Amboseli National Park is famous for its big game - elephants, lions and cheetahs are the main attractions - and for its great scenic beauty.  It is situated approximately 230km's from Nairobi.  The best time to visit is probably between July and October when it is not as hot but warm and dry.  The park covers an area of approximately 392km².

The landscape is dominated by the glistening majestic snow cap of mount Kilimanjaro immediately to the south.

One of the most popular national parks in Kenya, Amboseli offers a wide range of accommodation inside the park as well as a number of small tented lodges just outside the park boundaries. 

Wildlife found here includes elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, maasai giraffe and buffalo. Also common game such as zebra, eland, coke's hartebeest, white-bearded Gnu, waterbuck, Thomsons and Grant gazelle and impala. Black rhinos are seen though occasionally.  It is most famous for its large herds of elephants.

In the dry bush country towards Namanga you can find two interesting antelopes; the long -necked gerenuk (giraffe-necked antelope) and the fringe-eared oryx. In addition are smaller animals such as; black faced vervet monkey and yellow baboon, black-backed jackals, spotted hyena and bat-eared foxes which are often seen basking in the sun outside their dens.

Bird life is in abundance, more than 400 different species, especially near the lakes and swamps where you may find water birds. The Madagascar Squacco Heron shows up in intervals and the long toed lapwing is a resident in small numbers.  Birds of prey include the six species of vultures, the Taita falcon and the Southern branded Harrier eagle.

 

This is also Maasai country and a visit to a Maasai village is a great extra to see the facinating culture of these nomadic people who have lived in harmony with nature for centuries.