On the A109 highway from Mombasa to Tsavo. It took a while to get used to big trucks going fast coming at you on the wrong side of the road (from US)
I was working on a merchant ship that was hauling food to Africa for the United Nations and our ship spent 12 days in Mombasa in the fall of 2008. The captain of our ship arranged a photo safari to Tsavo with a long time associate of the shipping company in Mombasa, Wilmina Mpapale with Milmarine Tours & Safaris. This was my first trip to East Africa but several of the crew on the ship had been many times and told me that we would not see many wild animals and it was not worth it. I decided to go anyway and was I ever happy I did.
We saw so many animals and even our guide Wilmina said that we saw more than normal. We saw herds of zebras, elephants, giraffes, hundreds of baboons, many many different species of antelopes and for me the highlight of the trip was seeing a lion and three of his lionesses resting under a tree in the early morning near the remains of their kill from the night before.
Entrance gate to Tsavo East National Park
One of the large herds of elephants we saw had several young ones and a few tiny babies. The young were were so much fun to watch always racing around causing mischief like some little hooligans. The babies looked tiny by comparison but our guide told us that the babies weighed around 500 pounds at birth. Whee! Poor mom! The mothers were so protective. Although the herds were accustomed to seeing vehicles in the park the mothers still moved the young away from us and kept themselves between us and the little ones. And the moms are huge with big tusks. All the African elephants have tusks, male and female as compared to Asian elephants where only the males have tusks. Five of us along with Wilmina and the van driver left Mombasa about 6am and got to Tsavo early.
Myself with our guide Wilimena
Early arrival to the park was one reason for the many animals we saw. On our return to Mombasa at the end of the day we visited a Masai village and had a great time. Check out the two short videos at the end of my pictures.
At first I was disappointed that we were going to Tsavo East rather than Tsavo West because I had heard that Mt Kilimanjaro, just over the Tanzanian border could be seen from Tsavo West but after seeing so many wild animals, I was happy we went to Tsavo East. Since this visit to Tsavo East I have read many articles on the Tsavo parks and it seems that more animals can always be seen in Tsavo East. I plan to go back several more times as time and money permit and will see Mt Kilimanjaro on another trip to Tanzania and plan to climb the mountain (on the easier 8 day trail).
Map of Tsavo East National Park
Along with seeing Tsavo East again, I want to see the nursery of an organization that supports orphan animals from Tsavo, The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This Trust has a great website showing many of their orphans from Tsavo and other places in Kenya and many stories of rescues. Take a look at their orphan adoption program of baby elephants and tiny baby black rhinos, they are so cute. I am adopting the new baby black rhino in my daughters name as part of her Christmas present. Adoption comes with some quality certificates and maps. It is worthwhile to spend some time on this site also. Google for the addess.
I have been to over 30 countries in my life and this trip was the best adventure so far. I have read much about Tsavo since the safari and it is truly a wild place. The British built the railroad from Mombasa to Nairobi then on to Uganda from 1898 to 1901 and while building the section of the railroad thru Tsavo nearly 200 men were killed and eaten by lions including the superintendent of the project!
I highly recommend this safari to anyone in Kenya.
Great customer tours and very affordable
Owners name is Wilmina Mpapale and she is really very customer orientated. I was very pleased with her tours to Tsavo East National Park and of Mombasa, Kenya. She also has several other tours I did not get to go on due to time limitations but I will go back soon and take a few more tours.
Myself and our tour guide, Wilmi
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Wonderful photo op for wild animals.
Please don't go to Kenya without seeing this national park if you care anything about wild animals. I believe this is one of the most exciting tours I have taken in my life and I been many places. See my blog about this place and view the photos.
Myself at the entrance to Tsavo.
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Clean and cheap
This is a bare bones local style hotel used mostly by up country Kenyans on business in Mombasa, the country's only seaport, and European travelers on a budget including backpackers. The rooms were very clean, I saw no bugs, and the manager told me they had a regular cycle of pest control therefore they had no bugs. The hotel has 24 hour security and it seemed quiet. There is a restaurant and a good bar also. The food is plain, simple, tasty, and inexpensive. The hotel hosts a lot of conventions for school teachers, ball teams, and government workers so call ahead. It is a very popular hotel with Kenyans. It is located on Mnazi Moja Road just off Moi Avenue, one of the main streets, and as far as I know, none of the streets in Mombasa had street numbers. It is within walking distance of town center or you can take a tuk-tuk. Rooms did not have air conditioning at the time I was there but had fans and mosquito nets. Prices were around $25 per night and less with a shared bathroom. All around good value and I recommend this hotel to all my budget traveler buddies. The
