AAS15A: AMBOSELI GAME RESERVE & TSAVO NATIONAL PARK

Amboseli | Tsavo (2½ days) Departs 09:00hrs daily
Amboseli Game Reserve, formerly Amboseli National Park is in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya. The park is 3,260-square kilometer (1,260-square mile) in size and the local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy. The park is a combination of swamps, dried-up lake and semi-arid vegetation.

Tsavo is a region of Kenya located at the crossing of the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo River, close to where it meets the Athi River. The place achieved fame in The Man-eaters of Tsavo, a book about lions who attacked workers building the railroad bridge, an episode also depicted in the 1996 film The Ghost and the Darkness. Two national parks, Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park are nearby.

Tsavo National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 11,747 square kilometers. Opened in April of 1948, it is located near the village of Voi in the Taita District of Coast Province. The park is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and a railway. Named for the Tsavo River, which flows west to east through the national park, it borders the Chyulu Hills National Park, and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania.

Major Attractions

Mudanda Rock
The Mudanda Rock is a 1.6 km inselberg of stratified rock that acts as a water catchment that supplies a natural dam below. It offers an excellent vantage point for the hundreds of elephants and other wildlife that come to drink during the dry season.

Yatta Plateau
The Yatta Plateau, the world's longest lava flow, runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi River. Its 290 km length was formed by lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk Mountain.

Lugard Falls
Lugard Falls, named after Frederick Lugard, is actually a series of rapids on the Galana river.

Aruba Dam
Aruba Dam was built in 1952 across the Voi river. The reservoir created by the dam attracts many animals and water birds.

Animals
Tsavo National Park is one of the world's largest game sanctuaries, providing undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals. A comprehensive list of the animal types found in Tsavo East Park includes the aardwolf, yellow baboon, bat, cape buffalo, bushbaby, bushbuck, caracal, African wildcat, cheetah, African Civet, dik-dik, African hunting dog, African dormouse, Blue Duiker, bush duiker, red duiker, eland, African elephant, bat-eared fox, greater galago, gazelle, large-spotted genet, small-spotted genet, gerenuk, giraffe, African hare, springhare, Coke hartebeest, hunter hartebeest, East African hedgehog, spotted hyaena, striped hyaena, rock hyrax, tree hyrax, impala, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, klipspringer, Lesser Kudu, leopard, lion, banded mongoose, dwarf mongoose, large grey mongoose, marsh mongoose, slender mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, black faced vervet monkey, Sykes's monkey, fringe-eared oryx, clawless otter, ground pangolin, crested porcupine, cane rat, giant rat, naked mole rat, ratel, bohor reedbuck, black rhinoceros, serval, spectacled elephant shrew, bush squirrel, East African red squirrel, striped ground squirrel, unstriped ground squirrel, ibex, suni, warthog, waterbuck, common zebra, and Grevy's zebra.

Birds
Over 500 bird species have been recorded in the area, including ostriches, kestrels, buzzards, starlings, weaver birds, kingfishers, hornbills, secretary birds, and herons.

Day 1: Nairobi - Amboseli. The small but beautiful Amboseli National Park is about 150 miles (240 km) from Nairobi. Drive across the Athi plains, home of the proud Maasai tribe, to Amboseli, arriving in time for Lunch. An afternoon game drive is provided in the park, with the snow covered peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, in the background. Dinner and overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge, Amboseli Lodge or Oltukai Lodge

Day 2: Amboseli - Tsavo. Early morning games drive before breakfast. After breakfast proceed to Tsavo, Kenya's largest national park. A stop is made at Mzima Springs, where from an underwater tank; it is sometimes possible to watch a hippo along the floor of these crystal springs. Tsavo is famous for its large herds