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Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West has a variety of landscapes, from swamps and natural springs to rocky peaks, extinct volcanic cones, to rolling plains and sharp reddish outcrops.
Introducing Tsavo West National Park
Named after the Tsavo River which flows from west to east, the park is considered one of the world's biodiversity strongholds. It is the only Kenyan park that permits night drives and also allows off-road driving so one can see the wildlife close up. Tsavo West National Park offers a host of attractions: the magnificent scenery, Mzima Springs, rich and varied wildlife, good road system, rhino reserve, rock climbing potential, and guided walks along the Tsavo River. The thick vegetation makes game viewing more difficult when compared to the more flat, open parks like the Masai Mara, but some patience will reap great reward with sightings of the Big 5 along with a wide range of antelope species, hippos and spectacular birdlife. The legend of Tsavo, portrayed in the film, 'The Ghost and the Darkness', are the so-called 'man-eaters', which was the name given to a pair of lions said to have attacked and killed a number of railway workers in the 19th Century.
Experience the Tsavo West National Park
Wildlife 
Birdlife
Wildlife at the Tsavo West National Park
Wildlife densities in Tsavo West National Park aren’t that great, but everything is there – you just need to be patient. There are many elephants, and they are often covered in red dust, giving them an eerie appearance. The park is also known for its maneless lions and big herds of buffalo. Black rhinos have been on the comeback in Tsavo West since the 1980s when they were close to being locally extinct. Tsavo West is one of the best places to see the skittish lesser kudu. The rocky terrain is also a good habitat to look for klipspringers, which are often seen in pairs. Watch also for antelope that thrive in arid conditions, including the very localized fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk. Sightings of leopard are also possible. The drive-through rhino sanctuary increases your chances of spotting the difficult-to-find black rhino.
Birdlife at the Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West National Park’s prolific birdlife features more than 400 recorded species. Ngulia Hills, one of the landmarks in the park, is situated along one of the world’s busiest avian migration routes. Bird ringers make an annual pilgrimage here between October and January. Ngulia is the site of Africa’s foremost bird-ringing project, which involves tagging to enable individual bird identification. More than 100 migrant and resident species have been ringed here, the most prolific being marsh warbler, river warbler, red-backed shrike, thrush nightingale and common whitethroat.
Tsavo West offers great bird watching in all seasons. Many of the more unusual specials are resident and can be spotted at any time. Migratory birds, a real feature of birding in the park, fill the trees, waterways and skies from November to April. It’s good to keep in mind that November and April are peak months for rainfall if birding is your primary interest here. The months in between are generally best.
Best time to visit Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West National Park is best visited in the dry months from June to October and January to February. Although the park can be visited at any time of year, during the peaks of the Wet season (April and November) animals tend to spread out due to the abundance of water and food, and the vegetation can be quite dense.
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