Tsavo East National Park covers an area of about 12,000 km2 and 40% of Kenya's parks' total area. The park has a beautiful landscape of plains, rocky ridges and outcrops. Due to its size, the park is among the world's wildlife and biodiversity strongholds.

The park has a diversity of habitats including open plains alternating with savannah bush and semi desert scrub, rocky ridges and outcrops, and mountain forest on the Chulu Hills. A section of Lake Jipe is included in the extreme south west of the park.

Part of the park is of recent volcanic origin where there are many lava flows and cones including the Shaitani lava flow which formed in the wake of a recent volacano. This volcanic zone also contains the Mzima spring, where crystal clear water flows out from below a lava ridge.