Tsavo Conservation Area, a Vast Kenyan Wilderness

Sprawling over 10,000 square miles in southern Kenya, Tsavo Conservation Area accounts for half the nation’s protected lands. It includes the neighboring Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks, Chyulu Hills National Park, and South Kitui National Reserve.

Tsavo Conservation Area is home to all of the Big 5, including 40 percent of Kenya’s elephants and about one-fifth of its black rhinos. Here, you can also see the rare Grevy’s zebra and Masai giraffe, as well as the hirola antelope with its lyre-shaped horns.

Wildlife are more spread out here than in Kenya’s famous Masai Mara, so the most popular way to look for animals is via game drives. Nature walks, hikes, and even camel safaris are other options. For heartpounding thrills, try whitewater rafting on Tsavo’s Athi River.

Tsavo East National Park

Near Kenya’s coast, Tsavo East is one of Kenya’s oldest and largest national parks. Photographers flock to Tsavo East for its fabulous light and unbelievable views, especially of Mudanda Rock and the Yatta Plateau, made of 160+ miles of hardened lava. Lugard Falls, a series of whitewater rapids on the Galana River, is remarkable for the intricate, flowing shapes of its water-worn rocks.

The animal life is even more outstanding. Watch elephants bathe by using their trunks to blow vivid red dust over their bodies. Other animals at Tsavo East include rhinos, lions, leopards, crocodiles, waterbucks, kudus, Grevy’s zebras, and long-necked gerenuk antelopes. Tsavo East boasts more than 500 bird species, including ostriches and migratory kestrels and buzzards.

Tsavo East is also home to the Voi and Ithumba Reintegration Units of the Sheldrick Orphans’ Project. This organization rescues orphaned elephants, providing them with nutrition and care to help them grow up healthy with a good chance of survival. At Voi and Ithumba, the orphans become integrated into herds. Guests at the Sheldrick Trust’s Ithumba and Galdessa eco-lodges have the opportunity to visit the reintegration units and see the orphans adapting to life in the wild.

Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo West is an excellent park for visitors who enjoy walking. It offers nature trails, cave hikes, and the opportunity to explore the Chaimu Volcanic Crater. Boardwalks at Mzima Springs provide plenty of spots for watching bathing hippos. The scenery here is incredibly varied, ranging from mountains to river forests, plains, lakes, and wooded grasslands.

Animals of Tsavo West include leopards, cheetahs, buffalos, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, plains zebras, lions, crocodiles, and small mammals such as mongooses, hyraxes, tiny dik-dik antelopes, and porcupines.

Chyulu Hills National Park

Chyulu Hills is on the northwest border of Tsavo West. Characterized by its lush, rolling hills and volcanic landscapes, it provides a cooler and more temperate climate compared to the arid savannah that dominates the larger parks. It is well suited for hiking and exploring higher elevations. Chyulu Hills has fewer elephants, but still boasts a range of animals, including eastern black rhinos, buffaloes, and various antelope species like mountain reedbucks, steinboks, and elands. The trees shelter an impressive array of birdlife, including African crowned eagle, cinnamon bracken warbler, white-starred robin, Shelley’s francolin, and orange ground thrush. It also tends to attract fewer tourists, offering a more intimate experience with nature.

Lumo Conservancy

Lumo Conservancy spans over 230 square miles bordering Tsavo West National Park. Managed by the local community, this sanctuary promotes ecotourism to safeguard the wildlife of the Tsavo Region and create economic opportunities for residents. It is particularly renowned for its populations of big cats and elephants. You can also expect to see a variety of other animals, such as Cape buffalo, lions, giraffes, zebras, hartebeests, leopards, impalas, waterbucks, Thomson’s gazelles, lesser kudus, dik-diks, and an impressive array of bird species.

Here, you can enjoy bush walks, birdwatching, game drives, and amazing views of the surrounding plains and hills. From the right spot, you may even see Mount Kilimanjaro. Nighttime game drives are a great way to see more elusive nocturnal animals such as porcupines, aardvarks, galagos, and possibly even a leopard on the prowl.

Photographers may wish to stay at Lion’s Bluff, which has a photographic hide for capturing incredible images of animals up close. Ol Donyo in Chyulu Hills also offers a wildlife hide.

Visit Tsavo Conservation Area

Tsavo Conservation Area is enormous, with many options for where to stay and what to do. Need help planning your trip? That’s what Ujuzi African Travel is for. We help people like you plan safaris for themselves, their families, and groups of friends and colleagues. We’ll talk with you about what you want to see on safari and the types of places you’d like to stay, then make suggestions tailored to your tastes.

Contact Ujuzi today.