Amboseli National Park

AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK.

Covering an area of over 392km² along the border with Tanzania this popular park lies at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and forms part of a much larger ecosystem which extends into Tanzania. Immortalised by Ernest Hemingway in his novel “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, this snow-capped mountain, the highest in Africa is unique in that it has large herds of animals at its base and elephants are even seen close to the snow- covered peaks. On clear days Amboseli offers some excellent views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The plains of Amboseli though dry, flat and typographically monotonous are home to some very large herds of animals including wildebeest, zebra, various antelope species including Grants and Thompson’s gazelles and buffalo. Also present are giraffe and impala.

Amongst the predators there are lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and jackals. Though seen, they are scarcer than some of the other National Parks. Much of the once abundant lion population was killed when the Maasai were evicted from the park and Amboseli was gazetted as a National Park elevating its status from a Reserve.

However, the most distinguished residents of Amboseli are the elephants. Made famous by the Amboseli Elephant Research project, started and headed by Dr Cynthia Moss, and one of her most prominent elephant subjects, ECHO the Elephant. The park hosts some very large herds of elephants many of whom are unusually big and bulky and are exceptionally fine specimens of their species.

The park is also rich in bird life and includes many water associated species including the greater jacana, long toed lapwing, egrets, herons, painted snipe and the southern crowned crane. Most of these are to be found in and around the swamps and marshes at the edge of the park. On the plains, there are several different varieties of bustards, secretary birds, yellow neck spurfowl while the Acacia woodlands have hornbills, red and yellow barbet, rosy-patched bush shrike and black necked weaver bird to name a few.

Getting There:

By air-  Daily flights from Wilson Airport, Nairobi.

By road – 4WD Recommended. Approximately four hours from Nairobi.

What to do:

• Game Drives for wildlife viewing especially the Amboseli Elephants
• View or even climb Mount Kilimanjaro
• Bird watching – best between October and January especially for migratory birds
• Visit Observation Hill for excellent views of the park, swamps and the herds of free roaming elephants.
• Meeting Maasai people and learning about their culture

Best Time.

January – February and June through to September.

Accommodation:

Several top and mid-end lodges. Full range of campsites from luxury to basic.