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Have you ever seen a photo of an elephant wandering across the savanna with a huge snow-clad mountain in the background? It is hugely popular on the front of travel magazines about Africa and the place to see this surreal scene for real is Amboseli NP.
This is one national park you should not miss when planning your trip to Africa with Tripindigo as it is one of the best places in Africa to see wildlife as the vegetation is sparse due to the dry climate.
The name Amboseli comes from a Masai word meaning ‘salty dust’. The national park is situated close to the Tanzanian border and Mt Kilimanjaro is the imposing backdrop to the south.
The reasons Amboseli NP is so incredibly popular are:
Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is most often visible in the morning. Make sure you don’t miss the early morning game drive for a chance to capture the quintessential African photo of an elephant walking on the grasslands with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background. This photo can only be taken in Amboseli NP!
Amboseli NP is the place where you are pretty much guaranteed to see elephants, as much of the water that comes down the highest mountain in Africa (Kilimanjaro), resurfaces in Amboseli, attracting herds of elephants, and a lot of other animals, year-round.
All the water coming down from Kilimanjaro creates huge wetland areas in Amboseli NP. One of the most impressive things to see are just the backs of the enormous elephants sticking out as they slowly walk through these wetlands whilst eating to their heart’s content from the food all around them.
Sightings of other wildlife, especially other water loving animals like the waterbuck, the hippo, and the Bohor reedbuck as well as many birds and water birds are also very impressive in Amboseli NP, but don’t expect the same number of animals you see in the Masai Mara as this is a much smaller national park. The smaller size park does mean you can see most of it in 2-3 days.
Many Masai live in the Amboseli area and most of the lodges offer a cultural visit to a village as an optional extra, this is a great way to learn more about the local culture.
The fastest way to get to Amboseli NP is to fly to the designated airstrip inside the national park. Your accommodation will arrange to pick you up from the airstrip and your game viewing will start straight away as you drive to your lodge or camp, although you might have already been lucky enough to spot wildlife from the plane when coming into landing on the grassy airstrip.
It is also possible to drive to Amboseli NP. It takes approximately 3-4 hours to drive from Nairobi to the Meshanani gate, depending on how much traffic is on the road when driving out of Nairobi. Keep an eye out for wildlife on your way to the national park as there are no fences around Amboseli and animals can be spotted on pretty much the entire drive from Nairobi, but especially once you leave the tarmac.
Book your cheap flight to Amboseli with Tripindigo and watch the elephants stride majestically in front of the Kilimanjaro backdrop.
Kenya has a dry season from June to October, a wet season called ‘short rains’ in November and December, another dry spell in January and February, followed by the ‘long rains’ in March, April, and May. The southern hemisphere winter means June, July, and August are the coolest months, with temperatures averaging 27°C / 80°F.
As with most areas in Kenya, it is best to visit Amboseli in the dry period from June to October. But also the short rain months of November and December are excellent for visiting Amboseli. As Amboseli gets its water supply directly from Kilimanjaro, there is never a shortage of water. This guarantees you will see elephants as they come here especially during the dry season.
If you are able to avoid the busy season like the school holidays around the European summer months of July and August and the Christmas break, you will find a quieter Amboseli and still have excellent wildlife viewing. The months June, September, October, November, first half of December, January, and February are all excellent times to avoid the crowds.
Most people avoid the rainy season in Amboseli NP from March till May. April is the wettest month.
There are always lots of birds in Amboseli, but if you want to add even more species you should visit from October to April. During this period Amboseli is visited by many migratory birds.
ASV to Malindi (MYD) 271.6875 USD ASV to Masai Mara - Angama Mara (ARA) Search Now for Prices! ASV to Masai Mara - Keekorok (KEE) 370 USD ASV to Masai Mara - Kichwa Tembo (KTC) 370 USD ASV to Masai Mara - Musiara (MUS) 370 USD ASV to Masai Mara - Ngerende (MSC) 370 USD ASV to Masai Mara - North (MNC) 370 USD ASV to Masai Mara - Olkiombo (OLK) 370 USD ASV to Masai Mara - Olseki (OLS) Search Now for Prices! ASV to Masai Mara - Serena (SER) 370 USD ASV to Mombasa (MBA) 271.6875 USD ASV to Nairobi Wilson (WIL) 177 USD ASV to Ol Donyo (ODW) Search Now for Prices! ASV to Tsavo - Finch Hatton (FIH) Search Now for Prices! ASV to Tsavo - Kilaguni (KGN) Search Now for Prices! ASV to Tsavo - Voi (VOI) Search Now for Prices! ASV to Ukunda Diani (UKA) 271.6875 USD
Malindi (MYD) to ASV 271.6875 USD Masai Mara - Angama Mara (ARA) to ASV Search Now for Prices! Masai Mara - Keekorok (KEE) to ASV 370 USD Masai Mara - Kichwa Tembo (KTC) to ASV 370 USD Masai Mara - Musiara (MUS) to ASV 370 USD Masai Mara - Ngerende (MSC) to ASV 370 USD Masai Mara - North (MNC) to ASV 370 USD Masai Mara - Olkiombo (OLK) to ASV 370 USD Masai Mara - Olseki (OLS) to ASV Search Now for Prices! Masai Mara - Serena (SER) to ASV 370 USD Mombasa (MBA) to ASV 271.6875 USD Nairobi Wilson (WIL) to ASV 177 USD Ol Donyo (ODW) to ASV Search Now for Prices! Tsavo - Finch Hatton (FIH) to ASV Search Now for Prices! Tsavo - Kilaguni (KGN) to ASV Search Now for Prices! Tsavo - Voi (VOI) to ASV Search Now for Prices! Ukunda Diani (UKA) to ASV 271.6875 USD
When staying at any lodge in or near Amboseli NP, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be included. All lodges will be able to cater for any dietary requirements.
There are not many options to stay inside Amboseli NP, but many lodges and camps are located just outside the boundaries of the national park. The lodges inside the national park are generally more expensive than those just outside the boundaries of the national park.
If it is important to you to stay within the national park boundaries, make sure you check very closely if your accommodation is inside Amboseli NP or in Amboseli (the name of the area).
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