Taita Taveta County

Kenya’s Big Game Country

A Summa Digest of Taita Taveta

In the fast-growing infrastructure of Kenya, tied intrinsically to the ever-swelling population, implying more pressure on the fertile lands and an exigent demand for more each year, where wildlife is being booted out-of-the-way in place of the human enterprise, the iconic Tsavo Conservation Area provides the closest thing to an unblemished wilderness. And it’s a crucial element in Kenya’s conservation matrix. Both Tsavos, east and west, serve as a meritorious reminder that all in not lost for our widlife. Covering 21,000 km2 and Kenya’s largest protected reserves, this kingdom of animals is an outdoor encyclopedia to explore the wildest Africa.

Here you find yourself in a strange country where humans are rarer than animals, where it is not hard to understand how 25 million years of evolution gave the red elephants of Tsavo their iconic trunks – suited to uproot a mature tree in one go, yet, powerful when showing affection. Tsavo is a spectacular wild exposition, a little like visiting a zoo but one of a mega extent. Established as a singular entity consisted of Tsavo East, Tsavo West and the Chyulu Hills National Parks, cupping almost 4% of Kenya’s total land surface, it is the most visited wildlife protected habitation in Kenya drawing in an average of 350,000 visitors each year, ergo its proximity to the Coast gives it a big advantage over many National Parks in Kenya.

Although the Tsavo Conservation Area is shared by three counties of Kenya, with Chyulu Hills National Park in Makueni and part of Tsavo East National in Kitui, it is by and large associated with Taita Taveta County. Of its land surface area of 17,083 km2, 11,100 km2 (or 62%) is under Tsavo East and Tsavo West Parks. Resembling a five-sided polygon in southern Kenya, midway between the coastal lowlands and hinterland, taking after the character of both, the generally planed Taita Taveta falls under the Coast Region of Kenya going by its altitude, soils, natural and cultural resources. Its highland area of great natural beauty is dubbed Taita Hills Complex.

This forms a soaring landmark of considerable size and remarkable appearance, 1500 m over the surrounding level plains, with prominent visibility for the traveller passing through part of this country along the Mombasa-Nairobi Road or aboard Mombasa-Nairobi train. The areas around the hills, part of the Mozambique Belt [a major upper Proterozoic to lower Paleozoic structural unit extending along the east coast of Africa] with perrenial springs flowing year long and fertile soils, are well populated. Taita Hills and their allied forests occupy 250 km2. The remaining 5,783 km2 of Taita Taveta County is occupied largely by ranches and sisal estates.

The three operating sisal estates are Teita Sisal Estate, Voi Sisal Estate and Taveta Sisal Estate. There are about 25 ranches. The main land use in the ranches is cattle grazing. The ranches are also used for wildlife conservation and tourism. The much-vaunted Taita Hills and Taita Saltlick Lodges are located in the ranches. As such, Taita Taveta County can be split into two major units: the almost featureless plain which extends into the area from the west and south, and the hilly area to the north-east which is essentially a series of ridges trending just west of north.

A hike to Maktau, with wide-ranging views, brings travellers appreciably close to one of the most iconic frontline picket posts in East Africa. Standing at the remains of the stone wall fortifications it is not hard to connect to this far-removed dying history of Kenya. The history buff may wish to continue to the Maktau Railway Station, Maktau Cemetery, Maili 27, Taveta Indian Military Cemetery, Taveta War Graves, Salaita Hill and Sniper Tree. At Maktau a gate into Tsavo West, established initially as a control point for the park in 1948, leads you on a road running south-north through the entire park along which you can veer west to explore Lake Jipe.

Topographically, Taita Taveta County can be split into three agro-climatic zones: The Upper Zone, Midland Zone and Lower Zone. The upper or higher zone, good for horticultural farming, is comprised of Taita, Mwambirwa and Sagalla Hills areas in altitudes ranging between 304 and 2,208 ms. In the midlands, situated west of the coast range and bordering Kwale and Kilifi Counties, the terrain drops deeply and fast into the Nyika Plateau, a harsh wild of gently rolling relief that gradually rises further inland, where few outlying hills, notably of Kilibasi and Kasigau, rise.

The lower and transitional zone of Nyika is consisted of the great plains where there is ranching, national parks and mining. Mining is noted but carried out in small scale despite the area being endowed with one of the vast, unlikeliest minerals deposits in Kenya that include both industrial minerals and gemstones. Its major drawback is that the wealth does not trickle down to the local people, benefitting mainly the middlemen, brokers, and big players, making it unpopular.

Salient Features of Taita Taveta County

County Number 06
Area – 17,084 km2
Altitude – 1,390 ft
Major Towns – Voi, Mwatate, Taveta
Borders – Kajiado, Makueni, Kitui, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Kwale

Situated in south-western Kenya, and part of the Coast Region of Kenya, Taita-Taveta County is known for its stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity, and cultural heritage. The county features diverse landscapes, including the Taita Hills, which are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and the vast plains of Tsavo, which are part of Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks – Kenya’s largest wildlife preserve.

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Guide to Taita Taveta County

A Summa Digest of Taita Taveta

About Taita Taveta Way Back When

85 Destinations in Taita Taveta County, arranged as one would visit these - north, west then south - with aid of in-depth narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:

Chyulu Hills National Park, Kisula Caves, Kampi ya Kanzi Lodge, Tsavo West National Park, Kamboyo Lodge, Mzima Springs, Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge, Ancient Roaring Rocks, Ngulia Hills, Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, Kitchwa Tembo Hill, Chaimu Crater, The Five Sister's Hills, Shetani Lava, Finch Hattons Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Chala, Crystal Lake Chala Caves, Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp, Sniper Tree, Gicheha Ziwani Farm, The Njoro Springs, Grogan’s Castle, Mokine Hill, Lake Jipe, Lake Jipe Eco-lodge, Salaita Hill, The Taveta Military Cemetery, Maktau Indian Cemetery, Maktau Railway Station, Taita Hills Game Lodge, Taita Hills Museum, Sarova Salt Lick Lodge, Mwashoti Hill, Maili 27 Bridge, Mwakitau Hill, Lumo Game Sanctuary, Lions Bluff Lodge, Lualenyi Camp, Ndolwa Game Sanctuary, Dembwa Falls, Bura Mission Church, Vuria Hill, Taita Hills, Wesu Rock, Taita Rocks Hotel, Malowa's Shrine, Taita Skull Caves, Taita Research Station, Kilangarenyi Falls, Ngangao Forest, Kenyatta Caves, Mount Sagalla, Rev. Wray Memorial Museum, Ngutuni Wildlife Sanctuary, Volunteer International Camp Tsavo, Mount Kasigau, Kasigau Base Camp, The Maungu Plains, Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary, Wushumbu Conservancy, Teita Sisal Estate, Mbulia Conservancy, Tsavo East National Park, Ithumba Elephant Nursery, Yatta Plateau, Tsavo Springs, Emusaya Wilderness Arc, Galdessa Little Camp, Lugard's Falls, Mudanda Rock, Voi War Cemetery, Lion Hill Lodge, Kanderi Swamp, Voi Wildlife Lodge, Aruba Dam, A. Aruba Lodge, Nyiri Desert

Know More About Taita Taveta County: Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments

What’s The Air Like in T.Taveta?

The mean temperature in Taita Taveta is 23 Degrees Celsius, cooler around the hills and hotter on the Nyika where the Tsavos sit. Rainfall distribution is uneven, with the highlands receiving higher rains than the lowland areas.