Tsavo East is one of the largest national parks on Earth, and the flat, open plains east of the Yatta Plateau make it feel that way from the ground. It was gazetted in 1948 as part of the original Tsavo, later split from Tsavo West by the Nairobi–Mombasa road and railway.
The Galana River is the park’s lifeline, running the length of it and drawing game to its banks year-round. At Lugard Falls the river narrows into a series of sculpted rock rapids rather than a single drop, and crocodiles are usually visible in the pools below. The Yatta Plateau running alongside the river is reported to be the world’s longest lava flow.
Tsavo East’s elephants are famous for their colour – the red laterite soil they dust-bathe in stains their hides rust-red. Large herds are common, alongside lion, buffalo, hippo, crocodile and good numbers of the localised Somali ostrich.