Amboseli National Park– The Land of The Giants : Previously known as The Masai Amboseli Game Reserve, Amboseli National Parkis the second popular wildlife destination popularly known as The Home of Giants due to its huge herds of elephants with impressive tusks. The park is also crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s largest peak and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain.
Amboseli National Park is located in the Kenyan Province of Kajiado, South Constituency in Kajiado Country, Kenya. The park is situated about 240 kilometer southeast of Nairobi – Kenya’s capital.
Amboseli National Park covers an area of 392 square kilometers and is situated in at the heart of an 8,000 square kilometers eco system that stretches across the Kenya – Tanzania Border, the park encompasses of two major swamps, a dried – up Pleistocene Lake – Lake Amboseli and semi-arid vegetation.
Amboseli National Park encompasses of 5 different habitats including the open plains, the acacia woodland, rock formations of lava covered with thorny bushes and palm trees, swamps and marshland and covers part of a Pleistocene Lake basin – Lake Amboseli.
Amboseli National Park offers one of the best wildlife viewing experience in Kenya and Africa as well, the park is home to a huge population of wildlife including 4 of the Big Five (elephants, lions, leopards and buffaloes) and over 500 recorded species of birds including 47 raptor species.
History of Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park’s name comes from a Maasai word meaning “salty dusty” and the area presently known as Amboseli National Park was formerly known as Empusel, a Masai region that was the most feared region to be crossed by foreigners.
In 1883, the first European to cross through the region was Joseph Thompson, on his arrival he was astonished by the fantastic variety of wildlife, the beautiful scenic views of Kilimanjaro Mountain and the contrast between the dry lake bed and the swamps.
Amboseli National Park was established as a national game reserve in 1906 and in 1974 it gained a park status and renamed Amboseli National Park.
Wildlife in Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is a popular destination for Kenya wildlife tours, the park is famous for its herds of large herds of elephants with impressive tusks roaming around the dusty plains of the park and can be sighted around Ol Kenya Swamp and Ol Tukai situated in the heart of the park and features woodland yellow fever and doum palm trees.
Wildlife in the park include elephants, buffaloes, hippos, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, impalas, Grant’s and Thomson gazelles, impalas, zebras, Masai giraffes, spotted byenas among others.
Birdlife in Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is a great destination for Kenya birding safaris, the park is home to more than 400 recorded bird species, the swamps dotted around the park are a great site for water- associated birds such as egrets, herons, pelicans, crowned cranes and flamingoes which are only present during the wet season in March to May and October to December.
The grassland plains of Amboseli National Park host many interesting ground birds such as Hartlaub’s bustard, local Pangani longclaw, whote – bellied go-away bird, Von der Decken’s hornbill among others.
Other notable birds found in Amboseli National Park include African swamphen, Common redshank, Dickinson’s kestrel, Eurasian thick-knee, Greater flamingo, Hartlaub’s bustard, Lesser flamingo, Long-toed lapwing, Pangani longclaw, Rufous chatterer, Rufous-bellied heron, Spike-heeled lark, Steel-blue whydah, Taveta golden weaver, Von der Decken’s hornbill, White-bellied go-away bird, Yellow-necked spurfowl among others.
Activities To Do In Amboseli National Park
Game Viewing
Game viewing is the most exciting Kenya safari activity to do in Amboseli National Park, the park is a haven for wildlife thriving in the open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush and marshland. Game drives in Amboseli National Park are offered as morning game drives starting from 06:30 am to 11:30 am, afternoon game drive starting from 2 pm to 6:30 pm.
During the game drives, you will be able to explore the plains of Amboseli in comfort of a safari vehicle and spot abundant wildlife including large herds of elephants, bushbabies, several cats, waterbucks, buffaloes, baboons, aardwolf, leopards, lions, fringed eared, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, hippos, zebras and elephants among others.
Birding
Amboseli National Park offers some of the greatest birding experiences in Kenya, the park is an ideal destination for bird enthusiasts as it is home to over 400 bird species that can be sighted in swamp areas, grasslands and acacia woodlands.
Some of the birds to lookout for during birding safari in Amboseli National Park include Falcons and Kingfisher, African fish Eagle, Grey crowned crane, African jacana, the vulnerable Lesser Kestrel, the Kori bustard, Flamingos and Marabou stork among others.
Nature Walks
Walking safaris in Amboseli National Park is a great Kenya experience perfect for nature enthusiasts, this experience is headed by experienced guides and an armed ranger guide for protection purposes from the wild dogs. As explore the park on foot, you will be rewarded with stunning views of the vegetation, the landscape and close-up sights of herds of elephants, giraffes, impalas, buffaloes among others while listening to soothing melodies of birds.
Cultural Encounters
Cultural encounters in Amboseli National Park takes you on a visit to the local community of Maasai People situated along the borders of the park, this visit is a great way to learn about the Maasai people and their amazing way of life. Join them in the thrilling traditional dances as they jump up and down, witness their unique clothing, take part in livestock rearing and activities such as milking of the cattle and goats among others which will leave you with a once in a lifetime experience.
Hot Air Balloon Safaris
Hot air balloon ride is a thrilling experience to do in Amboseli national park, this activity starts early in the morning at 05:30 am and you will rise up in the sky by sunrise. While in the sky, you will be rewarded with aerial views of the park’s landscape, enjoy views of the snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and large herds of elephants.
After the flight, you are rewarded with a champagne breakfast in the bush,
Best Time To Visit Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is a year-round destination, meaning it can be visited all year round, however the best time to visit the park for a Kenya safari is during the dry season which runs from June to October and December to February.
In this season, all roads and route leading to and inside the park are in good condition, the vegetation cover is thin and the animals congregate around the remaining water holes to drink water making it easy to see them. Thus, being the best time for game drives in Amboseli National Park.
For birding adventures, the best time to visit the park is during the wet season that runs from April to June and November to December, in this period the migratory birds arrive in the park to join the resident species.
Where to Stay in Amboseli National Park
There are a number of comfortable accommodations in Amboseli National Park ranging from budget, midrange and luxury. These accommodations include
- Kibo Villa
- Amboseli Sopa Lodge
- Kibo Safari Camp
- Kilima Safari Lodge
- Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
- Amboseli Oltukkai Lodge
- Ol Donyo Lodge
- Campi ya Kanzi
- Tawi Lodge among others
How To Get to Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park can be accessed by road and air transport
By Road – Amboseli National Park is located approximately 280 kilometer southeast of Nairobi taking about 4 hours of drive, routes used to get to the park include the main road from Nairobi via Namanga, the Nairobi – Arusha Road through Meshanani Gate. The other route is from Nairobi via Emali (228 kilometers) on Nairobi – Mombasa Road
By Air – there are chartered flights from Wilson Airstrip to Amboseli Airstrip, these flights are offered by several Local flight companies including AirKenya, Safarilink and Mombasa Air Safari.
