Amboseli National Park is the spectacular backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 5,894m (19,340 ft).
AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

safari tour operators in kenya The real attraction of Amboseli National Park is the spectacular backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 5,894m (19,340 ft). Amboseli is also one of the best parks in Kenya to see elephant and there are big numbers of buffalo, lion, giraffe, hyena, cheetah and a variety of smaller carnivores and antelope species.

The 390 sq km park (150 sq miles) is probably the most crowded in Kenya and at times it has been turned into a dust bowl. The lack of vegetation and the flat land make Kilimanjaro seem so close but it in fact 48 kms (more than 30 miles) from the Park and located in Tanzania.

The park is largely arid land of acacia and tall savannah grasses and in such an exposed landscape the animals are easy to observe. In places, subterranean springs have transformed the plain into marshland. Constantly changing, the springs have a determining influence on life in the park. In recent times infiltrated by salt water, they are modifying the ecosystem, causing the loss of certain plant species. The continual changes can, however, have a beneficial effect as the general rise of the water table now attracts increasing numbers of pink flamingos and pelicans.

This region is home to the nomadic Masai people and you will see their circular manyattas (villages), surrounded by thorny scrub fences, scattered across the plains.

This is a great park for photography as big herds of wildlife at close quarters are often to be found passing by snow covered Kilimanjaro.