Amboseli National Park

Overview

Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, the Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya's most popular parks. It is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close carrying massive tusks. Nature lovers can explore five different habitats here ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands with sulphur springs, the savannah and woodlands. They can also visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture.

High Season

June to September and January to February

Best Time to Go

December to March and July to October

Pros & Cons

Excellent wildlife viewing
Four of the Big Five can be found easily except Rhino
Offers amazing elephant sightings
Views of Kilimanjaro on clear days
Excellent birding, especially waterbirds in swamp habitat
Excellent well-priced mid-range lodges

The park gets very busy, especially in the high season
Big cats are relatively hard to spot

Map in Kenya

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Gallery Images

Explore the stunning beauty of Amboseli National Park through our curated collection of photographs showcasing its landscapes, wildlife, and natural wonders.

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Wildlife & Animals

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 elephants, Cape buffalo, impala, Masai giraffe, Grant's zebra, and blue wildebeest. Amongst the predatory species, African wildcats, black-backed jackals, black-eared foxes, cheetahs, lions, and spotted hyenas are frequently spotted. After the Maasai targeted the rhinos, the remaining rhinos were relocated so at present Amboseli has no rhinos.

Wildlife Highlights

The park is famous for being the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants carrying massive tusks and because they have been protected these elephants are quite calm when encountered during game drives. During the day the elephants mostly spend their time partially submerged, foraging in Ol Okenya swamp.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The best time for wildlife viewing is in the dry summer months of January and February and June to October for visiting Amboseli National Park. Wildlife is simpler to spot since vegetation is more slender and animals assemble around predictable water sources. The best time to visit the park to witness the beauty of Mount Kilimanjaro from the park is in the rainy season, from November to May.

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Birds

Amboseli boasts of rich birdlife, with over 400 bird species recorded, including the globally threatened Madagascar Pond-Heron, Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Kestrel, and Possibly Africa’s most sought-after bird, the Shoebill which has an a-one-time record in the area and over 40 birds of prey. The grassland areas offer some interesting ground birds such as Hartlaub’s bustard and the localized Pangani longclaw. The acacia woodland holds some dry country specials such as steel-blue whydah, white-bellied go-away bird and the Von der Decken’s hornbill.

Best Time for Birding

To discover Amboseli an extremely useful bird-watching spot, one needs to arrive during or soon after the October-December rains. This is when local birds are joined by migrants from the Northern half of the globe, once in a while in genuinely enormous numbers. The months when precipitation is probably going to disturb your bird-watching plans are November and April.