Northeast of the highway, the railway, and the apparent natural divide that separates Kenya’s northern and Southern environments, lies Tsavo East National Park. Although it is the larger part of the combined Tsavo parks, the sector north of the Galana River has few tracks and is much less visited .South of the river, the great triangle of the flat wilderness, with Aruba Dam in the middle, has become popular with safaris operated from the coast, since it offers a pretty sure chance of seeing plenty of animals, in a very open environment.

Apart from some tumbled crags and scarps near Voi, and the rocky cleft of the Galana River (fed by the Tsavo and the Athi), Tsavo East is an uninter-forbiddingly enormous reserve and at times over the last three decades has seemed an odd folly, especially since its northern area was closed to the public for many years due o the long war against elephant and rhino poachers. Since the 1990s, this campaign has been largely won and the elephants are once again on the increase, their numbers swelled by a major KWS trans-location operation that moved three hundred elephants from Shimba Hills. Rhinos are still very rare in Tsavo East and numbers exceedingly hard to estimate but it’s believed there may be about fifty individuals, mostly in the north .With the northern sector secure and rangers in place, the whole of Tsavo East was opened for tourism in 2006 ,though infrastructure north of the Galana is still basic.

There are scheduled flights to Tsavo East at the time of writing, but access via the gates along the Mombasa highway is relatively straight forward. From north to south,these are : Mtito Andei Gate East, which gives access to the northern sector; Voi Gate, near Mudanda Rock: and Buchuma Gate at the southern tip, little more than an hours drive from Mombasa.

On the east side of the park ,Sala Gate offers access from Malindi.Its 105km due west of the coastal resort, and there is a small cluster of camps and lodges just outside the park boundary. If you’re driving from Malindi, youll find the first 40km over coral rock quite jarring, but the views across the Sabaki plain are good. The remaining 65km over red murram and gravel are mostly fairly smooth, though heavy rain can cause delays. Allow three hours to reach the gate, and be prepared to make a fixed 7am start from the police barrier outside Malindi.You have to travel in convoy-although as with the convoy between Amboseli and Tsavo West, there no longer appears to be any security threat. If you try this route by public transport, you’ll find few matatus venture west of Kakoneni, 30km from Malindi.

Hotel Accommodation Tsavo East

Tsavo East’s accommodation options are more numerous and varied than you might expect. The following listings include most of those inside the park itself, but outside the park you’ll find cheaper options, as well as one or two good lodges and tented camps. Those outside the park, around Voi and off the Mombasa Highway, are covered , while just outside Sala Gate,on the road between the park and Malindi, is small cluster of fairly basic camps where you might find yourself booked on a safari , or need to call in for lunch or a last-minute overnight stay. Just 200m east of Sala Gate, Tsavo Buffalo Camp and Tsavo River Hill are two sides of the same Italian-run operation, where you can get lunch .River Hill is the slightly more up market choice, with fake gold taps and ornate furnishings in large rondavels (FB) while Buffalo has basic, small cottages with nets (FB) .Some 3km further east is Crocodile Camp : no children under 8; FB which offers small, air-conditioned tents, and much preferable cottages ,also air-conditioned but without nets, all set along the river .Casual visitors are welcome for lunch .Its in a good spot and you enter reception across a small pond, whose bridge is festooned with fat monitor lizards.

There’s only one public campsite in the park, Ndololo, run by KWS which is 7km from Voi gate, at the western edge of Kanderi Swamp and off junction #173 .This has showers, toilets and free firewood, but no other facilities.

Epiya Chapeyu 5km east of junction #163 on the south bank of the Galana River .Unstuffy, Italian-run camp in a lovely location. The fourteen tents are closely spaced, the better ones in the front row facing the river, but they don’t have nets or front decks. You are, however, down close to the river. Not fancy, but very good value, and casual visitors are welcome for lunch .FB

Galdesa Camp 4km north of junction #111 on the south bank of the Galana.This spectacular, Italian-owned luxury camp is stunningly conceived and located above the river. With wonderful staff and ambience, lavish and comfortably furnished banda-tents,superb,hairy,Italian cooking and extraordinary attention to detail, its by far Tsavo Easts best camp. It’s situated in one of the few areas of Tsavo East where you have a chance of spotting black rhino and elephants are nearly always seen crossing here. Closed May .FB

Satao Camp Off junction #144 .Engagingly managed by its experienced safari host, Satao has a fine, low-key ambience, with its thatch-covered, slightly old-fashioned tents, ranged beneath big trees. The atmosphere suits visitors who want to relax in the bush and enjoy the wildlife -elephants ,occasional lions and plains game attracted to the waterhole .As well as the ordinary tents, there are larger “suite ” tents ,for a thirty percent surcharge, with fridges and large beds. Solar-heated hot water is only available in the evening’s .FB.

Voi Safari Lodge 3km north of Voi Gate on the rocky crag. Not to be confused with the brashly over sized Voi Wildlife Lodge (just outside the park but on the south side of town, this fifty-room lodge is quite busy enough, and similar in many respects to its sister established ,Ngulia Safari Lodge in Tsavo West. Admittedly, the rooms aren’t huge, but despite the shortcomings of its style (its actually a rather fun 1970s glam-kitsch: look out for the photo of Miss World 1972), this is a perennial favourite for its near-guaranteed game-viewing from the terrace, and the magnificent panorama plunging to the horizon.FB.

With minibus safaris increasingly taking in Tsavo East, the emptiness of the park ,is no longer as overwhelming as it was, but the parks vastness means that for much of the time, you will still have the pleasure of exploring the wilderness completely alone. It’s easy to get away off the two or three beaten tracks, and you may find something special- a serval perhaps, or a striped hyena. You’re also very likely to see some of Tsavos elephants.

Tsavo East Elephant Orphans

Until a few years ago, the scarcity of mature bull and matriarch elephants was still noticeable after so many had been killed by poachers .These days ,good-sized herds and large tuskers are increasingly common. As well as the KWS relocation of elephants from the coast, much of the hard work in re-establishing elephants in Tsavo East has been done by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust based in Nairobi. If you “adopt “an orphan (minimum $50; www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org) ,you can make arrangements to visit the release facilities ,either at the stockade near Voi Gate or the one near the Ithumba park headquarters in the far north. The trust has an exclusive -use self-catering camp at Ithumba,with three twin tents under thatched roofs, a communal area, and three staff, though its expensive for a DIY place. These visits are only available to sponsors by pre-arrangement.

Game Drives Tsavo East National Park

Most game drives from the camps near the Galana River use the main dirt road along the south bank of the river, and then strike south along the roads following tributary lug gas, up into the higher bush country between the Galana and Voi rivers. Lions, and occasionally cheetahs, can be seen along these water courses. The Galana River itself, with its fringing cordon of branching doum palms, creates a captivating backdrop, the sandy river bed often dotted with wildlife in the dry season.

West of junction #110, above the confluence of the Tsavo and Athi Rivers and the start of the Galana, is Observation Hill, while downstream, east of junction#160, are the gently spectacular Lugard Falls, where you’re allowed to park and clamber around the bizarrely eroded rocks. Even in relatively dry conditions, the falls, progressing from foaming rapids to narrow cascades gouged deep into the rock, are quite impressive.

A kilometer east of the falls, another short diversion takes you top Crocodile Point, something of a let-down as the crocs are extraordinarily hard to see unless you get up close, which you’re no longer allowed to do. Hippos are easier to spot from the vantage point.

Heading south from the Galana,any of the park roads from junction #150 ,#111,#110,#161,#163,#198 or #174 can yield good results .Buffalo wallows Lugga (junction #110 ,then #159) ,is often rewarding, with the chance of seeing a leopard ,and plenty of birdlife .Some 2okm further southwest ,just north of junction #158 ,Mudanda Rock is particularly recommended .It resembles a scaled-down version of Australia’s Uluru, and towers above a natural dam, which ,during the dry season ,draws elephants in their hundreds.

Starting out from the relatively busy Voi area, the wooden margins of the Voi River often hide a profusion of wildlife, and this area is one of the most promising in the park. Try Ndololo Campsite at junction #173 and the pretty Kanderi Swamp loop at #174.Keep your windows up when driving through the tall grass and undergrowth, not only for security against large animals, but as a defense against the tsetse flies that may mistake your vehicle for a large animal.

Until 2007, the most obvious focus in Tsavo East was the formerly beautiful Aruba Dam on the Voi River, the marshy fringes of which were an excellent spot for bird-and animal-watching, and where decrepit Aruba Lodge nestled in the trees on the north shore. Sadly, a large tour operator has ruined the area with an obtrusive new mass-market lodge constructed inside a large fenced compound, and it will be years, if ever, before the area recovers. As of 2009, the lake was dry.

The parks northern sector is most easily accessed from Mtito Andei Gate East, but in the dry season it’s also possible to cross into the northern sector over the Galana river bed at junction #160, the only crossing point. Beware of mistaking mud for the smooth rock bed: unwitting drivers sometimes get stuck. On the western side of the northern sector lies a huge, ancient lava flow, in the shape of the Yatta Plateau, stretching from Mtito Andei towards the Galana River, above the East bank Athi River.

There are tour packages segmented to Tsavo East National park ,road safaris tour packages,air safari flights tour packages,private air charter tour packages.Accomodation is tailor-made to meet individual and incentive groups needs and we have budget,luxury,camping,self-service catering.The safari to Tsavo East can be done from Mombasa, Malindi, Lamu, Ukunda, Nairobi, Masai Mara,Samburu,Mt Kenya,Nanyuki,Meru,Lake Baringo,Lake Nakuru,Lake Naivasha national parks and game reserves. http://wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/safaris-east-Africa/ken ya-tour-packages.html

Anthony Mmeri is the Editor and Tours Director at Wings Over Africa Safaris Limited. This is a Safari Holiday Expert Company that specializes on Kenya Wildlife Safaris | Lodges & Tented Camps Accommodation Booking | Air Safari & Private Flights Tsavo East National Park. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http:// http://wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/safaris-east-Africa/ken ya-tour-packages.html

Author Bio: There are tour packages segmented to Tsavo East National park ,road safaris tour packages,air safari flights tour packages,private air charter tour packages.Accomodation is tailor-made to meet individual and incentive groups needs and we have budget,luxury,camping,self-service catering.The safari to Tsavo East can be done from Mombasa, Malindi, Lamu, Ukunda, Nairobi, Masai Mara,Samburu,Mt Kenya,Nanyuki,Meru,Lake Baringo,Lake Nakuru,Lake Naivasha national parks and game reserves. http://wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/safaris-east-Africa/ken ya-tour-packages.html

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Keywords: Kenya Wildlife safaris,Wildlife safaris Tsavo East National park,luxiury lodges & tented camps