This is nature’s Eden – Amboseli National Park is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close and spectacular vistas crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. If you want to know what to expect in Amboseli National Park Kenya then read on.
This is one of Kenya’s most popular parks and the name Amboseli comes from a Maasai word “Empusel” meaning salty, dust. Nature lovers can explore five different habitats here ranging from the fascinating dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, lush wetlands with sulphur springs, the extensive golden savannah and cool verdant woodlands. Find Amboseli National Park in the south in Loitoktok District, the Rift Valley Province, close to the border with Tanzania where the tallest mountain in Africa forms an unbelievable backdrop.
Visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture – other local people have settled here too attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of swamps in makes this rather dry area.
The park is 392 square km in size and the central point of a vast 8,000 square km ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. You can experience one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world in a world class destination featuring 400 species of birds including water birds like pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hamerkop and 47 raptor species.
Meet the colourful Maasai tribes people who have lived in complete harmony with their environment for decades. Amboseli national park was originally a game reserve with its name Maasai Amboseli game reserve in 1906 for the Maasai. Today, the park is peppered with inhabited and abandoned Maasai villages, or manyatta, hastily erected out of bent poles and sticks, plastered with cow dung. A nomadic people and subsistence farmers who simply move on when the grazing is finished, abandoning these homes. They’re well known for their bright red robes, colourful bead necklaces and bracelets and for jumping high in the air during ceremonial dances.
Amboseli National Park offers some of the best opportunities to see African wildlife because the vegetation is sparse due to the long, dry months – look out for buffalo, impala, lion, cheetah, hyena, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and so much more.
Experience some of the best game drives, guided nature walks and horse-back safaris in Africa and witness some of the most spectacular wildlife sightings in the world. Enjoy the thrill of viewing elephant in herds of more than 400 strong drinking from the surface springs. Watch colossal bulls carrying some of the largest tusks to be seen anywhere in Africa!
Driving through Amboseli National Park will also introduce you to buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, zebra, and many other herbivores. See predators on the hunt – observe lion, caracal, leopard, hyena, cheetah, servals and jackal prowling for an easy meal. Birding enthusiasts will find this national park in Kenya a real gem with more than 400 bird species recorded. Expect to see bee-eaters, pelicans, kingfishers including numerous eagles.
Visit Amboseli any time during the year and every safari will yield incredible game viewing. Traverse and experience the park in a day or two, combining it with adventures in other parks and reserves nearby. January to March sees most of the animals congregating in the impassable swampy areas while April to June bring with them a greener landscape with birds and wildlife scattered across the savannah. The best time to visit Amboseli National Park is in July to October when it is warm and dry as game viewing is more rewarding and the temperatures are just perfect.
Pack up the entire family for a safari holiday to Kenya that they will never forget. Intrepid journeys into Africa introduce your kids to the biggest classroom in the world, nature! Game viewing, nature walks, river cruises and camping under the stars are all part of a safari adventure your family will talk about for years down the line!
Bring your children into the true wilderness of Kenya, our top African safari destination of all time – so check out the luxury lodge and bush camp accommodation where children are made to feel at home and book your special family package today.
Plan a Kenya tour and safari with Voyage2Africa, the African travel experts, and enjoy signature experiences to the premier wildlife destination south of the equator. We bring you thrilling adventures in the Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park, the Great Rift Valley, Mount Kenya National Park and even Nairobi. We offer you the best of the best safari accommodation in Kenya, in lavish lodges, family resorts, modern hotels, eco villas and rustic wild campsites in nature. Bring your camera and you hat, your binoculars and your sense of spirit to an African land that is home to humankind.
