Location: 230 km (142 mi) South of Nairobi Map
Area: 392 km²
Tel. 0456 22251
Open: 6am- 7pm daily
Amboseli National Park is located in Kajiado County, Kenya. The park covers an area if 39 206 hectares (392 km²) in the center of an 8000 km² ecosystem, which spreads across the border between Kenya and Tanzania. The local people are mainly the Masai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the tourism success driven by the economy and intensive agriculture along the marsh system that make this area of low rainfall (average 350 mm) one of the best wildlife observation experiences in the world, with 400 species of birds, including waterfowl, pelicans, and 47 types of birds of prey. In 1991 Amboseli National Park was declared a biosphere reserve.
Joseph Thomson was the first European to fall into
the Empusel region (in the Maasai language means “salt dust”) of the
Maasai tribe in 1883. It was struck by many wild animals and the
contrast between the arid regions of the dried lake and the oasis of
swamps, which remains to this day.
Amboseli was formed as the
“Southern Reservation” for the Masai tribe in 1906, but in 1948
passed to the local government as a hunting reserve. In 1974, in
order to protect the unique ecosystem, Amboseli was officially
approved as a national park, and in 1991 UNESCO declared it a
biosphere reserve. In 2005, Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki stated
that fleet management should go from Kenya’s Wildlife Services to
the Olkejuado County Council and the Masai tribe. Some observers saw
this move as a political gain ahead of the vote on Kenya’s new
constitution. The transfer of control will entail the transfer of
funds for visiting the park directly to the County Council with
further doubtful distribution of profits among the Masai tribes
located around the park. This could create an undesirable precedent
that could jeopardize the status of other Kenya parks.
The
park is famous for being the best place in Africa where you can get
close to grazing elephants. According to some estimates, the park
has about 900 individuals. Other attractions of the park are
beautiful animal landscapes against the backdrop of Mount
Kilimanjaro and a visit to the Masai tribe.
Amboseli Park
offers one of the best opportunities for observing African animals
due to scarce vegetation due to a long period of drought. Amboseli
National Park is inhabited by an African elephant, rhino, buffalo,
impala, lion, cheetah, hyenas, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and
many other animals. In the park you can also find more than 400
species of birds.
Upon arrival to the park, tourists undergo
a briefing: you can not get out of the car with the exception of
special places, you can not disturb animals, you must adhere to the
laid routes and do not leave them; always give way to animals. The
soil in the park is volcanic and loose, as a result of which the
roads get very wet during the rainy season and quite dusty in the
park during the dry season.
There is also a small airport in
Amboseli - Amboseli Airport (HKAM).
Amboseli National Park,
along with Lake Nakuru Park, are the most expensive national parks
in Kenya (Premium Parks).