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The combined area of the
Tsavo East and West National Parks (21,283 sq. kms 8,217 sq. miles) makes
this one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. To the
northwest is an unusually vivid green range of hills, the Chyulus. It is
here that the marvelous eruption of Mzima Springs comes bubbling to the
surface with anything between 10 - 20 million litres of fresh water per
hour. This makes for a natural jacuzzi for frolicking hippo and
opportunistic crocodile. The riverine forests all around are filled with
monkeys and birds. Much of the northern sector is covered by the Ngulia
Mountain Range. Here, towards the end of the year, thousands of birds
appear out of the night mists - palaearctic migrants, some of which have
been tracked as far north as Leningrad. Most of the rest of Kenya's
wildlife is resident in the park - about 60 mammal species, some 400
species of birdlife and more than 1,000 species of plants. Endless plains
and the Galana River dominates Tsavo East. Across the river is the
incredible 300 kilometre-long (186 miles) Yatta Plateau, one of the
world's longest lava flows. Midway the river cascades down Lugard's Falls
before making its way sedately to the Indian Ocean. The park contains
large herds of elephant, prides of lion as well as being a sanctuary for
recently relocated black rhino.
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