The best budget friendly stay with the basic amenities and extra convenience of onsite dining is Panlis Resort. It has top tier lodges with affordable local cuisines. It charges 30 USD for its accommodation for a couple. The experience at this lodge is more ideal due to the fact that it is a spacious area surrounded by lush green vegetation and buoyant landscapes.

Best times to visit Tsavo East National Park

Getting to know when to visit the park is a crucial consideration when planning your trip. There are certain times of the year in this park where experiences are more memorable and astounding in regards. For instance at Tsavo East National Park, there are two weather seasons that affect tourism activities, i.e. the wet and dry season.

The dry season in Tsavo East National Park typically starts around late June. It stretches for quite some months to late October. In this period, the park is dry as it receives small rainfall amounts. The terrain of the park in this season is very navigable with smooth surfaces but dusty often.

Wildlife viewing is very easy in this time of the park because the herbivores and carnivores plus the birds roam often around River Galana filling up and cleansing. The vegetation is also less dense and the skies are very clear making photographic moments skeptical and vibrant.

The wet season affects activities in this park from November to early May. In these months, the park records often daily rainfalls and heavy skies. This obstructs clear visions of wildlife. The flat terrains of the park are muddy during this season due to the daily rains. This makes navigation around the park’s brilliant landscapes quite challenging.

The highlight reel of this season is basically the calves and plentiful baby wildlife. This season is when breeding is at high for wildlife. For enthusiasts of baby mammals and birds the wet season should be your ideal time of the year to visit Tsavo East National Park.

With regards from several individual surveys, the dry season is undoubtedly the best season to visit the park. The exact theme of tourism is drawn perfectly and conveniently in this time of the year.

How to get to Tsavo East National Park

From Nairobi, the stretch is of 364 km. Covering this distance on road will take you approximately 5 hours on steady speeds. The road network in Kenya is amusing denoted by clear road signals and wide tarmacked roads.

The most ideal way of transportation by road for travelers both foreign and citizens is of a trusted tour operator. What tour operators help you out with is convenience and quick reach out to the parks. At Your Drive Kenya, we provide you an all-wheel drive with an experienced driver who knows all corners of Kenya and quickest routes to the park at the best rates. Reach out to our website for bookings and inquiries.

The park can also be reached by air modes. Domestic flights to the park are very quick for instance this long journey is done under 100 minutes. The flights are extortionate but worth it. Planes usually set off from Nairobi and Voi airstrip.

With the above insights on Tsavo East National Park, it’s appropriate to call this magnificent wildlife park excellent. The captivating activities, tourist attractions and accommodation options in this park all rotate about its nature theme with lit aspects. Every moment spent preparing a trek and exploring the wonders of this park is memorable and worthy.