Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park is a mere 392 square kilometres/151 square miles in size and is situated North West of Mount Kilimanjaro on the Tanzanian border. In the centre of the Park lies a now-dry lake basin. Within this basin is a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli that flood during years of heavy rainfall. Amboseli is famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty and Mt Kilimanjaro dominates the landscape.

Large herds of elephant are common sights in Amboseli National Park, as are buffalo, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, Coke’s hartebeest, warthog, wildebeest, impala, giraffe, zebra and baboons. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are also present. Around the swamps and seasonal lakes, birdlife is abundant with a good variety of water species.
Most of the Amboseli National Park consists of a dry, ancient lakebed and fragile grasslands with patches of acacia woodland, while in the southern area there are a number of small volcanic hills. Around the swamps the vegetation is lush with yellow-barked acacias and phoenix palms.

Amboseli National Park is renowned for its elephants, who may be seen in herds over 100 strong drinking from the surface springs. There are so many of them that their penchant for pushing down trees is destroying the habitat that sustains them. Big old bull elephants carry some of the largest tusks to be seen anywhere in Africa and is a renowned feature of this park.