“Land of Lava, Springs and Man-eaters”
The park is located on south eastern Kenya, 240km from Nairobi along the western side of Mombasa-Nairobi highway. The savannah ecosystem comprises of open grasslands, scrublands, and Acacia woodlands, belts of riverine vegetation and rocky ridges. Major wildlife attractions include elephant, rhino, Hippos, lions, cheetah, leopards, Buffalos, diverse plant and bird species including the threatened corncrake and near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.
ACCESS
- Distance: 240 km from Nairobi, 250km from Mombasa (Mtito Andei Gate).
- By air There are 3 airstrips in the park
- Gates: Tsavo, Lake Jipe, Mtito Andei (Kamboyo HQ), Chyulu, Maktau and Ziwani.
- Roads: The main access routes are through Chyulu Gate from Amboseli and Mtito Andei Gate from Nairobi.
- Visitors from Mombasa also use Tsavo Gate near Manyani.
- The Park can also be reached via Taveta –Voi road through Maktau, Ziwani and Jipe Gates.
- Airstrips: Kamboyo, Kilaguni, Tsavo Gate, Jipe, Kasigau,Finch Hottons, Ziwani, and Maktau airstrips are in good.
SIZE / LOCATION
- 7,065 Km2.
- South Eastern Kenya, Inland from Mombasa
CLIMATE
- Temperature ranges from 20-30 c and rainfall from 200mm – 700 mm.
- Two rain seasons: Long rains – March & April & short rains – Nov/ December.
PERSONNEL ON CALL
The Warden
SAFARICARD REQUIRED?
Entry is by SafariCard only. Safaricards may be loaded – but not obtained at Mtito Andei Gate
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
Recent Volcanoes, lava flows and caves with potential for geological and cave exploration and hiking. Mzima Springs & underwater hippo and fish watching,
WILDLIFE
Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion,Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, and Nocturnal Porcupine. Prolific birdlife features 600 species.
WHERE TO STAY
In- Park Accommodation
- Ngulia Safari Lodge
- Kilaguni Safari Serena Lodge
- Kitani Severin Safari Camp/ Lodge
- Finch Hatton’s Tented Lodge
- Voyager Safari Camp
Self – Catering Accomodation:
- Kamboyo Guest House: Former Warden’s House; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a caretaker
- Lake Jipe Bandas: 3 self-catering Bandas.
Camping
- 3 public campsites (offering water and latrines only) as follows; Kamboyo campsite (8 km from Mtito Andei Gate), Chyulu Campsite (1 km from Chyulu Gate) and Lake Jipe Campsite (on the lake shore)
- A wide variety of ‘special campsite’ (no facilities) exist and must be booked in advance through the wawrden or KWS HQs
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
- Game viewing
- Camping
- Cave exploration
- Underwater Hippo and fish watching
- Caving at the Shetani caves
BEST TIME TO VISIT
All year round
WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU
Drinking water, picnic items and camping equipment if you intend to stay overnight. Also useful are: binoculars, camera, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and guidebooks
