Tsavo West National Park

Overview

Tsavo West is smaller than its eastern neighbour at around 9,000 square kilometres, and far more varied: volcanic cones, black lava flows from the Chyulu Hills, riverine forest, rocky outcrops and open plains, with Kilimanjaro visible on clear days. The highlight is Mzima Springs, where 250 million litres a day of filtered rainwater emerge from beneath the Chyulus into pools so clear that an underwater viewing chamber lets you watch hippo and crocodile from below. The Shetani lava flow is a recent, coal-black field of rubble that looks freshly poured. The Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary is a fenced 90-square-kilometre area holding an important black rhino population, and Ngulia ridge is a famous ringing station where millions of migrant birds funnel through each November. The bush is thicker here than in Tsavo East, so game viewing takes more work, but the scenery more than compensates.