Amboseli: Kilimanjaro’s kingdom
Amboseli: Kilimanjaro’s kingdom
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Amboseli delivers the ultimate image: massively-tusked elephants posed against the legendary snows of Kilimanjaro. Compact and dotted with swamps in which hundreds of elephants love to wallow, it also promises the unusual sight of hippos arising from pelicanfilled lakes to walk the classic rolling savannah.
Amboseli at a glance
Towered over by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, Amboseli is one of Kenya’s oldest and most-visited safari destinations. A place of rolling savannah, dense acacia forests, and huge papyrus swamps, its panoramic vistas make it revered by Hollywood professionals and amateur photographers alike.
Unrivaled for a glorious game and big cats
Amboseli is the stronghold of East Africa’s elephants. Around 1600 of the world’s largest elephants (in body size and tusk) roam the park and its surrounding conservancies. The park promises prime game viewing all year-round including buffalo, hyena, wildebeest, zebra, and giraffe. It also hosts numerous lion pride and is an excellent venue for cheetah spotting. Over 425 bird species have been recorded here, including over 40 species of birds of prey, amongst which are two great rarities, the Taita falcon and the southern banded harrier eagle
Essential Amboseli
> Climb Observation Hill for superb views of Kilimanjaro and unrivaled game-spotting.
> Visit the causeway drive – the finest place in Kenya to see hippos on land and in water.
Ancestral Maasai land
Originally established as a sanctuary for the Maasai people in 1906, Amboseli became a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1991. Today it is one of the few game reserves where you’ll encounter the Maasai and their herds existing alongside the wildlife.
The park is also encircled by a broad range of Maasai-owned conservancies, which provide unique opportunities for authentic visits to villages and craft markets. Staying in one of Amboseli’s community conservancies directly benefits the Maasai landowners.
Elephant conservation
The elephants of Amboseli have thrived as a result of one of the world’s longest research projects - the Amboseli Trust for Elephants (www.elephanttrust.org), which began work in 1972. The Trust works alongside the world‘s most famous elephant orphanage, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which rescues and rehabilitates baby elephants in the park.
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Factfile
Location: Amboseli lies 230 km south of Nairobi, close to the Tanzanian border.
Accommodation: Amboseli and its surrounding conservancies offer an unrivalled range of classic safari lodges, luxury tented camps, Maasai lodges and pocket-friendly campsites.
How to get there: The park is easily accessed by road, and by air from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport.
Amboseli tours
Simba Safari – KS8A
‘Simba’ means ‘lion’ in Swahili. A budget safari that delivers optimum variety in the minimum time without…
Masai Mara Safari – KS4
For those with limited time looking for a value-added safari that highlights Kenya’s most famous sights, this…
SkySafari Kenya Classic – SSKC
This exclusive flying safari showcases some of Kenya’s most famous and most diverse wilderness areas, while travelling…
Amboseli features
How Kenya is saving the African Wild Dog
African wild dogs, also known as painted wolves or Cape hunting dogs, have seen drastic population declines over recent decades. In this article from 2017, we looked at Kenya’s efforts to save the African wild dog from extinction, and discovered how these endangered animals are beginning to recover here. Painted wolves in the morning The…
Kristin Davis – Why I Love Kenya
American actress Kristin Davis is perhaps best-known for her role as Charlotte York Goldenblatt in the American TV series Sex and the City for which she received a 2004 Emmy Award nomination. She also starred in the films Sex and the City 2008 and 2010. A Global Ambassador for Oxfam, Kristin is also a ‘High…
Friends with benefits: taking a ride with an oxpecker
It’s a common sight: a small bird with a bright red beak is taking a ride on a zebra. It might be perched on its neck or riding between its ears. The zebra doesn’t seem to mind and the bird seems to be having fun. With good reason. Bed and breakfast The bird, which is…
A Mother’s Love
Elephants are expressive creatures. They display joy, anger, grief, compassion and love. But a mother’s love for her calf is the strongest emotion of all. Elephant mothers carry their babies for almost two years before giving birth. Mother and child remain in constant touch, the calf never straying more than a trunk’s length from its…
How the Maasai Olympics have aided lion conservation in the Amboseli-Tsavo region
In this article, we learn how the Maasai community has worked with the Big Life Foundation to establish the Maasai Olympics. And we see how this has had a profound impact, not only on lion conservation, but also on community empowerment. A decade ago, a deputation of Maasai elders strode onto the ranch of a…
Planning a Maasai wedding
A Maasai-themed wedding in the wilderness is a magical option for your big day. And, as with all Maasai ceremonies, the wedding will be a riot of sound, colour and joy.
A Maasai village visit
One of the highlights of a visit to Kenya is the chance of experiencing an authentic Maasai village visit. Such visits will generally be arranged by your tour guide or lodge and are well worth doing. This feature aims to give you an idea what to expect of your visit. Once outside the boundaries of…
Horse riding in Kenya
Imagine galloping across the plains alongside a herd of giraffe, riding up to an elephant, or watching the migration unfold from your saddle. Enjoying a short ride or a full horseback safari in Kenya is an exhilarating experience and a very popular choice. Rides for all abilities Kenya has a long history of conducting horse…
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