Tsavo East National Park is one of Kenya’s largest protected areas, a vast, open landscape of red-earth plains and scattered acacia that stretches toward the horizon largely uninterrupted by hills. The park’s reddish soil, kicked up by dust-bathing elephants, gives its herds a distinctive rust-coloured appearance found nowhere else in Kenya.

The Galana River cuts through the park and supports crocodile, hippo and a wide range of plains game along its banks, while the raised Yatta Plateau, one of the world’s longest lava flows, forms a striking backdrop across much of the landscape. Tsavo East’s flat, open terrain makes for long, uninterrupted game drives and expansive views.

Located between Nairobi and Mombasa, Tsavo East is easily combined with Tsavo West or extended into a beach stay on the Kenyan coast. Its size and relatively lower visitor density make it a good option for travellers wanting a classic safari landscape without the crowds of the Mara.