Lugard Falls in Tsavo National Park

Lugard Falls in Tsavo National Park : Tsavo national park is a combination of two national parks that are found in the coastal province. The Tsavo national park is the largest national park in Kenya covering a total land area of around 22,812 square kilometres. The park is made up of two national parks those are the Tsavo West National park and Tsavo East National Park.

Tsavo West National Park which is known as the ‘land of Lava, springs, Man-eaters and Magical Sunset Tsavo west national park is the second largest national park in Kenya covering a total land area of 9,065 square kilometres, the park is rocky park that is characterized by the rugged wilderness, scrublands, acacia woodlands and many more vegetation covers.

Tsavo East national park is the largest national park in Kenya covering the total land area of 13747 kilometres squared. The park is considered as the land of great wilderness experience. It is covered with rocky bushes that are mostly dominated by the open savannah grassland, acacia forests, riverine vegetation and others.

Lugard Falls

Lugard falls is one of the spectacular found in Tsavo East national park and a thrilling feature to visit on Kenya Walking safari in the park. Lugard falls features a series of white water rapids and is formed in the Galana river, as a result of rocks that blocked the flow of water from Galana river thus forming rapids that resulted into the water falls. Lugard falls was named by a British explorer and the colonial administrator by the names of Fredrick Lugard who arrive in Mombasa early in 1888.

Lugard falls was named after the Britain’s first proconsul of East Africa, Captain Lugard. The Lugard falls are formed as the rapid Galana river plunges into a large pool below creating a vehement sound as it disappears into a narrow rocky gorge passing through clefts which finally windup in the fall below near Tsavo East national park. This fall is even more ravaging especially during the rainy season.

The unique beauty of the site comes from the multi-coloured rocks with strips of pink, light grey and white which are catching. There is a parking area at the falls and visitors can either climb around the eroded rocks or walk down the river for a better view of the rapids. A habitat of giant crocodiles and hippopotamus known as the crocodile point is found not more than a kilometre below the falls. You can visit the falls from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm everyday from Monday to Sunday that’s the opening and closing hours.

Lugard falls are located on the Galana river of southern Kenya and inside Tsavo East national park, the Yatta plateau is also visible from here, and the river flows calmly a short distance from here both the upstream and the downstream.

Lugard falls were formed where the Galana river passes through volcanic rock, carving a path narrower than its own width and creating a series of rapids and falls as the water flows faster. It was named after Frederick Lugard, who passed this place on his way to Uganda. Today the site is one of the few points in the park where the visitors can a light from their vehicles, with a number of features to see including the falls themselves, and rock patterns formed from cooled lava. One of the prettiest stretches along the Galana River, Lugard falls is a wonderful landscape of water-sculpted channels and striated rocks.

Lugard falls were named by the first explorer to step at the falls, the falls is a historical site good for sightseeing too, it is also not very hard to hike but need some level of physical fitness to fully hike to the top of the fall.

Lugard falls is considered as one of the world’s biodiversity strongholds, and can be seen including the famous big five consists of lion, black lion, cape buffalo, elephant and leopard in the Tsavo East national park. The Lugard falls have interesting geological ecosystem that are the makeup of the Lugard falls in the north part of Tsavo East national park that is the sheer power of the Lugard waterfall and then your also visit the hippos and crocodiles down below flowing.

Activities in Lugard falls.

Wildlife safaris.

There are various animal species in Lugard falls and they include the cheetah, zebras, hippos, wildebeest, giraffes, wild dog, hyenas and many others and the Lugar falls also acts as a good sighting area for those animals during your visit in the Tsavo East National park.

Birds Safaris.

In Lugard falls you also be able to view or observe the unique variety of bird species such as crowned crane, black kite, lovebird, sacred ibis and many more, here you can observe the bird species due to the fact that the falls are on a flat land with dry plains a cross in the Tsavo East national park.

Nature walking safaris.

Nature walking offers incredible wildlife experience, this safari done on foot and the visitors around led by the ranger guides for the purpose of protection from animal attacks for example like from the crocodiles in Lugard falls, the tourists or visitors enjoy the beautiful nature of the Lugard falls that is by viewing the power of the waterfall disappearing in deep chasms in its boundaries, you can be able to see hippos and crocodiles below the fall.

Camping.

Camping can also be done in this area within and around the Lugard falls that is Galessa camp is a short distance upstream from the Lugard waterfalls and it is open all the year, in this area the climate is generally hot and dry with cooling breezes due to the Lugard fall.

Hiking.

Here the starting point is from Lugard and Harlech Road, you can walk either way and later you as well end up back at the same time spot, following the clockwise there is a great view of the peak Tower as you finish your hike this takes you around 40 minutes. There are several hiking trails around the peak but this is a very easy option that is gentle walking path rather than a hike. It is a flat and pave the whole way even small children with little legs can manage it easily, you pass many people on the way and it is a popular running spot for locals.

The path takes you through typical jungle-like Hong Kong growth, Banyan tree root system, tentacle like. Lugard falls is also nice point of interest and if there has been recent rain it will be full flow, cascading down the mountain

Lugard falls can be visited anytime of the year that is both during the wet and the dry season of the year in Tsavo East national park.