Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is located in the Rift Valley province, close
to the Tanzanian border northwest of Kilimanjaro, approximately 220-240kms
southeast of Nairobi, depending upon which entrance to the park you
use.
Although one of the smallest parks in Kenya, at approx 395 sq km,
Amboseli is one of Kenya's most popular for a
safari (second to
Masai Mara). The spectacular views of Mount
Kilimanjaro, (Africa's highest peak located in
Tanzania), coupled with the variety and
abundance of wildlife, draws the visitors in.
Amboseli is most famed
for its' large herds of
elephants which are easy to see and
photograph, due to the flat and open terrain. Wildlife to be found in the park
include
wildebeest and Burchell's
zebra,
giraffe,
lions, spotted hyenas, wild cats, jackals,
caracals, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, waterbuck, impala,
black rhino,
buffalo,
warthog and dik-dik. There are over 420
species of birds
The huge Amboseli Lake takes up most the northwestern
area of the park, most of the year it is a dry dusty bed. During the wet
season, the rains flood the lake bed and the surrounding area. The rest of the
park is mainly swamp land and savannah grassland with very few
trees.
The best time to visit is May through to December, with July and
August being the busiest months. Temperature ranges from 20-30 c and rainfall
from 200mm – 700 mm. The are 2 raining seasons: Long rains–March
& April and the short rains – Nov/ December
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