The Amboseli National Park is well worth a visit if you are going to Kenya for a safari experience. Apart from the wonderful wildlife it contains, you will also be afforded magnificent views of Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance.
Wildlife Viewing
This national park is renowned for its elephant population and there are vast herds of them roaming around the area including bulls with some of the biggest ivory tusks in Africa.
But the large, grey pachyderms are not all you can see, as there is the full complement of predators in the form of lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena and jackal to name a few. And then of course there are antelopes and gazelles such as the telescopic necked gerenuk and the huge eland.
Black Rhino are a great attraction here but they are shy so finding one is easier said than done. Bird species abound so if bird watching is an interest of yours, Amboseli will not disappoint.
Best Times To Go
Long, drenching rains fall from April until June and then the thunderstorm season gets underway in November and December. You can still go on safari there during these times but heavy rain puts a bit of a damper on wildlife viewing so it's better to wait until the rainy season is over.
Accommodation and Facts
There are a number of really good safari lodges in this area such as Tortilis and Porini camps, Ol Tukai and the Sopa and Serena lodges.
This is not a large park at only 392 square km but because it is so easily accessible it forms a very popular part of the safari circuit in Kenya. Many people rate it as the second-best reserve in the country, trumped only by the Masai Mara.
The volcanic dust that is especially prevalent during the dry season can be a source of irritation, especially when it comes to camera equipment. Make sure you take precautions like dust covers to prevent potential damage from occurring.
I've had a camera seize up on me on safari before, and it's not a good position to be in, especially when the replacement camera is not as effective as the one that's broken down.
Best Amboseli National Park Safari Operators
Choosing between the large number of safari tours available to Amboseli can be a very tricky business. But if you use African Safari Journals to gain an objective and first-hand view of what a safari there is really like, then it becomes child's play.
The safari reviews are written and photographed by people who have already been on Amboseli safaris using one of the numerous operators. The results of all the trip reports have been used to compile a Top Three Amboseli National Park safari companies list.
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