Amboseli National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Anthony is the author of the Lonely Planet guide to Kenya.

Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s most popular destinations and offers great wildlife viewing. The park is famous for its elephants, but most big safari animals can be spotted here. While black rhino is no longer found in Amboseli, and leopard are very rarely seen, the other three of the Big Five are present. The open plains can be excellent for seeing cheetah. The plains also support an abundance of large herbivores, including wildebeest, plains zebra, and Grant's and Thomson's gazelle.

ElephantAbundant

GiraffeCommon

HippoCommon

BuffaloAbundant

ZebraAbundant

WildebeestAbundant

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionOccasional

LeopardRare to None

CheetahOccasional

HyenaCommon

Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

Elephants are Amboseli’s specialty. Big herds roam the dusty plains morning and evening. During the day many elephants spend their time partially submerged, foraging in the park’s swamps. Having been protected from poaching, Amboseli’s elephants carry impressive ivory and are very relaxed around cars. Cheetah and lion sightings are fairly common. There’s also a signposted spotted hyena den, 4km/2.5mi northeast of the airstrip. Watch for bohor reedbuck lying low in the grass.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Amboseli can be visited throughout the year, but the best wildlife watching is in the Dry season (June to October) when animals gather around marshes and other predictable water sources. When it’s dry, animals crossing the sandy plains kick up a lot of dust, offering great photo opportunities in the late afternoon. The dry spell between the rains, from January to February, can also be a great time for wildlife viewing.