Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park is among the elite national parks in Kenya, eminent for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-roaming elephants. Amboseli is located in Loitoktok – Kajiado County, Southern Kenya, just northwest of Mount Kilimanjaro on the Kenya-Tanzania border. The park’s observation hill provides spectacular panoramas of the big peak and Amboseli’s swamps and plains.

‘Amboseli’ derives from a Maasai word meaning ‘salty dust’. The park is a perfect safari destination for nature lovers looking to explore habitats from open plains, wetlands with sulfur springs, rock-thorn bush, marshland, and acacia woodlands. You can also visit the park’s western region, which is dominated by the dried-up bed of the seasonal Lake Amboseli, which flocks with water birds during the rainy season. The park was declared a game reserve in 1948 but gazetted as a national park in 1974 to protect its unique ecosystem.

Besides its scenic beauty and sure elephant sightings, Amboseli National Park has diverse wildlife species, including giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, leopards, cheetahs, and hundreds of bird species. The local Maasai community, with authentic culture, also lives around the park.

Major Attractions

Amboseli National Park offers a well-managed game-watching experience against the stunning backdrop of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

Observation Hill is one of the only places in the park where you can get out and walk. The summit provides an excellent view of the whole park, especially the swamps and elephants.

The swamp below observation hill hosts herds of elephants, buffaloes, hippos and a variety of waterfowl like the pelican and the Egyptian goose.

You can also enjoy the contemporary Maasai culture and indigenous lifestyle.

What to Do in Amboseli National Park

• Game viewing, birdwatching, camping, photography.

Wildlife: Amboseli has over 80 different mammals, ranging from the tiny (and rarely seen) spectacled elephant shrew to the huge bulk of the African elephant. Apart from guaranteed elephant sightings, you’ll also see wildebeest, buffalos, and zebras. You have a reasonable chance of spotting lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, crocodiles, giraffes, zebra, mongoose, dik-dik, hyrax, lesser kudu, and nocturnal porcupines.

Birds: The park has a prolific birdlife with over 600 species of resident and migratory birds.

How to Get to Amboseli National Park

By Road: The main road into the park is from Nairobi via Namanga on the Nairobi -Arusha Road, through Meshanani Gate. The road is tarmac up to Namanga but is murram from Namanga to Meshanani Gate. The other route is from Nairobi through Emali on the Nairobi – Mombasa Road. Access from Mombasa is mainly through Tsavo West National Park via Kimana (Olkelunyiet) Gate.

By Air: Amboseli has airstrips at Empusel gate and at the Park Headquarters (Olkelunyiet) for light aircraft. Other airstrips are at Kilimanjaro Buffalo Lodge and Namanga town.

Other Details

Park Entry Fees: Check the Kenya Wildlife Service website for prices.

Park size: 392 sq. km

Climate: The climate is mainly hot and dry. Temperatures range from 20-30 °C and rainfall from 200 mm-700 mm. Amboseli is in the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and experiences two rain seasons: long rains – in March/May and short rains – in November/December.