Overview

Situated 250 kilometers southeast of Nairobi, close to the Kenya-Tanzania border, Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s most iconic and breathtaking wildlife destinations. Set dramatically at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro — Africa’s highest mountain, its snow-capped peaks soaring to 6,000 meters above the surrounding plains — the park’s setting is quite simply unrivaled anywhere on the continent. A sweeping landscape of giant yellow acacia trees, gently flowing natural springs, and lush, reed-fringed swamps stretches out beneath Kilimanjaro’s towering presence, creating one of the most photographed and instantly recognizable scenes in all of Africa.

The Maasai: Guardians of the Land

The Masai People In Kenya

The communities that surround Amboseli are the Maasai — widely regarded as one of Kenya’s most colorful, proud, and culturally distinctive peoples. For centuries, the Maasai have called these open plains home, and to this day they maintain a way of life that remains largely untouched by the modern world. They live in traditional mud manyatta huts, raise their cattle across the sweeping savannah, and uphold a warrior culture of extraordinary depth and beauty. Among the most celebrated of their traditions is the rite of passage that defines the transition from boy to man — a young Maasai warrior must prove his courage and strength by killing a lion before he is considered mature enough to marry. It is a tradition that speaks volumes about the fierce pride and resilience of this remarkable people. A visit to a Maasai village is one of the most humbling and memorable cultural experiences Kenya has to offer.

The Elephants of Amboseli

Discover Amboseli National Park — Kenya’s elephant capital set beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. Explore wildlife, Maasai culture, and plan your ultimate Kenya safari today.

Amboseli is, above all else, elephant country. The park’s natural springs and swamps sustain some of the largest and most studied elephant herds anywhere in Africa, and almost nowhere else on the continent can wild elephants be observed at such extraordinarily close proximity. One of the most unforgettable sights in all of East African safari is watching a grand parade of elephants — moving in their characteristically majestic single file — pass directly in front of your safari lodge as they make their unhurried way to the swamps to drink and bathe in the warm afternoon light, with the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro towering above them in the distance. It is the kind of moment that no camera can fully capture and no traveler ever forgets.

Wildlife

The elephant may be Amboseli’s star, but the park is home to a remarkable abundance and variety of wildlife that has helped make East African safari legendary the world over. All around the park roams the full cast of Africa’s greatest animals — lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, oryx, eland, baboon, and gazelle. Smaller mammals are equally well represented, with mongoose, hyrax, dik-dik, laughing hyena, and the elusive nocturnal porcupine all present for those who know where to look. For birdwatching enthusiasts, Amboseli is a destination of exceptional richness, with over 600 recorded bird species attracted to the park’s life-giving springs and swamps — one of the highest concentrations of avian diversity in Kenya.

Why Visit Amboseli?

Amboseli offers something that very few wildlife destinations anywhere in the world can match — the combination of extraordinary close-proximity elephant encounters, the dramatic and ever-present backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, rich Maasai cultural heritage, and a wildlife density that rivals any park on the continent. Whether you are a first-time safari traveler or a seasoned adventurer returning to East Africa, Amboseli will move you in ways you did not anticipate and reward you with memories that will last a lifetime.