There’s more to Tsavo than red elephants

Those planning their holidays during this festive season should just come to the Coast region and enjoy the rich tourism products that offer a memorable experience.

Apart from the beach experience, one should make sure they experience the safari, a famous product that has been used to market Kenya for decades due to the diverse wildlife available.

The nearest national parks are the Tsavo East and Tsavo West in Taita Taveta county.

Stakeholders promoting domestic tourism took journalists on a tour of the Coast to see its offerings.

After our two-day experience in the beaches, historical sites and high-end resorts, it was time for a road trip, this time to Tsavo East National Park.

We began our safari at 8.30am. This time, we would travel with Southern Cross Safaris to complete the remaining tourism circuit.

After sanitising and a brief introduction, the driver, Thomas Tungu, says we will cover 120km to Sala gate, the entry of Tsavo East National Park, and the speed would be 80km per hour.

He distributes disposable cups of water, which he says would be changed at the end of each day of our trip, and told us to drink a lot of water due to the high humidity of the area we are going to.

Tourists have different expectations and tastes as some go specifically to see animals, trees, birds or even flowers, he says.

"We have been trained to read them and after some minutes into a drive, we can tell what each one needs,” he said.

Our first stop is at Mongotini, not very far from Malindi town, where there is a nice viewpoint of river Sabaki.

It is where tourists get an opportunity to see a nice landscape of the area, take pictures and enjoy nature.

The road on the safari is smooth after the government tarmacked it. Previously it could take many hours for one to reach there due to the poor road, but nowadays, depending on speed, one gets to Sala gate in two hours or less.

There are several camps outside the Tsavo National Park, which were built along River Galana and offer a unique experience to guests.

DOA DOA CAMP

One is Doa Doa Camp, which is 4km off-road. It is well-established with both tented accommodation and two bungalows.

There is a large restaurant with a swimming pool for guests wishing to swim during the day while on holiday.

To access Doa Doa, it takes one hour from Malindi, and one can take his family for lunch and spend the afternoon at the camp then drive back to Malindi.

We are received by Benny Ngale, the manager of Doa Doa camp, who takes us around the camp, which is in the wild and home to all sorts of wild animals.

Ngale says they have reduced the prices from Sh15,000 to Sh7,500 to enable locals to access them.

So far, he said they have 10 per cent guests visiting the camp, but all of them are Kenyans, which gives them hope for a better domestic market.

At a time like this, Ngale said, they normally 95 per cent full, with most being foreigners, but due to the pandemic, international tourism is doing badly.

He says they have now realised they can do better even without the foreign market since Kenyans have the capacity to tour the different destinations.

"Our package includes two game drives, one in the Tsavo East National Park and the other at the Galana Conservancy," he said.

They tell guests who visit the hotel not to walk within the camp unless accompanied by security guards as the camp is not fenced.

Philemon Mwavala, the director of Doa Doa camp and Southern Skies Safaris, says  the tarmacking of the Malindi-Sala gate road has made it convenient for tourists.

Mwavala says one can easily take breakfast on the beach and take lunch in the park then take dinner back at the hotel in Malindi.

“The flora and fauna in Tsavo are different from those of places like Maasai Mara, and the animals are good,” he said.

Doa Doa camp is near the Galana Conservancy and Tsavo East National Park, all of which have been forced to slash the costs by half to enable locals to enjoy their products.

Mwavala says over-reliance on the foreign market has led them to incur huge losses since the pandemic made it difficult for international tourists to visit.

"We are now eyeing agriculture tourism since the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project borders the park and the conservancy. Agriculture lovers can tour the area and learn as well as mix the experience with bush life," he said.

Currently, he says with only Sh1,500 per person, one can easily drive with his family and enjoy lunch at the Doa Doa camp.

TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK

Adventures of Tsavo East East National park begin right across the Sala gate, which is manned by Kenya Wildlife Service rangers.

To access the park, adult residents pay Sh1,200 per person, while children residents pay Sh600.

For non-residents, they pay 75 US dollars, while foreign children pay 40 dollars.

Vehicles with less than six seats pay Sh200, while those with six to 12 seats pay Sh600 per day.

At the entrance, one is welcomed with rules of the park, including: Do not feed the wildlife, Give way for wildlife crossing, No off-roading, No drones, No littering, No walking, No sitting on the roof, speed limit 40km per hour and no noise.

One is not allowed to drive off-road because it can generate and accelerate erosion.

Tsavo East is 13,747 sq km, while Tsavo West is 9,065 sq km. Tsavo East is home to four of the Big Five: elephants, buffalos, leopards and lions. Rhinos are in Tsavo West.

Along the way, we find four vehicles with Kenyan tourists also on a game drive.

Roads are in good condition thanks to KWS for maintaining them to the standards.

Further, there are markings on where each road is leading to, and it makes it easier for tour drivers to communicate where wildlife has been spotted.

Being in the park gives one a feeling of freedom and makes you forget all the busy schedules of work and relax your mind to concentrate on looking at the natural ecosystem.

Tungu informs us that the elephants in Tsavo are called red elephants because they normally bathe in red soil.

He says there are over 6,000 elephants in Tsavo East and another 2,000 in Tsavo West, and true to his words, it's common to see elephants while in the park just like the zebra.

SATAO CAMP

After driving for over 50km, we reach Satao camp, which is where we spent our night.

At the entrance, one is welcomed by impalas, guinea fowls and dik-diks, which are all over the place in their natural lives.

They are not even scared of people as they are not disturbed or stressed.

As usual, we had to wash hands, sanitise and have our temperatures checked before being checked in into our respective tents.

I slept at tent number 14, which faces an artificial water point where lions, buffalos, hippos, elephants and all kinds of wildlife come to drink water.

There is a watchtower where tourists can watch as animals play or fight as they scramble for space in the water point.

Smaller animals stay within the camp both day and night due to security reasons as they can be easily be targeted by the leopards or lions.

My guard hands over a torch and tells me at night I just have to flash the torch and he will come for me and escort me to the restaurant.

Two hippos fought as we were taking lunch in a fierce battle that led to one being evicted.

GAME DRIVE

After lunch, we have to go for a game drive and after less than an hour, we had already seen three of the Big Five animals: leopards, lions and mostly elephants.

Kenyans are the ones we meet in the park, including Rachael Ngatia from Mombasa, together with her friends who were touring the park for the first time, terming it an amazing experience.

"Kenyans should visit the national parks and experience the beauty the country has in terms of wildlife," she said.

She said they managed to see the animals and were really enjoying every moment of the drive.

On our way back after seeing the beautiful sunset, we came across a red spitting cobra, which was crossing the road. It quickly climbed a small tree, ready to attack the enemy, but the driver told us to take pictures without fear.

Paul Ndima, the manager of Satao Camp, said locals have begun embracing game drive tourism.

Before the pandemic, they never knew of the potential of the local market.

"We were relying heavily on the foreign market, but right now, there is no business [from them] since the pandemic struck," he said.

The camp can be accessed via SGR train from Voi and Bachuma gate along the Mombasa- Nairobi highway, and also via the Malindi-Sala gate road and airstrips inside the park.

Ndima said they have reduced the rates to Sh7,500 per person to allow Kenyans to visit in large numbers.