Tsavo National Park West Things to Do

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We leave our lodge at about 7 AM this morning and by 8:30AM we arrive at Mzima Springs . This is where the man-eating lions once roamed. Although human beings can be attacked by many kinds of animals, man-eaters are those that have incorporated human flesh into their usual diet. The Tsavo maneaters were a pair of notorious lions responsible for the deaths of a number of construction workers on the Kenya – Uganda Railway from March through December 1898.

We felt a little unsettled, as it was our first time roaming outside the safari vehicle and walking with an armed ranger only added to our excitement.

We passed along a dirt path that led to the spring . The ranger pointed out a yellow barked tree known as the fever tree, named for the malaria carrying mosquitoes that breed here. We see some hippos and crocodile at the river….no man eating lion today!!
We do see some river fish up close however. There is an underwater viewing chamber set up . It gave us a wonderful look at the fish . ....good thing too , as with those crocs I had a look at earlier I wouldn't be snorkeling here!!

Leaving the red soil and bush we say good bye to Tsavo West . We pray the rains will come soon and life will be easier for all who live here.

We are escorted across the area between Tsavo and Amboselli by an armed guard . He made us uneasy at first, sitting in front with his kalish nikov –semi automatic but we eventually got used to him. Several years ago Somali rebels attacked some safari vehicles so they are taking no chances.

Our drive takes us into an area of black lava flow left behind by a volcano from 100 years ago. You can still see its ribbon of black where it once ran its course.

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Next we see some rather grubby looking elephants who cooled themselves by rolling in red mud. Samuwell points out the senior member of the group who he estimated to be in his 50’s . There was also a very young one with the group ,only a few weeks old.

All is well in our Animal World now!!

We depart at 7AM this morning to game drive on our way to Mzima Springs. Excitement comes fast this morning when we spot a cheetah trying to cat nap near the road. His belly looks really full from last night’s kill.

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In the end our best animal viewing today is from our lodge deck . We love watching the group of elephants strolling in from the dark of night for a drink at the pond .

Just before dinner the staff at the lodge hand meat which never fails to attract cheetah . We waited quite a while but sure enough around 10PM one showed up .We also saw some pretty amazing African
Porcupine. They are huge and seemed to enjoy some potatoes that the lodge put out for them.
What can I say ...the animals were just not around . They are suffering here from this drought and keep out of the hot sun.We are not disappointed however as we have seen so much already and we have lots more game driving to do.

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At 4PM we take our second game drive to the rhino sanctuary. We are disappointed however as we see none. The whole area
is extremely dry and the animals are not around much at all. We do get a good look at an eagle at work catching his evening meal.
We alos have the best look yet at some Ostrich. They are truly an incredible sight!

Our drive from Nairobi only took a couple of hours and we arrive at Tsavo West through the Manyani Gate.

The animals prove to be a bit more elusive here than those in Tanzania . It is very dry but they manage to hide in the short shrubby trees . We are happy to see some giraffe . We’ve
missed them already as we haven’t seen any in a week.

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"Mzima" also means "Alive", and why not? It is the source of water not just for the nearby areas but as far as Mombasa. The underground water gets filtered through the volcanic rocks of the Chyulu Hills and springs out into crystal clear pools favored by many hippopotamus & crocodiles.

A hiking track makes it way from the parking area to the springs and back. Fortunately, I arrived rather late and most of the tourists have left so that left a peaceful & serene atmosphere at the pools for me to enjoy. So, try to arrive at times when the crowd is gone.

A small building at one end of the pool holds a submerged viewing tank constructed for visitors to watch the antics of the wildlife underwater. I saw many yummy fishes swimming by but no hippos. They preferred to play in the middle of the pools & under the branches by the banks. Thankfully the crocodiles also stayed on the other side of the pool, away from me

They're not easy to spot, but when you do, you'll think it's a giant rat or guinea pigs. This rock rodent is call a Hyrax and is a furry creature with a stumpy tail . It lives in the rocky outcrop and survives on leaves & grass.