Amboseli National Park
A scenic park in its own right, Amboseli is synonymous with two particular things – majestic herds of elephant and glorious views of Mount Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania. During heavy rains, the basin at the center of the park floods, attracting hordes of wildlife. The reserve is an excellent place to view the Big Five, as well as lesser known and rarer wildlife species.
Home of the African Elephant
Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, the Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. The name “Amboseli” comes from a Maasai word meaning “salty dust”, and it is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close. Nature lovers can explore five different habitats here ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands with sulphur springs, the savannah and woodlands. They can also visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture.
Amboseli has an endless underground water supply filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro’s ice cap, which funnel into two clear water springs in the heart of the park. However, the climatic pendulum can swing from drought to flood, and in the early 1990’s ceaseless rain changed Amboseli into a swamp. A few years later the rains failed and the grass-covered plains turned to dust.
Amboseli is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq. mi) in size at the core of an 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq. mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border and is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants among other wildlife species. Other attractions of the park includes opportunities to meet the Maasai people and also offers spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
In Amboseli’s case it is big skies and far horizons combined with swampy springs and dry and dusty earth trampled by hundreds of animals.
Attractions in amboseli national park
Attractions in amboseli national park : Amboseli national park the land of giants is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Kenya and East Africa found in found in kajiado county of Kenya, formerly known as Masai Amboseli game reserve the park is a great eco system covering an area of 392 square kilometers and stretching the border of Kenya and Tanzania.
Wildlife Safaris
Amboseli national park is a prominent home for wildlife, the park is more recognized for being a home to the largest population of elephants that is why it referred to as the home for elephants and it is the place to see them in Kenya in large numbers.
Wildlife in Amboseli national park is concentrated in five specific areas/ habitants that is dried up bed of Lake Amboseli, Sulphur spring wetlands, savannah vegetation cover, open plains and woodlands, wildlife hosted in the park include giraffe, spotted hyena, zebra, buffalo, blue wildebeest, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, Thomson’s gazelle, impala, lion, cape buffalo and many more.
Birds Safari
Amboseli national park hosts a good population of birds estimated to be more than 420 species, the park habits three categories of birds that is water birds which thrive in the swampy region of the park, grassland birds living in savannah plains and forest birds living in acacia vegetation. Bird species in the Amboseli national park include African jacana, goliath heron, African swamp hen, Hartlaub’s bustard, rufous chatterer, common redshank, Dickinson’s kestrel, Eurasian thick-knee, greater flamingo, Hartlaub’s bustard, lesser flamingo, long-toed lapwing, Pangani longclaw, rufous chatterer, rufous-bellied heron, spike-heeled lark, steel-blue whydah, Taveta golden weaver, von der Decken’s hornbill, yellow-necked spurfowl and many more.
Lake Amboseli
Lake Amboseli is a temporary lake found in northwest region from the delta and occupying the largest portion of the park, Lake Amboseli is usually dry most especially in dry season but in wet season period the lake is filled up and at times floods. Lake Amboseli being dry is attributed more to Nyiri desert that stretches along southern border of Kenya to Tanzania, the lake is basin is a habitant to many animal species like elephants more so in dry season when it is dried up. Lake Amboseli is also used as a camping site by adventurous tourists who love camping while in Amboseli national park.
Great scenery featuring clear Views of mountain Kilimanjaro
Amboseli national park is one of the most scenic national park in Kenya, the park is clowned by Mount Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa. While in Amboseli national park you get to enjoy clear views of snowcapped Kilimanjaro peaks which offer the best photography opportunity because of the scenic view.
Masai culture
The out skirts of Amboseli national park are dominated by the fascinating Masai people, when in Amboseli national park visiting the Masai village is very much unavoidable as it offers the authentic African culture. In the Masai village you get to encounter Masai cultural traditions which include Masai dances, traditional song, and their unique way of addressing which is similar to the Karamojong of Uganda, local food dishes and also you can buy Masai artifacts.
There is also an annual 7 day Masai gala organized in Loitoktok were most the culture, norms and traditional practices of the Masai people are showcased and masai annual Olympics which take place in kimana.
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