Amboseli National Park

Pros & Cons

• Excellent wildlife viewing
• Four of the Big Five are easily found (rhino excluded)
• Outstanding elephant sightings
• Views of Kilimanjaro on clear days
• Excellent birding, especially waterbirds in swamp habitat
• Good range of accommodation catering to different budgets and styles
• The park gets very busy, especially in the high season
• Big cats are relatively hard to spot

Wildlife

Amboseli offers great wildlife viewing, and four of the Big Five are present. Rhinos are absent, but big herds of elephants reliably move to and from the marshy swamps in the center of the park. Buffalo, wildebeest, Burchell's zebra and gazelle are all very common. Lions are the easiest to spot of the big cats, but sightings are hit-and-miss.

• More about Amboseli's wildlife

Scenery

The park encloses an interesting variety of habitats including dusty plains and marshy swamps, but it is the backdrop of snow-capped Kilimanjaro towering above the Amboseli plains that attracts most visitors to this scenic park.

Weather & Climate

In Amboseli, the average daytime temperature sits around a hot 28°C/82°F, while at night, the average doesn’t go much lower than a warm 15°C/59°F. Temperatures peak towards the end of the Wet season (October to May), with the April heat particularly fierce. Things cool down a little in the Dry season (June to September), after the downpours of the ‘long rains’, and before the lighter showers of the ‘short rains’.

• More about the weather and climate

Best Time to Visit

The two drier periods of the year, between the area’s short and long patches of rainfall, and in the Dry season proper (June to September), are the best times to visit. Your game drive won’t be ruined by rain, and the animals can’t hide in the thin vegetation. The park does get quite busy at these times, however.

• More about the best time to visit

Want to Visit Amboseli NP?

• Amboseli safaris and tours
• Tour operators for Amboseli