The Great Wildebeest Migration happens in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
July 14, 2026
Tsavo East National park spot
Location of Tsavo East National Park: When organising a Kenya safari trip to Tsavo East National Park, one of the most important things visitors consider is how to get there from Kenya. Located in southeast Kenya, the Park is one of the country’s most popular national parks. Before Tsavo National Park in Kenya was created, Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park were separate parks split by the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. Located close to the town of Voi in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, Tsavo East National Park is located in a semi-arid area that was originally known as the Taru Desert. The Kenya Wildlife Service manages and protects Tsavo East National Park.
Tsavo East National Park was established in 1948 and covers about 13,747 square kilometers. It is about 325 kilometers from Nairobi and 250 kilometers from Mombasa. The amazing draws of Tsavo East National Park include its savannah plains, which are filled with marshes, rivers, and acacia trees. These features make it a fantastic place for safaris and a great home for many types of wildlife.
Many travelers on safaris in Kenya go to Tsavo East National Park to see a wide variety of wildlife. This park is home to the famous African big five: cape buffaloes, lions, leopards, rhinos, and elephants. Visitors can also see many other animals like gazelles, gerenuk, giraffes, African wild dogs, African civets, pangolins, common elands, suni, waterbucks, warthogs, zebras, and naked mole-rats. Tsavo East National Park is a fantastic place for birdwatching in Kenya. It has amazing birdlife, making it a perfect spot for people who love birding safaris. More than 500 bird species are found in Tsavo East National Park. It’s common to see hornbills, kestrels, crowned cranes, black kites, holy ibises, and others.
Tourists are attracted to Tsavo East National Park by the Yatta Plateau, the Lugard Falls, and the groups of red-dust elephants wandering through the park. Tsavo East National Park has a lot to offer, so tourists are eager to join in on activities like hiking, horseback riding, game drives, walking in the bush, and bird watching. Travelers need to know how to reach Tsavo East National Park to enjoy all that the park has to offer.
Here’s how to get there.
You can travel to Tsavo East National Park from Mombasa or Nairobi in different ways. You can reach Tsavo East National Park by car, plane, or train. Tsavo East National Park is easily accessible, even for public transport, thanks to the tarmac highway A109 that runs straight through the centre of the park.
How to get to Tsavo East National Park
There are many park gates located throughout Tsavo East National Park, making it easy to arrive by car. The distance from Nairobi or Mombasa to Tsavo East National Park changes based on where the tourists are and which park gates they use. The most common route is the Nairobi to Mombasa road, which is 250 km away from Tsavo East National Park. It is 233 kilometers from Nairobi to Tsavo East National Park using the Mtito Andei gate, and 96 kilometers from Mombasa via Voi. Another choice for travelers is the C103 path. It is 153 km long and uses the Western road to reach the Sala gate, which is the entrance to Tsavo East National Park.
Tsavo East National park spot
Elephants in Tsavo East National Park from the Air.
Charter flights are now available to Tsavo East National Park thanks to the growth of Kenya’s airline business. Several companies offer flights to various airstrips in Tsavo East National Park. If you prefer not to book online, your tour operator can help you plan flights from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to various airstrips in Tsavo East National Park, such as Batumi, Aruba, Sangayaya, Voi, and Sala, among others. You know about the many activities in the park. You know about the things available at Tsavo East National Park. You know the way to Tsavo East National Park.
Travel to Tsavo East National Park by train.
You can’t go into a protected place by train every day. Tsavo East National area is one of the few protected national parks in Africa with a railway that runs through the centre, letting those who do use the train to enter the area.
Reasons to Visit Tsavo East National Park:
Tsavo East is one of Kenya’s biggest national parks and has a vast, untouched natural area. The park has many species, including both white and black rhinos, and also the other members of the Big Five: lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo. Many other animals live here, including hyenas, jackals, impala, tree hyrax, foxes, buffalo, dik-dik, red duikers, zebras, giraffes, bush babies, yellow baboons, cheetahs, African hunting dogs, eland, and gazelles. The park is home to over 500 bird species, including ostriches, buzzards, kestrels, starlings, hornbills, secretary birds, lovebirds, herons, weaver birds, kingfishers, and many others. You can go birdwatching any time of year, but the best time is during the rainy season when many foreign visitors come to the park. For the birds across the park, this is also mating season.
The biggest attraction in Tsavo East National Park is the Yatta region. The longest lava flow in the world runs along the western side of the park. The moving lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk mountain formed a 300 km long plateau. Mudanda Rock is 1.6 km long and the Mudanda Inselbergs collect a lot of water, which is used in the nearby dams. It offers a great view of the animals that come here to find water. This is a place to go game watching, especially in the dry season when all the animals gather here to eat.
Lugard Falls are named after Frederick Lugard, the first European traveler to visit the white waterfalls. The falls, a great spot to view the park, are located by the Galana River. The Aruba Dam in the park was built in 1952 to cross the Voi River. The dam was mainly built to create a water supply for the animals during the dry season.
Tsavo East National Park is Kenya’s most visited wildlife park in addition to it being the biggest and most well-established national park. Check out the many different animals found there to experience the true African jungle.
