Tsavo West National Park

	Points of Interest
	Wondrous Wildlife!
	The world's most magnificent game viewing awaits you! Vast herds of dust-red elephant, fat pods of hippo, giant crocodile, teeming herds of savannah dwellers plus a fantasia of birds and magical flora flourish here. The Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary protects Tsavo's growing population of endangered black rhino, successfully inching their way back from the brink of extinction caused by rampant poaching in the 1960's. Beautiful Lake Jipe, straddling the Kenya/Tanzania border, offers memorable experiences of abundant aquatic and bird life viewing - from a hired boat!
	Mzima Springs Magic
	The lush, hippo-inhabited pools of Mzima Springs are a verdant cooling oasis. An underwater hippo-viewing chamber, two nature trails and some scenic picnic spots provide a refreshing and rewarding adventure. And a romantic spot too!
	Wildlife Galore!
	Kenya's largest National Park supports all of the "Big Five"! Home to the country's largest elephant population, your exciting safari is sure to include buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino too. Plus, at Mzima Springs, abundant Nile crocodile and hippo. Herds of giraffe, gerenuk, oryx, zebra and impala range through bush and plains, as do hartebeest, lesser kudu, eland, waterbuck, Steinbuck, Kirk's dik dik and klipspringer. Don't miss yellow baboons and vervet monkey as they cavort noisily around acacia trees.
	Birds
	Prolific bird life - featuring over 600 recorded species - are a true highlight. Birds of the semi-arid zone, such as Somali ostrich and golden pipit, slip by the more conspicuous white-headed buffalo weaver with its vivid coral rump displayed in flight, or the brilliantly plumaged golden-breasted starling. Raucous hornbill, with their lilting flight, are also prevalent in the Park as are hole-nesting birds, such as orange-bellied parrot, and D'Arnand's barbet that favour the thick-trunked baobab trees. Roaring rocks is an excellent spot for birds of prey: eagles cruise by at eye level and Bateleur comb the rocky scarp for unsuspecting prey. The Ngulia area, due in part to its geography, forms a focus for innumerable Eurasian and Palaearctic migrating birds. A Palaearctic migratory bird-ringing project is at Ngulia Lodge.
	Plants
	Ranging from woodland to semi-desert, Tsavo West covers a diverse array of habitats. For the most part, the area is hot and dry, with acacia-commiphora scrub broken by short grassy plains flecked with thorn trees. Wild flowers appear with the rains and the ground can be quickly carpeted with delicate thunbergia, ipomoea and barleria. Watch for the blazing fire-ball lily and the delonix, a sparsely branched tree with exquisite white blooms, pollinated by nocturnal bats. Rivers are fringed with acacias as magnificent baobabs rise leafless above the shimmering heat.