GAME PARKS AND RESERVES

Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks

Split in two by the main Nairobi/Mombasa highway, Kenya's largest park area covers a total area of 769 square miles. The Tsavo National Parks were once famous for their herds of more than 60,000 “red” elephants, so called for the red murrum earth, like talcum powder, with which they spray themselves. Although these herds have recently dwindled due to poaching and drought, a strong drive by Kenya Wildlife Service has brought peace to their lives, and the populations are increasing again. These parks are also known for their fabled maneless lions. In one year, just three of these lions ate as many as 140 Indian workers during construction of the Kenya-Uganda railway. Once reputed to be the fiercest predators in Africa, they were featured in the 1996 film Ghost and the Darkness.

In Tsavo West are the Mzima Springs, where visitors can view hippopotamuses and crocodiles from the underwater hide. Further south is the community-owned Kasigau Ranch, adjoining Tsavo West. Located near Mount Kasigau, the 52,000 acres of dry bush and scrubland play host to several wild plants, animals, and rare bird species and offer visitors a chance to interact with the communities that harbor wildlife in their backyard.