Tsavo East & West — Kenya's largest parks★★
Parkgebühr: 52 USD/Tag (beide Parks einzeln)
Tsavo East and Tsavo West together form Kenya's largest protected area — with a total of 22,000 km², they are larger than the German state of Hesse. Divided by the Nairobi–Mombasa railway line and the road, both parks have their own character.
Tsavo East — Vast Red Plains
The larger and flatter of the two parks is known for its red-earth-covered elephants — the animals wallow in the red laterite dust and look as if they are sculpted from red clay. The vast, dry savannah landscape offers good visibility.
- Galana River: The park's lifeline, its banks are frequented by hippos, crocodiles, and elephant herds
- Lugard Falls: Not waterfalls in the classic sense, but spectacular rapids squeezing through red rock formations
- Mudanda Rock: A 1.6 km long rock ridge under which natural water pools form — an elephant hotspot in the dry season
- Maneater Story: In 1898, two lions killed over 130 railway workers during the construction of the bridge over the Tsavo River — the most notorious man-eaters in history (film: "The Ghost and the Darkness")
Tsavo West — Volcanic Landscape
Hillier, greener, and more varied in landscape:
- Mzima Springs: Crystal-clear underwater springs where you can see hippos and crocodiles underwater through an observation window
- Shetani Lava: Only 200-year-old black lava fields — surreal and moon-like
- Chaimu Crater: Climbable volcanic crater with panoramic views
- Big Five: All five are present here, though harder to spot in the dense bush than in the Mara
Location: Between Nairobi and Mombasa — perfect as a stopover on the drive or at the start/end of a safari-beach holiday combination. The SGR train runs directly through the park!
