Amboseli National Park
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Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park

Kenyan savanna park where elephants move across dusty plains below the great cone of Kilimanjaro.

Amboseli National Park sits at the foot of Kilimanjaro on Kenya's southern border with Tanzania, and the view alone is worth the journey. On clear mornings the mountain fills the entire southern horizon — a perfect snow-capped cone rising to 5,895 metres above a flat expanse of dusty savanna, dry lake bed, and swamp. The combination of that backdrop with the densest elephant population in Kenya — over 1,600 individuals in a well-studied, semi-habituated population — makes Amboseli one of the most photogenic game parks in Africa.

The park covers about 392 square kilometres, centred on the dried-up lakebed of Lake Amboseli and the permanent swamps fed by underground meltwater from Kilimanjaro. The swamps — Enkongo Narok and Ol Okenya — draw an exceptional variety of wildlife year-round, including hippos, massive buffalo herds, and thousands of birds. The elephant families here are the subject of the longest continuous study of wild elephants anywhere in the world, begun in 1972 by Cynthia Moss and still ongoing; individual animals are recognisable by name.

Wildlife beyond elephants is strong: lions, cheetahs, hyenas, Maasai giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest all occur, along with the spectacularly horned fringe-eared oryx. Over 600 bird species have been recorded. The Observation Hill near the southern swamps is the best vantage point for panoramic views, especially at dawn before the dust haze builds. The camp at Ol Tukai in the centre of the park is close to the swamps and close to where the elephants tend to concentrate.

Most visitors come from Nairobi, either on a five-hour drive via Namanga (the Nairobi-Arusha highway) or a short charter flight to Amboseli Airport, which sits just north of the park. Day visits from Nairobi are possible but leave little time; two nights is the minimum for a proper visit. The dry seasons — January to March and June to October — are the best times to visit, when animals concentrate around the swamps and the mountain tends to be clearer. After heavy rains the lakebed floods and road conditions deteriorate sharply.

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Getting There

From Nairobi, Amboseli is about 240 km south via the A104 highway to Namanga and then east. The drive takes around four to five hours depending on road conditions and traffic south of Nairobi. The road from the Namanga junction to the park gates is rough; a 4WD is advisable. Some visitors also enter from the Tsavo West side to the east, though the road quality varies and a 4WD is essential.

Amboseli Airport (IATA: ASV), about 10 km north of the park, receives charter and scheduled flights from Nairobi's Wilson Airport. Safarilink and AirKenya both fly the route, with flights taking about 45 minutes. Flying in is significantly more comfortable and allows maximum time in the park, though it costs considerably more than driving. Most lodges offer airstrip transfers.

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Things to Do

Amboseli's activities centre on game drives through the swamps and lakebed, with the Kilimanjaro backdrop as a constant. The swamps are the heart of the park — that's where the elephants, hippos, and birds concentrate, and where the light at dawn and dusk is most dramatic.

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When to Go

Amboseli has two dry seasons — January to March and June to October — and two wet seasons. The long rains fall April to May; the short rains October to November. The dry seasons are better for game viewing: animals concentrate around the swamps, roads are passable, and dust haze is less severe. January to March is particularly good for clear Kilimanjaro views.

The wet season makes the lakebed impassable and turns some roads to mud, but it brings dramatic skies, green vegetation, and migrant birds. The park is rarely crowded by Kenyan standards; even peak season doesn't produce the vehicle jams common in the Mara. July and August, when both dry season and peak travel season overlap, are the busiest months.