Tsavo West sits across the Nairobi–Mombasa road from Tsavo East and is a different kind of country altogether – volcanic hills, lava flows and denser bush rather than open plain. It shares its 1948 gazettement date with Tsavo East, before the two were administratively split.
Mzima Springs is the park’s best-known feature: crystal-clear water rising from underground filtration through volcanic rock, feeding pools where hippo and crocodile can be watched from a partly submerged viewing chamber. The Shetani lava flow, a jagged black field from a comparatively recent eruption, is another distinctive stop. Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, a fenced santuary within the park, protects one of Kenya’s black rhino populations.
On clear days Kilimanjaro is visible across the border, and the park’s hills give it some of the best scenic viewpoints in the Tsavo ecosystem.