Amboseli National Park

Overview
Weather & Climate
What to see & do
Tours

Amboseli National Park, the second most popular animal park after Maasai Mara, is 260km (160 miles) from Nairobi, on the border with the neighboring country of Tanzania. Its magnificent situation at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, combined with its excellent opportunities to view Kenya's animals, make it one of the most-visited safari parks in Kenya.

Amboseli National Park covers 392km² (151miles²) and has a mixed topography of plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush, swamps and marshes. This diversity, along with a long dry season, ensures excellent viewing of the large concentrations of African animals living in this natural habitat.

With its awesome view of Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest mountain at 5,895m), Amboseli National Park offers a unique and breathtaking backdrop for viewing Africa's animals. It also has a dry Pleistocene lake basin that houses a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, after the rains.

Amboseli is renowned for its large herds of free-ranging African elephants. There are over 900 African elephants in Amboseli, as well as huge herds of wildebeests and many other animals including giraffes, African lions, monkeys, zebras, hyenas and antelope.

Best time to visit Amboseli
January and February are good months to visit Amboseli, as well as June through September. Avoid April and May, which are the rainy season. There may also be some rain from November to December, which may make the roads in Amboseli impassable.

Temperatures year round are 27-31°C (81-88°F) in the day and 22-24°C (72-75°F) at night. For Kenya birdwatchers, the best months to see migratory birds are October to January. The best times for viewing are early and late in the day, as animals tend to sleep in the hot midday sun.

Weather & Climate

The climate in the Amboseli region is hot and dry. The national park is in the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, as it lies on the northwest side. Average temperatures vary only slightly throughout the year. The minimum average daily temperature is 27°C and the maximum is 33°C. Drought is typical in this area, and evaporation is high. A total annual rainfall of just 300mm is expected during April and May, and again during November and December.

What to see & do

The main purpose of a wildlife safari is to see Kenya's wild animals in their natural state. Many people are surprised when they see birds perched within the reach of predators, or gazelles grazing near big cats. The truth is that predators generally only kill to eat, and for the rest of the time both predators and prey live harmoniously together.

Amboseli National Park is known for its large herd of over 900 free-ranging elephants. This is the best national park to visit to see these wonderful and huge creatures.

View or even climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world.

Visit Observation Hill, which overlooks the park, swamps and, of course, the herds of free-roaming elephants.

Meet the Maasai people and learn about the Maasai culture and their indigenous lifestyle.

Bird watching is best between October and January if you want to see Kenya's migratory birds, including African skimmers, red and yellow bishops, goshawks, buffalo weavers and palm nut vultures, to name a few