Located 140km south of the capital city Nairobi, neighboring Tanzania is Amboseli National Park; it derives its name from Masai Amboseli Game Reserve, which is situated in Kajiado County, Kenya. The park is 39,206 hectares with a size of 8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that runs across the Kenya-Tanzania border. Its neighboring area is occupied by the nomadic Masai people who refer ‘Amboseli’ to ‘salty dusty place’ in their local language. The park has 5 gates that make accessing it easy, these include the Airstrip gate, the Kulunyiet gate, Iremito gate, Meshanani gate as well as the Kitirua gate.
On a serious note, this is the second-most famous national park in Kenya after Masai Mara National Reserve. It was back in 1906 when Amboseli was designated as a southern reserve for the Masai, before turning it as a game reserve in 1948 under the control of the residents; then 1974, the area was pronounced a national park in 1974 to the main unique ecosystem and declared a UNESCO site in 1991. This park protects two of the five main swamps, namely; a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semiarid vegetation.
The Amboseli national park experiences 2 showers of rainy seasons every year, with long rains lasting only 2 months starting from March to the end of April while the short rains start in November to the end of December translating to 200mm and 700mm.
Amazingly, you can see the soaring Mountain Kilimanjaro right from the park; this breathtaking view is home to several stunning wild animals that can be spotted here. While in the park, Mountain Kilimanjaro is best viewed in the morning, while enjoying a very rewarding game drive experience.
The five habitats that occupy this destination include the open plains, acacia woodland, and thorn bush country littered with rocks, swamps, and marshland. It is also true that vast part of the park seats across a Pleistocene lake basin, though dry, furthermore, in very wet weather, Lake Amboseli which is temporary in nature, floods and restricts access to this part of the park. The park’s climate is mainly hot and dry since a good part of the park falls in the rain shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro.
This park offers some rewarding opportunities for sighting African wildlife because of its bare vegetation caused by the long, dry months. It is home to African bush elephant, Cape buffalo, impala, lion, cheetah, spotted hyena, Masai giraffe, Grant’s zebra, and blue wildebeest not ignoring the large and small bird species in the area
It is also important to know that Amboseli National Park is home to the sought after famous ‘big 5’ namely the black rhinos, cape buffaloes, elephants, leopards, and the Masai lions. Besides these, other gem includes the wildebeests, cheetahs, plain zebras, crocodiles, and giraffes as well as hyenas to mention but a few.
Visitors also have chances of encountering a variety of impressive selection of bird species living within the park boundaries namely; the secretary birds, pied kingfishers, great white pelicans, malachite kingfishers, fish eagles, crowned cranes, and the lilac-breasted roller which is the national bird for Kenya,
Amboseli national park is renowned for being the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants, which are plentiful and ever-present from the plains to the wetlands. Evidence shows that the number of elephants is becoming plentiful in the plains, yet the trees that support them are disappearing, however, efforts are made to preserve this treasure and derive ways to secure the environment.
Interesting, your visit to this park guarantees you an encounter with one of the Masai communities in the area who entertains guests with traditional dances and real cultural experiences. Besides that, you can enjoy birding, game drive, nature walk and hiking among others.
While in Amboseli national park, there are set rules to be followed such as; Never leave the vehicle, except at designated spots, don’t scare the wildlife since you are in there territory, keep to the designated tracks, avoid off-road driving, always respect the animal right.
Amboseli national park can be accessed by both road and air transport, by Air, the plane will land at Empusel gate airstrip or at the airstrips that are located at Kilimanjaro Buffalo lodge and Namangan town Emali on the Mombasa Road. Access Mombasa through Tsavo West National park via Kimana Gate
Then by road, the main road leading to the park passes via Namanga on the Nairobi-Arusha road through Meshanani gate. Optionally, you can use the route from Nairobi via Emali on the Mombasa Road through the Meshanani gate.
Amboseli National Park is open to visitors all year round.
Amboseli National park is one perfect destination for all visitors who desire to engage in a rewarding wildlife experience, it has offered ultimate products and gives you a chance of spotting the historic Mountain Kilimanjaro in the background. I now believe that after reading this article, you will be able to choose Amboseli as your next destination in Africa and Kenya in particular.
