Amboseli National Park Kenya: With 24 national parks, Kenya is absolutely a stunning destination for wildlife safaris. This fantastic country is also enriched with authentic cultural ethnic groups that attracts over thousands of visitors across the world. Apart from the Masai Mara National Reserve that is well-known for co-hosting the Great Migration, Amboseli National Park is another must-visit destination. It is endowed with exceptional wildlife encounters as well as the magnificent views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Amboseli National Park got its name “amboseli” from the Maasai word for “salty dust” and is home to the largest concentration of tusked elephants. It is in this park where an iconic photo featuring an elephant with a background of the snow-caped Kilimanjaro mountain. Some like to post it with a caption “an elephant is in Kenya and the mountain is in Tanzania”.
Amboseli National Park covers a total area of 392 square kilometers in southeast Kenya in the border between Tanzania and Kenya. The park receives heavy rains between the months of March and April while short rains are experienced in between November and December. Therefore, for a rewarding safari in Amboseli National Park plan your visit from June to October except for those who visit Amboseli for birding safaris. Colorful birds settle for breeding between December and April thus making it a nice time for birding safaris.
Getting to Amboseli
When it comes to reaching the Amboseli National Park, depends on where you are coming from. Two international airports that are used by most visitors coming to Kenya are Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi and Moi International Airport (MBA) in Mombasa.
Amboseli is 240 kilometers away from Nairobi. You can drive from this capital city via two routes; Nairobi-Namanga or Nairobi-Emali, all of which will get you to Amboseli National Park via Meshanani and Kimana gates respectively.
Amboseli National Park has just one airstrip and is for light aircrafts only. It is located at Empusel gate. However, there are other airstrips at Namanga town and Kilimanjaro Buffalo Lodge that can be used to reach Amboseli National Park.
What to see in Amboseli
You may have reached the final decision of picking Amboseli National Park over many other destination but you want to know what you should expect to explore on your Kenya safari. Here are some few features of Amboseli National Park:
Wildlife: Endowed with huge herds of elephants, Amboseli National Park is a masterpiece of Kenyan wildlife sanctuaries enriched with over 80 different species of wild animals. It is home to various wild animals including leopards, wild dogs, elephants, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, buffalos, zebras, mongooses, crocodiles, hyrax, dik-diks, lesser kudu, nocturnal porcupine and many others.
Birdlife: Not interested in birds? You will probably be a birder even if you never liked staring at birds. Amboseli National Park is endowed with a variety of colorful and singing birds. It also plays home to some iconic migratory birds especially during wet season. If your primary aim of your safari is bird-watching you should not coming with a pair of binoculars. You will be lucky to meet over 400 bird species.
Observation hill: Do you want a brief observation of the entire park? Observation hill is your right spot where you can have an overall view of Amboseli National Park. You will view large herds of elephants, vegetation and other wild animals.
Swamps: These swamps are just below the Observation hill. They attract hundreds of wild animals including elephants, buffalos, hippos, and water birds like pelican and Egyptian goose. Here you will observe these animals very close when drinking water.
Views of Mount Kilimanjaro: Amboseli National Park offers stunning views of the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. The views are sensational especially the white snows that appear on Mawenzi volcanic cone.
Big Five: Apart from other wonderful wild animals, Amboseli hosts all the big five animal; elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and black rhino. African elephants are more abundant in Amboseli while black rhinos are occasionally encountered. The ‘king of jungle’ (lion) himself is usually encountered in long and short grasslands while the excellent predator, leopard, is usually seen in woodlands and grasslands.
Maasai: The Maasai lives around this stunning park and are well-known for their authentic non-changing culture. They are welcoming to visitors. You will learn about their superb traditional dances that are always performed when you book for them. They also sell handicraft products such as sandals. You can support them by buying their products.
Generally speaking, Amboseli National Park beats other national parks in Kenya, and is ranked as the second favorite destination after Masai Mara National Reserve. This is because it gives visitors many things to do while on their safari in it. Visitors coming to Amboseli National Park can enjoy photographic safaris, camping safaris, game viewing and bird-watching. Plan a trip to this iconic destination to witness the magical things.
