Why Kenya’s Amboseli Should Be Your Next Travel Destination

Amboseli National Park is a spectacular venture into Kenya’s wildlife and untamed landscape, and here’s why it should be on your bucket list.

Amboseli National Park is one of the best destinations that tourists visit in Kenya, and hence one that you should consider. It is located in Kenya’s Kajiado County and is near the Kenya and Tanzania border, covering about 392 square kilometers. The term Amboseli was derived from the Maasai word “salty dust” and is often considered as a land of giants.

Various travelers have accredited that visiting Amboseli is a wise decision due to the following reasons.

10 Easily Accessed

Tourists are able to access Amboseli National park by both air and road since it is about 216 kilometers from Kenya’s capital city Nairobi, which is also considered most safaris’ starting point. Road transportation can either be by private or public means. On the other hand, air transportation takes place through domestic flights scheduled from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Amboseli Airport. According to experienced visitors, road transportation can take one about 4 to 5 hours, considering that one could have a lunch break in the process.

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9 Lake Amboseli

Kenya has a few lakes and Lake Amboseli turns out to be among the most interesting. Its presence is always dependent on the seasons and so visitors may find it parched and dry during the dry season. The fun parts are the unusual mirages that form as the heat shimmers off the salty and dry surface. On the other hand, the rainy season causes it to fill up with some shallow waters that are about 2 feet deep. As a result of this occurrence, this enormous lake forms a vast mirror that reflects the savannah and sky. Many tourists find such views quite unique.

8 Elephants

Elephants have been the most endangered animals across the world due to the poaching crisis. However, the Amboseli National Park has managed to reduce their deaths so that tourists from other nations can view these wonderful creatures. This has been possible through the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, community-owned conservancies around the park, and running studies on elephants. There are about 1500 elephants that travel in herds of 100 individuals. They include tiny babies to old matriarchs exceeding 60 years of age. Some tourists have been lucky enough to witness the birth of newborns, which creates amazing memories of their visits.

7 Bird-Watching

A national park is definitely incomplete if there are no birds to watch. In Amboseli, travelers get to see some of the rarest bird species due to their nature. For instance, as it exists in its rain shadow, water that flows underground originating from the mountain is known to form swamps that never dry up all year long. As a result, there are habitats for various bird species. With over 420 bird species, including the shoebill that has quite a unique look; tourists get to see birds that they never thought existed. During the wet seasons, numerous flamingos land in the park and turn the view of the swamps into hazy pink, thus creating a spectacular view.

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6 Tree Climbing Lions

Most people believe that lions are only meant to roam the earth and hardly climb trees meaning that very few can believe that they actually climb trees. Well, the lions at Amboseli have proven many wrong. The national park has many forest trees and scrub. As a result, lions use their branches to rest and thus provide tourists with thrilling and unique moments. There are more than 100 individuals in Amboseli and the animals can either be spotted walking across the vegetation that includes savannah plains or on the tree especially early in the morning or evening.

5 Variety Of Other Animals

Amboseli national park hosts more animals than lions, elephants, and birds. It is home to a variety of others that have thrived for years in this location and multiplied over time. Basically, there are about 50 mammal species present. They include herds of gazelles, buffalos, zebras, wildebeests, and giraffes. It is important to know that there are two types of gazelles; the grant’s and Thomason’s gazelles. Other animals include monkeys, wild dogs, as well as olive and yellow baboons, among others. Travelers can easily spot these creatures at watering holes or in the savannah grassland plains.

4 Views Of Mountain Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and Amboseli national park provides a perfect view of its snow-capped peaks. It stands at about 5,895 meters above sea level and one can view it without much struggle from Amboseli and even take clear photos. Some of the interesting facts about this mountain are that it is a dormant volcano consisting of three volcanic cones. They are named Shira, Mawenzi, and Kibo. Many tourists find the scenic view quite thrilling because seeing it is much better than simply hearing about it.

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3 Various Of Hotels

Being far away from home, tourists need great hotels to spend in as they explore the Amboseli national park. There are multiple options inside and outside the park. Inside the park, there are the Ol Tukai Lodge, Amboseli Serena, and Tortilis Camp. These are quite recommendable because they give tourists the thrill of being around animals at night. On the other hand, Tawi Lodge and Amboseli Sopa are also available externally. However, booking could be problematic and inconvenient when it comes to accessing the park for each day’s game drive.

2 Selenkay Conservation Area

The Selenkay Conservation Area adjoins the national park as a pioneer of Kenya’s community conservation. It is a space where wildlife roams and can be viewed on foot or by vehicles. A maximum of 20 guests are allowed to stay at a time in this conservancy remote camp for better intimate, unique, and cultural safari experiences.

1 Easy Access To Other National Parks

Many tourists visit Kenya with the intention of visiting multiple national parks. Amboseli makes it easier to connect with other parks such as Tsavo West national park, which is only 127 kilometers away. It also simplifies movement from Kenya to Tanzania destinations through the northern safari circuit that includes Serengeti national park. Basically, tourists can go to other areas like Ngorongoro crater and Tarangire national park after having fun at Amboseli.

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