Amboseli Natural Park
Amboseli Natural Park is one of the most visited national parks in Kenya, and also the most famous of them all. The fame of Amboseli Natural Park is attributed to the crown it carries, offered by the beautiful scenery of mountain Kilimanjaro which is the highest peak on the African continent. Amboseli Natural Park belongs to the best selected national park within Kenya and it is ecologically rich with a number of habitats ranging from dried-up Lake bed and salty wetlands of sulphuric springs, savannah grasslands, and savannah woodlands. The different eco-systems of Amboseli Natural Park protect a wide range of wildlife ranging from the huge mammals to the smallest creeping insects and crawlies in the grasslands.
Amboseli Natural Park receives a lot of visitors all through the year, because of its immeasurable goodness, such as the signature attractions which Amboseli Natural Park holds. large herds of big tusked elephants, and a drop back of the magnificent view from the Kilimanjaro Mountain. Amboseli Natural Park is bordered by the broad Kilimanjaro Mountain in the south. When it is a sunny weather, the mountain peaks can be clearly seen from Amboseli Natural Park. The morning view of mountain Kilimanjaro is spectacular, especially when the sun is rising up. The dusk lightens up the snow peaks of the mountain for the best view and photography.
Amboseli Natural Park is where you can go for your classic African safari. Amboseli Natural Park is commonly known as the “land of giants”. This is attributed to the huge population of big mammals it accommodates, such as elephants, wildebeests, buffaloes, zebras and wild cats like lions, cheetahs and hyenas, et cetera. Amboseli Natural Park is also a home for an array of birds, about 370 birds including the migratory birds and the common east African birds, including the pelicans, king fishers, crakes, hamerkop, and raptors among others. Amboseli Natural Park is your chance to see four of the big five, rhinos excluded.
Brief history
Joseph Thompson in 1883, penetrated into the fierce Maasai land, which was then called, Empusel, translated as the salty dusty place; he was the first European to realize the goodness of this area. The array of wildlife displays in the area astonished Joseph Thompson, and this is the same beauty that still makes Amboseli Natural Park an amazing place for wildlife safaris.
In 19006, Amboseli Natural Park was set aside to protect the authentic culture of the Maasai people, however, in 1948, the control of the region was taken over and the area of Amboseli Natural Park was upgraded to a game reserve under the control of the local administration. The dawn of the Amboseli game reserve, as a national park, was seen in 1974, aiming at the protection of the ecology that existed in the region. In 1991, Amboseli Natural Park was subscribed to UNESCO world heritage sites, and this increased its fame on the world tourism map.
The Park is among the small protected area in Kenya covering up a surface area of about 392 square kilometers; part of the large ecosystem which stretches from Tanzania to Kenya. The original inhabitants of Amboseli Natural Park are the Maasai people. And from the local language, the name Amboseli means an area of salty dust. However, due to the success of tourism in the area other people have settled in a specific area.
Attractions in Amboseli Natural Park
Amboseli Natural Park is not as big as the other national parks in Kenya; however, its greatness is felt from the marvelous attractions in holds ranging from the scenery to the wildlife of the area plus the culture of the authentic Maasai people. Amboseli Natural Park is a “nature’s best-kept secret” of iconic landmarks, hidden tourism gems, and distinctive tourist experiences.
The elephant research center is one of the commonest attractions of Amboseli Natural Park in Kenya. The Amboseli elephant research camp is located within the heart of the national park. The elephant research camp is managed by Doctor Cynthia moss and she has also written also of books such as “The Amboseli elephants and elephant memories.” These books have marketed the wildlife of Amboseli Natural Park leading to its fame on the world tourism crown.
The observation hill is a pyramid-shaped erect on the landscape of Amboseli Natural Park. The observation hill is the only place in the national park where you can walk freely because it is free from predators, despite, you can’t just depart from your guide’s instructions. The observation hill of Amboseli Natural Park offers a spectacular view over the plains, swamps, the dry lake bed and the game drive trails below. Also, the hill is a good post for taking photos of dawn or dusk of Amboseli Natural Park, you can also enjoy seeing the wild animals in the savannah plains.
Sinet Delta; Not far from the observation hill, there is a significant sinet delta where the northern route of Amboseli Natural Park runs. The sinet delta is the best spot for bird watching in Amboseli Natural Park, plus the thickets towards the southern part of Amboseli Natural Park is a dwelling for a number of giraffes, flamingoes. From the sinet delta, you have can see clearly the Kilimanjaro mountains, the sinet delta provides a good spot for photography in Amboseli Natural Park.
Lake Amboseli; A distance away from the sinet delta in Amboseli Natural Park, you can find the dry Amboseli lake which covers up a relatively large bandage strip within Amboseli Natural Park. This swath is the driest area in Amboseli Natural Park, however, the aftermath of too much rains of November of April, the area fills up and forms a seasonal swamp and harbors a lot of elephants and other wild animals of Amboseli Natural Park.
Activities in Amboseli Natural Park
Wildlife viewing is one of the commonest activities in almost all the national parks in East Africa, so does in Amboseli Natural Park in Kenya. The terrain of Amboseli Natural Park makes wildlife viewing awesome in the area. Amboseli Natural Park is a wide basin covered with different vegetation zones that harbor a lot of animals including the large elephants, zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs and monkeys which hide in the forested areas of Amboseli Natural Park.
Hot air balloon ride offers such an unbelievable experience of Amboseli Natural Park. The hot air balloon will fly you over the Amboseli mara region where you can marvel at the beauty of Mother Nature including the vast savannah grasslands over to the nyika plateau, the view over the dynamic vegetation to the breath taking rain forests and the clear mountain Kilimanjaro snow cap.
Cultural encounters in Amboseli Natural Park are such limelight for the true and authentic African culture. The Maasai community of Amboseli Natural Park is one of the original cultures in Africa, and the local people treasure the authenticity of their culture to the last blood drop. During the cultural encounter, you can enjoy the cultural dances from the Maasai people, plus learn about how manhood is justified by killing a lion in Maasai land.
Nature photography and documentary is best in Amboseli Natural Park because it is one of Africa’s irrefutable backgrounds of scenic brilliance. The Kilimanjaro Mountain in the background of herds of elephant in the vast savannah grasslands offers amazing and eye-catching scenes for photography and wildlife documentaries.
Accommodation in Amboseli
Amboseli Natural Park is well supplied with accommodation facilities ranging from luxury to budget lodges spread out in the area. the major luxury accommodation in Amboseli Natural Park include tortilis camp, tawi lodge and the midrange include satao elevai, amboseli serena lodge, porini amboseli camp, sentrim amboseli lodge, kilima safari camp, oltukai lodge amboseli, kibo villa amboseli lodge among the rest.
The lodges in Amboseli Natural Park provide awesome accommodation services to the guests in comfortable cottages, tented camps and bandas. Most of the lodges have a real touch of the Maasai culture, situated in the conservancy outside and within the national park. You can enjoy the epic sounda of the night form the mourning animals, plus a gaze to the starry skies in the African wilderness.
