Amboseli National Park

My first glimpse of African wildlife, extraordinary wildlife and beautiful landscapes

Well, Amboseli was our first stop of our 13 day expedition in Kenya. Something that we read when planning our trip was that most people try to skip Amboseli and Aberdare and spend more time in Maasai Mara, but we decided not to and yes, we were rewarded. You don't get the same type of giraffes in Maasai to begin with, so you'd lose out on that.
Amboseli was simply great, really loved the landscapes which included Mt. Kilimanjaro. We were lucky enough to see herds of elephants, giraffes, zebras and a group of flamingos. The weather was chilly during the day and rather cold in the night (I'm from Sri Lanka and it gets pretty hot here, 34 degrees during the day). My highlight at Amboseli was when we tried taking photographs of the milky way over Mt. Kilimanjaro at about 1AM. It was freezing, but I managed to get a few shots of the night sky in all its glory. (must do, if you're a photographer). One of the travellers in our group (my mother) is a bird watcher and she spotted quite a few number of birds in Amboseli.

We stayed one night and that was at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge. The hotel was good and the food was excellent. A small note to travellers coming in from hot climate countries, you might want to wear winter clothes when you go to bed since it gets very cold during the night. Transportation and guides were brilliant, they were the same two guides we had for the whole stay in Kenya. We travelled about in two safari ready luxury coaches with plenty of space for the eleven us + baggage.

Remember - Do not skip Amboseli :)

I had a wonderful wildlife experience at Amboseli National Park

We were a group of 8 photographers, and we stayed at Amboseli Serina lodge for two nights. We were very pleased with our accommodation and food at the lodge. As we went just after the rains, the park was lush green everywhere. The wild animals had babies with them and it was a pleasure to watch the baby elephants with their mothers and their families. The bird life was less than we had expected , but the ambience of this park with the Mount Kilimanjaro at the background was breath taking. We photographed elephants blowing dust at each other and also baby elephants playing in the mud. The scenery was wonderful and we took sunset and sunrise photos at Amboseli with elephants and water holes in the foreground.
We experienced good weather, no rain and the temperatures were cooler than I had expected. The climate was very pleasant indeed. We travelled with Arunga tours and we had two very capable drivers /guides for our two four wheel drive vans. I would recommend Amboseli National Park to any traveller who appreciate wildlife

Being a smaller park it does not have much of a bush vibe but offers plenty in term of wildlie, birds and scenic beauty. Kilimanjaro stands tall on clear mornings. Good place for birding enthusiasts, the marsh offers opportunity to spot storks and water birds.

Lots of elephants and views of Mt. Kilimanjaro at Amboseli National Park

Amboseli had a very large number of elephant herds in addition to the scenic backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Fortunately, the mountain was clearly visible each afternoon we were there, providing some great photo-ops with the wildlife in the foreground. While not the largest park we encountered in Kenya, it was still very big and provided a fairly diverse range of wildlife (from elephants, hippos, zebra, hyenas and lions) as well as topography. We hiked up Observation Hill for a very nice view of Kilimanjaro. Our accommodations were at Amboseli Sentrim Camp which was very nice for both our room and food. Our Kenyan driver was fantastic (provided by Vintage Africa Tours), and his knowledge of the area was extensive.

You will see the biggest elephants! Their horns are huge and the landscape is really interesting.

At Amboseli National Park (Kenya) you are guaranteed to meet the African plains elephant

Between the dates of June 21st - 26th 2015, I was at Amboseli National Park in Kenya, a park that is four hours drive away from the capital city in Nairobi. Alternatively you have flights from Wilson airport in Nairobi. At the entrance of the park we were greeted with a heavy presence of a stern but friendly security agents.
The park, located on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa (the highest free standing mountain on earth); boasts a high concentration of African plains elephants and a healthy population of spotted hyenas. I didn't get to see lions but felt their presence every night as they declared their dominance of the animal kingdom with roars that silenced all night sounds including the sounds of night insects.
The temperatures at the park varied from hot during the day to relatively cold at night. But I enjoyed my stay at Amboseli Serena lodge where they had extra beddings for those averse to cold nights like me. The food at my hotel was satisfactory and the breakfast superb.
The community surrounding the park are a friendly lot and add to the relaxed atmosphere. A downside to my stay at the park was that the game drives are a dusty affair and I should have carried a dust mask with me. Overall I give Amboseli a thumbs up for the elephant population.

Amboseli National Park offers a wide variety of scenic views and landscapes. Amboseli is close to Kilimanjaro and therefore especially offers nice views of the mountain, usually with animals in front. The roads are 'better' than in other parks, making it easier to drive on your own ('better' if you want to drive by your self, but worse if you want a genuine off-road experience, like in Buffalo Springs National Reserve).
When booking accommodation, make sure to do your research. We booked what a local travel agency said was a five star hotel (Serena) but it was far from! I would not recommend staying there unless three star with mainly an indian buffet is what you're seeking.
While at Amboseli, you should also go to the viewing point on top of a hill (ask at hotel where it is or if going on an arranged trip, the guide should know) for a 360 view of the park.

Elephant Haven and Kilimajaro the best !

This is a wonderful park for elephants and for wetland birdlife. The sunset views of Kilimanjaro and the elephants in the foreground are quintessential Africa

Amboseli is the place to go if you want to see elephants. We saw so many elephants and up very close. It was unbelievable. There were many baby elephants too, which were really cute. It was fun watching them playing in the mud and washing themselves. The road to Amboseli is fantastic - new tarmac road the whole way and completely free of traffic.

Amboselli is far more than just elephants.