Amboseli national park
Amboseli national park is located in the southern part of Kenya and is another popular safari destination to visit.
There are many wildlife species in Amboseli national park and the large herds of elephants are the major attractions in the park. Other wildlife species to see during a safari in Amboseli include buffalos, giraffes, kudu, zebras, lions among others.
Views of Mount Kilimanjaro can also be seen during safaris in Amboseli national park.
Activities carried out around Amboseli national park include game drives, bird watching, hot air balloon safaris and also cultural tours.
Due to its large herds of elephants with large tusks, Amboseli National Park in Kenya is a popular place for wildlife safaris. The park is also blessed with the magnificent backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain on the African continent, which rises to a height of 5895 meters above sea level.
WILDLIFE
The park is home to a variety of wildlife species and is renowned for its vast herds of elephants with large tusks roaming around in the dusty plains of the park. Amboseli national park is one of the most fascinating destinations for Kenya wildlife tours and offers excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing. The most famous creatures in Amboseli National Park are big tusked elephants, and they spend the most of their time in the Ol Kenya Swamp, which is largely submerged. These elephants can also be spotted at the Ol Tukai, which is located in the center of Amboseli National Park. The Ol Tukai is known for its woodland yellow fever and doum palm trees, and its name, Ol Tukai, is a Swahili word that means “a cool retreat for elephants”
Amboseli National Park is home to stunning African safari animals in addition to the lovely herds of elephants, including cape buffalo, lions, cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas, masai giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, impalas, hippos, and many more.
LAKES
The western portion of Amboseli National Park is home to a series of seasonal lakes that were once part of an ancient Pleistocene lake. These lakes are usually filled with water during the rainy season. There are numerous lakes here, but the major ones include
Lake Amboseli
Lake Simek
Lake Conch
Lake Kioko
BIRDLIFE
More than 400 bird species have been identified as dwelling in the savannah plains and woodland galleries of Amboseli National Park, making it a well-known and great location for Kenya birding viewing excursions. The birds in the park are divided into groups based on their habitat.
Water-associated birds including egrets, herons, pelicans, crowned cranes, and significant concentrations of flamingos live in the marshes around lakes. The flamingos in Amboseli National Park are present during the wet seasons, which are from March to May and from October to December. Ground birds like Hartlaub’s bustard, localized pangani, and many others live in and may be seen best in the grassland regions of Amboseli National Park.
Other birds in Amboseli national park include African jacanas, African swamp hens, goliath herons, grey crane cranes, Eurasia thick knees, long toed lapwings, pagani longclaws, rufous chatterers, rufous bellied herons, spike heeled larks, steel blue whydahs, taveta golden weavers, von der Decken’s horn bills, yellow necked spurfowls and many more.
Amboseli National Park is a great place to go on a birding trip in Kenya because it has a variety of great places to see birds. The finest places to see water birds are around the banks of Kioko Lake, Simek Lake, Conch Lake, and Amboseli Lake.
MARSHES
The central region of Amboseli National Park is home to a number of marshes and swamps that serve as an important source of water for the park’s animals. These marshes stand out in the park’s arid and dusty plains because of their vivid green color. Enkongo or Ngong, Narok Narok Engone, Ol Tukai, Longinye, Ol Okenya, and Naibor are some of the marshes in Amboseli National Park.
Marshes in Amboseli National Park are nourished by spring water that seeps through the volcanic soils of the valley and reemerges in the marshes of the park from Mountain Kilimanjaro’s melting snow. their locations include grasslands, acacia woods, and many more. The only permanent water sources in the park are marshes and swamps, which draw a variety of animals to them to drink water. Marshes and swamps are excellent places to spot animals like hippos, elephants, and many birds like herons, black-winged stilts, kingfishers, egrets, white pelicans e.t.c.
OBSERVATION HILL
In the western part of Amboseli National Park is the pyramid-shaped hill known as the observation hill. The Ndorobo hunters and gatherers once lived on this hill, and some of their traces can still be seen today. As a result, the Masai gave the location the name nomatior, which means “the place of pottery.” According to legend, Pleistocene activity caused the observation hill to arise during the construction of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The observation hill has a spiral staircase made of volcanic rocks that visitors use to go to the hill’s peak, also known as the Observation point.
Only at the observation hill in Amboseli National Park are visitors on a Kenya game viewing safari permitted to disembark from their safari vehicles and take a stroll into the park. From the hill’s vantage point, you can see Amboseli’s wetlands, marshes, savannah plains, and a variety of animals from all sides.
ELEPHANT RESEARCH CAMP
The research about elephants in Amboseli National Park is led by Dr. Cynthia Moss, whose work is documented in books like The Amboseli Elephants and Elephant Memories. The elephant research camp in Amboseli National Park focuses on carrying out more research about the park’s elephants, which are listed among the most studied elephants in the world. Dr. Cynthia Moss is also the creator of the well-known documentary DVD titled Echo of the Elephants.
The Amboseli Trust for Elephants manages the elephant study camp, which is located in the middle of Amboseli National Park. This camp is not accessible to casual visitors on safaris. An organized one-hour lecture is held at the elephant research camp, during which researchers discuss their work and other pertinent subjects relating to the conservation of elephants.
THE SCENIC BACKDROP OF THE SNOWCAPPED SUMMIT OF MOUNTAIN KILIMANJARO
The snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in Africa with a height of 5,895 meters above sea level, provides a picturesque backdrop for Amboseli National Park. The snowcapped top of Mount Kilimanjaro produces a very impressive scenic view that is perfect for photography. It dominates the area and is clearly seen from Amboseli National Park.
Amboseli national park can be accessed by road and by flight.
By road;
The drive from Nairobi to Amboseli national park takes about 5 to 6 hours.
By flight;
Flights to Amboseli national park can be got from Nairobi to Amboseli airstrip.
All year round
