Tsavo West National Park

They are a series of pools in the north of Tsavo West where around 250 million litres of water surface daily, having fallen as rain on the Chyulu Hills decades earlier and filtered slowly through porous volcanic rock. The water is exceptionally clear. An underwater viewing chamber allows you to watch hippo and shoals of barbel from below the surface, which is unusual anywhere in Africa. The Chyulu gate connects directly to Amboseli, so the two parks pair naturally on a southern Kenya circuit.

Tsavo West is smaller at 9,065 square kilometres, hillier, greener and considerably more scenic, with volcanic cones, lava flows and views toward Kilimanjaro. Tsavo East is flatter, drier, larger and better for open-country game viewing and the famous red elephants. West has thicker vegetation, which makes sightings harder work but the landscape more rewarding. Many itineraries visit both, as they adjoin. Tracks here are rockier and slower than in Tsavo East, so allow considerably more time than the distances suggest.

Yes, at the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, a fenced area within the park protecting one of Kenya's important black rhino populations as part of a national breeding programme running since the 1980s. Sightings are not guaranteed, as the sanctuary is large and well vegetated, but the odds are considerably better than anywhere else in the Tsavo ecosystem. Entry is arranged at the gate. Kilaguni and Finch Hattons airstrips are served by light aircraft from Wilson Airport for anyone short on time.

It is a field of black volcanic rock spreading across several square kilometres near the western boundary, formed by an eruption recent enough to survive in Maasai and Kamba oral tradition. Shetani means devil in Swahili, reflecting the fear the eruption caused. Caves within the flow can be explored with care, and the stark black landscape against the surrounding bush is genuinely striking. The Chyulu gate connects directly to Amboseli, so the two parks pair naturally on a southern Kenya circuit.

It is more challenging than open savanna parks because the vegetation is thicker and the terrain broken, so sightings take patience. Elephant, buffalo, giraffe and zebra are common, and lion are present though less readily seen than in the Mara. What Tsavo West offers is landscape, Mzima Springs and a sense of wilderness rather than the density of sightings found further north. Tracks here are rockier and slower than in Tsavo East, so allow considerably more time than the distances suggest.

The Mtito Andei gate sits on the main Nairobi to Mombasa road, about 240 kilometres from Nairobi and three to four hours by car. The Chyulu gate connects to Amboseli, making the two easy to combine. Light aircraft serve Kilaguni and Finch Hattons airstrips from Nairobi's Wilson Airport. The park also adjoins Tsavo East, so both can be visited on one trip. Kilaguni and Finch Hattons airstrips are served by light aircraft from Wilson Airport for anyone short on time.

June to October is the main dry window and the strongest for game viewing, when vegetation thins and animals concentrate at Mzima Springs and the waterholes, and Kilimanjaro views are most reliable. January and February form a second dry window. March to May brings the long rains, when the thick vegetation makes game viewing genuinely difficult, though birding and photography are excellent. The Chyulu gate connects directly to Amboseli, so the two parks pair naturally on a southern Kenya circuit.

Yes, and it is a natural pairing. The Chyulu gate connects the two parks directly, and the drive takes around two to three hours depending on conditions. Amboseli offers open plains, huge elephant herds and the Kilimanjaro backdrop; Tsavo West offers volcanic landscape, Mzima Springs and thicker bush. Together they make a varied southern Kenya circuit that avoids the crowds of the Maasai Mara. Tracks here are rockier and slower than in Tsavo East, so allow considerably more time than the distances suggest.