TSAVO WEST NATIONAL PARK
Tsavo West national park covers 9000 km2,
approximately 30% of Kenya's area under parks, and contains a diversity of
habitats, wildlife and a mountainous scenic landscape.
The park is a vast expanse of savanna stretching from the Athi river, North
of the Mombasa-Nairobi road and south to the Tanzanian border. The North
Eastern boundary along the Athi adjoins Tsavo East National Park, but Tsavo
West has a more varied topography and a more diverse array of habitats than
its neighbour.
The park's habitats include open plains alternating with Savannah bush and
semi desert scrub, acacia woodlands; rocky ridges and outcrops and more
extensive ranges and isolated hills; belts of riverine vegetation; palm
thickets and on the Chyulu hills, mountain forest.
There are numerous rocky outcrops and ridges and part of the park, towards
the Chyulu Hills, is of recent volcanic origin with lava flows and ash cones
including the Shetani lava flow, an example of a recent volacano.
In the far south western corner on the Kenya Tanzania border
is Lake Jipe,
part of which is in the park. This very attractive lake is fed by runoff
from Mt. Kilimanjaro and the North Pare mountains.
At Mzima Springs, in the North of the park, water that has filtered
underground from the Chyulu Hills gushes from below a lava ridge into a
series of clear pools.
Location:
South Eastern Kenya, inland from Mombasa, and the altitude ranges between
200 - 100m.
Climate:
Temperature ranges from 20 - 30o C and rainfall from 200mm - 700mm. Two ran
seasons: Long rains - March/April & Short rains- Nov/December
