Your Guide to Amboseli National Park
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and a National Park in 1974, Amboseli National Park is the 2nd most popular national park in Kenya. With the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance creating perfect photo opportunities as the numerous herds walk in front and its fabulous bird life - its a must visit for the safari enthusiast.
Amboseli was the first area I first worked in when I moved to Kenya in 2009. Waking up to the impressive Mt Kilimanjaro, surrounded by vast untouched lands, traditional Masai villages and untarmaced local towns, its was an incredible first taste of authentic Kenya. The perfect mix of a great wildlife area which isn’t over run by tourism.
Views from Amboseli National Park with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background.
This National Park is just 392 square kilometres, however the Amboseli ecosystem is over 8000 square kilometres of largely undeveloped and unfenced natural land reaching to the Tanzanian border. The mostly Maasai culture in the area has helped protect the park and surrounding ecosystem by ensuring the area is mostly undeveloped and the park remains largely unfenced, which means the wildlife can move freely around the area in accordance with food and water availability.
Despite low rainfall in the area, there is an almost permanent underground water source which keeps the herds of animals in the area. The parks swamps are filled by this water which comes from the Mount Kilimanjaro mountain forest and supports the many birds and mammal species which inhabit the park along with the estimated 1500 elephants.
Why is Amboseli National Park famous?
Amboseli National Park has one of the most iconic back drops with the imposing Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest free standing mountain in the background with its snow tipped top. There’s few people who haven’t come across a photograph of elephants of giraffe standing in front of this impressive scene and although this magnificent mountain is actually in Tanzania, the best views can be found from the Kenyan side.
The park is also home to a vast number of elephants and is the base for one of the longest running elephant studies, started in 1972 by the renowned elephant researcher Cynthia Moss along with her partner Harvey Croze. 50 years later, the Amboseli Trust for Elephants continues to be led by Cynthia and still follows some of the same individuals they did back when the project began.
The lesser known conservation research program within the Amboseli ecosystem is the Amboseli Baboon Project which study’s the savanna baboons (Papio cynocephalus). Started in 1971, it is one of the longest running research studies of wild primates in the world. See below for more information on this project and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.
How much does it cost to go into the Natioanl Park?
Amboseli National Park is run by the Kenyan Wildlife Services (KWS).
Park fees for Non-residents:
USD $60 per adult, per day
USD $35 per child, per day
Make sure you follow the KWS wildlife park rules while within the park. The main ones being:
You may not leave your vehicle except at designated spots.
Do not harass the animals.
Vehicles must keep to the tracks and not go off-road.
Animals must always be given right of way.
Opening hours for Amboseli is between 6am - 7pm. Tourists are not permitted entry to the park after 6:15pm.
How many nights should you stay in Amboseli National Park?
Due to the small size of the park, you can explore most of the area in a couple of days. I would recommend 2-3 nights stay depending on how much time you have.
Relaxing in the Elerari pool watching a herd of elephants and zebra walking down to the watering hole.
When is the best time to visit?
Unless looking for the cheapest lodge rates and the quietest times in the parks, i’d always advise against visiting in the long rains which are usually over April and May as well as the short rains in November. If you do have to travel in the rainy months then Amboseli is a great choice as the roads are well maintained however during the wet months it can rain for the majority of the day and the animals mostly shelter or are fairly inactive so you’ll have to be patient. Although you’ll benefit from the cheaper lodge rates.
Another good reason to visit in the drier months is that there are fewer insects and mosquito’s in the drier seasons and as the vegetation isn’t so thick its easier to see the game, the animals will tend to congregate more around the watering holes as well which makes them a little easier to find.
One of my favourite times to go on safari is just after the rains, although the vegetation is thicker there is a beautiful blanket of green making for a great shot for the photography enthusiast. There’s also a happy vibe to the savanna with the animals having plenty of food and water to enjoy and many of the plains game give birth after the long rains when food is aplenty so you can enjoy all the newborns.
If you are going in hopes of getting a great view of Mount Kilimanjaro, then plan your visit for after the rains which settles the dust in the air and gives you a clearer view. Although standing at an impressive 5895 metres it’s sumit is often covered in cloud but if you get up early to enjoy your cup of morning coffee at sunrise your in with the best chance of seeing it.
How do you get there?
The two most popular ways to get to Amboseli National Park is either by plane from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport which is just under an hours flight or by car from Nairobi which can be between 3-4 hours. There are two driving routes from Nairobi, you can either take the Nairobi - Mombasa road via Emali or the Nairobi - Arusha road via Namanga.
We don’t recommend you self drive unless you have a good understanding and experience driving in Kenya. There are a lot of lorries on the main roads, can be difficult traffic leaving Nairobi and the roads leading into some of the camps are tricky with no phone signal should you get stuck. Either join a guided tour or take a fly and one of the drivers from the lodge you’ve booked at will be on hand to collect you from the airstrip.
What animals are there in Amboseli National Park?
400 - 600 species of birds are thought to be in the ecosystem throughout the year.
Leopard and rhino are virtually non-existent in this area so if you are on the hunt to tick off the Big 5 animals from your safari check list then add in a couple of nights at Lewa Conservancy where you’re guaranteed to see rhino and a couple of nights in the Masai Mara National Park or surrounding conservancies where leopards can never be guaranteed but are much more relaxed compared to other areas and you have a good chance if you have a few nights at a lodge that has good guides who knows the area well.
The Amboseli ecosystems is made up of 5 different habitats, open plains, woodland, acacia scrub, rocky thorn bush country as well as swamps and marshlands which brings a diverse range of animals to the area.
Common animal sightings in the park and its surrounding areas are spotted hyena, Thomsons gazelles, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, cheetah, lions, buffalo, elephants, impalas, crocodiles, mongooses, porcupines (at night), dik-dik, kudu’s and hippos.
Where is there to stay in and around the Amboseli area?
Tortillis Camp - Part of the Elewana collection of safari camps, Tortillis was one of the first eco-lodges in the area and is proud to be 100% solar. Based in a private conservancy boarding the park game drives, walks, bush sundowners and bush meals are all available.
Elerai Camp - A community focused lodge, who’s land is leased from the Elerai community which also benefits from guests staying at the lodge with many being employed there and also earning commission for every “bed night” booked. Incredible views of both the mountain and also Amboseli park below which can be viewed from the camps swimming pool. The waterhole is often visiting by elephants, zebra, giraffe, warthog and sometimes a lion or two and the camp can arrange walks within their conservancy. This is a personally tried and tested camp, as I worked here in 2009.
Tawi Lodge - Set on its very own 3000 acre conservancy just 5 minutes drive from the eastern entrance to Amboseli National Park, Tawi is a comfortable, eco award winning lodge with 24 hour power supplied mainly by solar panels. it has a beautiful swimming pool with sunbeams and a small upper deck lounge as well as a fantastic soa.
Porini Amboseli Camp - With just 10 spacious tents, this small camps is set with the exclusive Selenkay Conservancy and has the charm of a small mobile tented camp but with electric lighting and en suite bathroom facilities with flush toilet and shower. There is also a spacious family tent with two bedrooms and a lounge in-between for those travelling with children or a group of two couples.
Hanging out with the kids of the Elerai community.
What is there to do in and around the Amboseli area?
Hot Air Balloon - Enjoy one of the most breathtaking safari activities as you float into the sky at sunrise looking over the acacia peppered grasslands and Lake Amboseli, spotting animals below with Mt Kilimanjaro as your backdrop.
Boat Rides - Enjoy an afternoon cruise across Lake Amboseli in the middle of Amboseli National Park. With the water levels diminishing in the dry season, they aren’t always available.
Cultural Visits - With many authentic Maasai villages surrounding the park, Amboseli is the perfect spot for a cultural visit. Check with your lodge as they may have a community who they support and these are more likely to be less touristy than the villages close to the Amboseli gates.
Walks - Your lodge or camp will be able to provide you with more information on walking activities. If you are staying in one that has its own conservancy, this is normally offered as a free optional activity and can be arranged through the lodge manager upon arrival.
Visit Sinet Delta & Oberservation Hill - While gamedriving within Amboseli park make sure to stop off at Oberservation Hill, the name gives it away, it’s a great spot to stop and spot wildlife from its high vantage point within the park with stunning views across the whole park as well as the swamps below and a popular spot to stop for a picnic or cup of tea. Just a short distance from Oberservation hill is Sinet Delta, a birders paradise where acacias dominate the landscape bringing in a good population of giraffe who graze on their leaves.
The Elephants of Amboseli
One of the most famous elephants who lived in the Amboseli ecosystem and has been the star of many books and documentaries was Echo. Cynthia Moss and her team studied Echo for four decades until her death in 2009 at the grand age of 60.
Amboseli is a great area to study the elephants, partially due to its relatively open plains which makes them easy to spot but also due to its small size it’s a fairly easy area for rangers to patrol and keep it safe from poachers so they are more relaxed around humans and vehicles.
The Amboseli Elephant Trust is a team of local research assistant and visiting scientists who are in the field studying the local elephant families at least 6 days a week and recording everything about their lives. They also employ 15 Maasai “elephant scouts” who patrol the greater ecosystem on foot reporting on what the elephants are doing out side of the park.
You can sign up to get exclusive news on individual animals, name an elephant and follow their work at www.elephanttrust.org
The Baboon Project
The research project studies the baboons social behaviours and intelligence.
Reasearchers at the Amboseli Baboon Project track around 300 baboons from several social groups and as this project has been running for over 50 years it is estimated that they have studied the life history of over 1500 primates gathering innovative research in ecology and evolution. They specifically concentrate on the behaviour of the wild baboons in the Amboseli ecosystem.
To find out more about the project visit www.amboselibaboons.nd.edu