AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

Amboseli National park is one of the top Kenya safari destinations that is known for having big herds of elephants and stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The park covers an are of about 392 square kilometers and the vegetation of this park is dominated by acacia woodland, rocky thorny bushes, swamps marshland and a Pleistocene lake known as Lake Amboseli. 

The park is famous for being the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants. Other attractions of the park include opportunities to meet Maasai and visit a Maasai village. The park also has views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

Amboseli was home to Echo, the most researched elephant in the world, and the subject of many books and documentaries, followed for almost four decades by American conservationist Dr. Cynthia Moss. Echo died in 2009 when she was about 60 years old.

The park was also a safe haven to an incredible bull elephant named Tim. This mighty leviathan quickly became one of the major attractions with his size and iconic tusks that reached the ground and was estimated to be around 50 years old at the time of his death from natural causes on February 5, 2020.

Amboseli National Park offers some of the best opportunities to see African wildlife because the vegetation is sparse due to the long, dry months. The protected area is home to African bush elephant, Cape buffalo, impala, lion, cheetah, spotted hyena, Masai giraffe, Grant’s zebra, and blue wildebeest. A host of large and small birds occur too.

The park has several rules to protect the wildlife: Never leave the vehicle, except at designated spots; do not harass the animals in any way; always keep to the tracks; no off-road driving; and always give the animals the right of way. The roads in Amboseli have a loose surface of volcanic soil that is dusty in the dry season and impassable in the wet season.

ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTITONS IN AMBOSELI

• Observation Hill: Got its name from the act whereby the pyramid-shaped hill is used for the aerial and observation. Its spotting place for wildlife. This is where walking safaris are done. The summit allows you to have a great observation of the park.
• Sinet delta: The delta is located just a few meters away from the famous Observation Hill in the North. This is the birding paradise where birders experience. The place is bush mostly dominated by Acacia that attracts more giraffes in this area. Its also a good viewing point for Mt Kilimanjaro the African highest peak.
• Birds: Amboseli national park Kenya is gifted with over 420 bird species. Birding is one of the best activities that is done in the Amboseli park. Birding is done from March to May and also around November. Birds spotted include Hartlaub’s bustard, von der decken’s hornbill, Famlingo, Egrets, Pelicans, Herons, Crowned cranes, pamgani longclaw, steel-blue whydah Secretary birds, Love birds, Starlings, Ostriches, White-bellied go way bird and many more.
• Mammals: The Amboseli national park Kenya is home to different mammal species especially the African Elephants, lions, leopards, Buffalo, Giraffes, Wildebeests, Hyenas, Gazelles, Topis, Dikdik, Kudu, Oribi, African wild dogs, Foxes, Hippos, Giraffes, zebras mention but a few.
• Lake Amboseli: This is part of the park where the park got its name from. The attraction is where the boat cruise is done. The lake is a source of water to the wildlife at the park not only for drinking but for great cooling of the body for the big animals at the park.

Location and accessibility of Amboseli national park Kenya

Amboseli national park is found 365 kilometers or 226 miles southeast of Nairobi. The park can be reached within 3 to 4 hours’ drive from Nairobi. Amboseli is located in Kajiado County in the South of Kenya. Its found in the Northwest part of Mount Kilimanjaro which is found in Tanzania. The park can be accessed through two different routes though all originating from Nairobi. You can access it through Nairobi –Mombasa road. If you’re in the South in the coastal area of Mombasa, Tsavo West national park or Tsavo East National park it is about 460 kilometers entering through Kimana Gate.