Amboseli National Park

What's so special about Amboseli?

  • The magnificent view of Africa's highest snow-clad mountain, Kilimanjaro, rising over the game filled plains
  • The hazy, mirage-like air over the dry & dusty earth, trammeled by hundreds of animals, making you question just what is real
  • Huge herds of elephants, including old bull elephants with some of the largest tusks to be seen anywhere in Africa
  • Extremely varied birdlife
  • Easy driving distance from the capital city Nairobi (230 kms)
  • Featured in travel stories written by famous writers like Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark.
  • Close proximity to the Tanzanian national parks.


FAST FACTS

Altitude:

1100 - 1200 m above sea level

Area:

392 sq km

Location:

Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province

Distance from Nairobi:

230 kms

Climate:

Hot & dry. The rainy seasons are usually April/May and November/December. Maximum average temperature of the warmest month is 33 degrees C and that of the coldest is 27 - 28 degrees C.

Vegetation:

Semi-arid acacia and grasses with papyrus sedges in the swamplands. It covers part of a Pleistocene era lake basin (now dry) and within this basin is a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, which gets flooded during the years of heavy rainfall.

Wildlife:

Lion, leopard, elephant, hippo, cheetah, zebras, spotted and striped hyena, Maasai giraffe, oryx, wildebeest, gerenuk, impala and Grant's gazelle.

Birdlife:

More than 425 species have been recorded

Roads:

4WD is recommended for the park viewing roads, especially during the rainy season. During the dry season, the roads become very dusty, due to the loose, ashy nature of the volcanic soil.

Accessibility:

Accessible by road from Nairobi (4 hours drive) and most game parks and reserves. Accessible by air from Nairobi (1 hour flight) on schedule flights operated by two airlines once daily, and from Mombasa by once daily schedule flight operated by one airline.


What can I do there?

  • Game drives
  • Game and bird walks
  • Balloon safaris with champagne breakfasts
  • Sundowners
  • Bush breakfasts, lunches and dinners
  • Night game drives
  • Visit a Maasai manyatta
  • Massage treatments
  • Walking in the Chyulu Hills
  • Swimming in some lodge/camp pools


Where can I stay?

  • Luxury and/or eco friendly tented camps and lodges


Best time to visit

January through to March, and July through to October are the warm, dry seasons, which are best for game viewing and personal comfort.