Second in popularity after the legendary Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park not only offers great game viewing but it's also the place to go for the best views of iconic Mount Kilimanjaro. The world's tallest free-standing mountain actually stands just across the border in Tanzania, but Amboseli has a postcard-perfect view of its snow-capped peaks, rising almost six vertical kilometres above the savannah. The best time to view 'Kili' is at dawn and sunset when the clouds lift and the light is clear and soft.
Come and see the diverse wildlife of the Amboseli National Park against the majestic backdrop of beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya.
The Amboseli National Park is situated in the Kajiado District, of the Rift Valley Province in Kenya on the border with Tanzania. It is considered to be one of the top safari destinations in Africa and is famous for its landscape, dotted with African wildlife, with the majestic snow capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in the background and is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close.
Amboseli is known for its big skies and far horizons combined with swampy springs and dry and dusty earth trampled by hundreds of animals. The name Amboseli, comes from a Maasai word meaning “salty dust”
Amboseli has an endless underground water supply filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock, from Kilimanjaro’s ice cap, which funnels into two clear water springs in the heart of the park. However, the climatic pendulum often swings from drought to flood, as seen in the 1990’s where ceaseless rain turned Amboseli into a swamp, then a few years later the rains failed and the grass covered plains turned into dust.
Getting There
Amboseli Airport is located inside the Amboseli National Park, but some of the lodges have their own private airstrips.
Amboseli National Park lies 240 km (150 miles) from Nairobi. Travel along the Nairobi/ Arusha road via Namanga and enter the park through the Meshanani Gate. An alternate route is to travel the Mombasa route - this means you will enter Amboseli through the Tsavo West National Park by the Kimana Gate.
Amboseli Highlights and Attractions
- Magnificent herds of large tusked elephants.
- Picturesque Mount Kilimanjaro.
- Home to the Big 5
- An observation hill allowing an overall view of the whole park especially the swamps and elephant herds.
- Amboseli has five different habitats ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands with sulphur springs, the savannah and woodlands.
- Visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture.
The Experience
The Park is mostly arid, but has several permanent springs which feed three swamps which provide life giving water for the animals. Most of the large mammals such as Elephants, Buffalo and Hippo are found around the swamps.
The swamps are surrounded by open savannah plains. Amboseli is known for its easy game viewing due to the open nature of its landscape, making for great photographic opportunities.
In the park you can enjoy self-drive or guided game drives. Private conservancies on the edge of the park offer walk safaris, horseback safaris and hot air ballooning.
Climate
The Amboseli Region is hot and dry as it is situated within the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, which lies to the northwest. Due to its proximity to the equator, there is little variation in temperature throughout the year. Temperatures are usually between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius.
