Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 13,747 square kilometres. Situated in a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert it opened in April 1948, and is located near the town of Voi in the Taita-Taveta County of the former Coast Province. The park is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and a railway. Named for the Tsavo River, which flows west to east through the national park, it borders the Chyulu Hills National Park, and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania.
Situated in the semi-arid area this is one of the Kenyas oldest and the largest park and a major attraction of Kenyan tourism. The park is made up of two separate parks, Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Park. There are various gates to enter into the Tsavo Parks and a few of them are from Voi through the Manyani gate, from Mombasa through the Bachuma gate or from Malindi through the Sala gate. Several airstrips in the park premises that allow the charter planes to fly make the parks easily accessible for the visitors from abroad. The major feature of the landscapes of these parks is the semi arid grassland and the savannah.
The park is best known for housing the biggest number of African games in it including the big fives. Some of the major animals you can spot here are the lions, black rhinos, cape buffalos, elephants and leopards. The park hosts a great number of bird species which make it a paradise for the bird lovers. Some of the most unique birds found here are the black kite, crowned crane, lovebird and the sacred ibis. Geographically Tsavo East is flatter with the dry plains across which the Galana River flows. Yatta Plateau and Lugard Falls are some of the other features of the park: worth exploring.
