Amboseli National Park

Size: ca. 392 square kilometres

Founded: 1948

Distance from Nairobi: ca. 240 kilometres

Highlights:

A once-in-a-lifetime view of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro and its snow-capped peaks await you in Amboseli National Park in good weather conditions. Proud and impressively large elephant herds walking slowly before the backdrop of this mountain is what springs to mind when thinking about this beautiful national park. Apart from the many elephants, that call Amboseli their home, you can also find the other members of the Big Five – rhinos, buffaloes, lions and leopards – as well as many other wild animals.

Amboseli National Park

Description:

The Amboseli National Park is one of the most well-known, albeit smaller, national parks in Kenya. In this 392 square kilometre park, you will see all the classic members of the safari-wildlife in East Africa.

The park borders Tanzania to the south and lies at the foot of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. In front of the backdrop of the highest mountain in Africa and its snowy peaks, large elephant herds walk between the umbrella thorn acacia trees. A dry and hot climate dominates this region. A dusty salt desert of the mostly dried-up Lake Amboseli and grasslands stretch through the park and over the border to Tanzania. The dryness of this area is quite deceptive. Rainwater and water from Kilimanjaro’s melting snow peaks flow into the area, creating wetland areas, which attract many animals. A large reservoir of groundwater turns Amboseli Naitonal Park into a green oasis in the rainy season. The large fever acacia trees also benefit from this existing groundwater.

The extensive wetlands offer optimal living conditions for a variety of animals. More than a thousand elephants live here and share their habitat with numerous hippos and buffaloes.

The large elephant herds, together with the umbrella acacia trees, giraffes and Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, create a classic photo motif of East Africa. The chances of seeing the Big Five – elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions and leopards – are very good year-round in Amboseli National Park. Also to be found here are cheetahs, wildebeest, zebras, waterbucks and many different antelope species. Even for veteran safari-goers there is always something new to discover with the park’s over 400 bird species, among them many waterfowl.

The abundance of animals and breath-taking landscape makes Amboseli National Park one of the most popular parks in Kenya.