Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is one of the most visited national parks in Kenya after Masai Mara Game Reserve. The park attracts lots of tourists from around the world annually due to its wide variety of wildlife- and especially its large number of savannah elephants.
The park is a park worth visiting in 2021. It is located in the southern part of Kenya in Kajiado County and covers 392 square kilometers. The park offers one of the best wildlife viewing experiences in the world.
The national park was first established as Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve in 1906 and was later declared a national park in 1974. The park is home to over 400 species of birds and about 47 raptor species.
Some of the commonly sighted wildlife animals sighted in Amboseli national park include the African bush elephant, lion, cheetah, impala, spotted hyena, Masai giraffe, zebra, Cape buffalo, topi and blue wildebeests among others.
The national park is managed by Kenya Wildlife Service in partnership with Olkejuado County Council and the neighbouring Maasai community. Amboseli national park encompasses two of five main swamps, including a dried out lake and semiarid vegetation.
Aside from watching various wildlife animals freely roaming the savannah grasslands in the national park, visitors in Amboseli national park are also blessed with spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania.
How to get to the Park.
Amboseli park is situated 240 kilometers southeast of Nairobi city. The park can be accessed by road or air transport means. Visitors can always booked scheduled domestic flights to Amboseli Airport and then drive to the national park which takes about 7 minutes to get to the park. It’s always best that visiting travelling to the national park use 4×4 WD vehicles because the roads in the park can get really muddy and impassable during the wet season.
Attractions and Activities in Amboseli National Park.
Game Drives
Game drives in Amboseli are one of the best ways visitors can view various wildlife animals in the national park. The park offers visitors game drives through the day starting early in the morning to late in the evening. The park also offers night game drives for visitors interested in seeing nocturnal animals such as lions, cheetah, hyenas and many more. Getting to see herds of savannah elephants freely roaming the park with beautiful views of Mountain Kilimanjaro at a distance is nothing but a spectacular and memorable safari experience.
Birding/Bird Watching
Amboseli park is one of the ideal destinations for birding safaris in Kenya. The national park hosts over 400 species of birds including water birds such as the Hammerkop, crakes, pelicans and kingfishers to mention but a few. Bird watching in Amboseli is ideal for bird lovers and can always be combined with other activities offered in the national park.
Cultural Encounters/ Community Cultural Tours.
Cultural encounters in Amboseli in Kenya are fun, indulging and educative especially for visitors as you get to visit the neighboring Maasai communities near the park. Visitors on a community cultural tour in the national park get an opportunity to interact with the friendly Maasai people and learn more about their day-to-day ways of life. You can also visit local craft stalls in the community and purchase a few items as a way of supporting the economic growth and development in these communities. Also get to watch traditional dance and singing performances from the local dance troupes in the local community; and don’t hesitate to participate if you feel like doing so.
Guide Nature Walks.
Nature walks in Amboseli park will offer you an opportunity to explore the national park on foot and also have close encounters with some of the wildlife animals in the park especially elephants. Visitors on a guided nature walk in the park are usually accompanied by an experienced park ranger.
Hot Air Balloon Safaris.
Hot air balloon safaris offer visitors the opportunity to explore Amboseli from the sky. Visitors on a hot air balloon safari in the national park get to have a view the park from a bird’s eye view which is breathe taking and beautiful. The park offers visitors both sunrise and sunset hot air balloon safaris with the latter being the most rewarding.
Nature Photography.
Nature photography is one of the best ways to capture the captivating scenery in Amboseli national park. One of the best moments to capture in the park is the moment the elephants are walking in the park with the view of Mount Kilimanjaro at the background.
Accommodation in Amboseli National Park.
Lodging options in Amboseli park vary from budget, mid-range and luxury basing on your budget. Some of the accommodation options in Amboseli national park include; Tortilis Camp, Ol Tukai Lodge, Tawi Lodge, Satao Elerai Camp, Amboseli Serena Lodge, AA Lodge Amboseli and We 4 Kenya Guesthouse.
Conclusion: Amboseli park in Kenya is an ideal safari destination that you can visit along with friends and family on vacation. The national park can visited along with Nairobi national park and Tsavo national park to have the ultimate safari experience.
