Amboseli Safari
An Amboseli Safari is one of the best safari experience in Africa giving visitors a taste of iconic, unspoilt wilderness and excellent sightings of wildlife including herds of elephants. Amboseli National Park is located in southern Kenya, on the border with Tanzania. Here you will find the largest population of elephant roaming at the foot of Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa.
Spanning 392 square kilometers, Amboseli National Park is one of the best places in Kenya to spot large herds of elephants. The park offers excellent sightings of giraffes, wildebeests, flamingoes, cheetahs, and countless other wild animals.
What is Amboseli National Park like?
Set against a backdrop of looming Mount Kilimanjaro is Amboseli, the most popular national park in Kenya, named from a Maa word Empusel meaning “salty, dry place” The park comprises of lush primeval swamps to wide, dry plains and is feed by underground streams flowing from the melting ice cap on Kili, keeping certain areas of the park well supplied with water, which in turn attracts elephants and plenty of birds.
Part of the forested swamp have been fenced off to prevent elephants from munching their way through the trees and to allow the vegetation time to regrow. During the long rains between about March and April, the dry plain can become a shallow lake, filled with wading birds (there are over 400 species). Because it is quite small in size, it is easy for rangers to patrol and is very well kept.
Amboseli is a great choice for first – time safari goers to Kenya as well as Amboseli. Its compact size allows you to see virtually every aspect in about two days and its proximity to Nairobi means you don’t have to follow a long-haul flight with a very long drive or another longish flight. Short – haul flights between Wilson Airport and the Amboseli Airstrip take less than an hour in a light aircraft.
Amboseli National Park is definitely a convenient place to ease into your Kenya Safari Itinerary. Its closeness to Nairobi means that lots of Kenyans drive through for weekends and school holidays, and you may experience traffic congestion during Easter and Christmas so your Africa Safari Expert will help you plan your Amboseli Safari trip with than in mind.
What Animals Will I see in Amboseli
Amboseli’s diversity of the landscape is reflected in the diversity of the game. The herds of elephants are commonly sighted and because they have been studied by researchers at the Amboseli Elephant Research Center, many are known by name by the guides.
Also, there is a baboon research centre in Amboseli established to find out more about these very social, inquisitive and intelligent primates.
Sighting of the Big Five in Amboseli is not guaranteed as rhinos and leopards are virtually non-existent here. But don’t let that deter you as they are easily found elsewhere in Kenya. Lewa is the best place for rhinos and the Masai Mara for leopard. While on Amboseli Safari, you won’t see the weirdly proportioned gerenuk either as they prefer the semi-arid Samburu National Reserve in the North.
But you will see countless number of birds, bat-eared foxes (a very rare sighting), giraffes, lion, buffalo, cheetah, and non-migrating wildebeests. If you are interested in awe-inspiring sightings, Amboseli is an ideal destination for you on a Kenya Safari.
Lookout for Thomson’s gazelles and how they differ from impala, Maasai giraffe, Burchell’s or Plains Zebra and plenty of spotted hyena known as spotties- there are no brown hyenas in Amboseli.
Bird species found in Amboseli National Park include African swamphen, Common ostrich, Common redshank, Dickinson’s kestrel, Goliath heron, 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, Water thick-knee, White-bellied bustard, White-bellied go-away-bird and Yellow-necked spurfowl among others
Will I See Kilimanjaro?
Although Mount Kilimanjaro is in the neighboring Tanzania, the best views of the world’s tallest free-standing mountain and Africa’s highest peak are in Kenya. Because of its proximity to the Tanzanian border, Amboseli does have the best vistas of Kilimanjaro.
Kilimanjaro stands at 19,341 feet high, meaning its summit is almost always swathed in cloud. Your best chance of seeing the Kili Peak is at dawn when conditions may have cleared overnight, so don’t skip the early morning game drives in Amboseli.
Keep in mind that professional photographers spend ages in the field capturing the perfect shot so don’t put yourself on pressure or feel disappointed if you cannot replicate the same photo in a day or two what they spend weeks and months finding.
Where to Stay on Amboseli Safari
There are several accommodation options in Amboseli National Park, ranging from budget, midrange to luxury and they include
- Tortilis Camp
- Porini Amboseli Camp
- Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
- Satao Elerai Camp
- Amboseli Sentrim Camp
- AA Amboseli Lodge among others
When to Go on Amboseli Safari
Amboseli National Park is a year round destination, however the best time for safari is during the dry season running from June to October. This time of the year coincides with the high/peak season in Kenya as well as Amboseli National Park.
High/Peak Season: June to October
- Best time for game viewing in Amboseli, the grass is shorter which makes spotting of animals easier and they don’t stray far from water sources
- Days are mostly sunny with very little to no rain
- Rates are higher and Amboseli can get rather busy
Low/Green Season: November to May
- The short rains peak in November, and the long rains in April and May
- Amboseli is at its best scenically, a superb time for photography
- Best time to visit for bird watching
- Best views of Mount Kilimanjaro – skies are clear of dust
- Lower rates and the park is quieter due to wet road conditions around April and May.
