Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s top tourism destinations, it is situated in the southern part of the country along its borders with Tanzania, the 392 square kilometre national park was gazette in 1974 and declared a UNESCO world heritage site by 1991, the conservation area gets its name from a Masai word to simply mean a dusty place, it is known for its high population numbers of long tusk African elephants together with a fusion of several other mammal species living within the Protected area.it is being managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service and is a major tourism destination.
The backdrop of the Mountain Kilimanjaro on a clear day is epic alongside the long-tusk elephants, beneath the conservation area is an underlined rock from the mountain range which gives the national park a constant water supply, supporting the growing Savannah grasslands, woodlands, small forest and marshy swampy areas, these are habitat to mam species including African elephants, buffaloes, leopards, Cheetah’s, elands, hippos, crocodiles, lions, water bucks, bush bucks among others and over 400 species have been recorded in the conservation area.
There are many ways how to reach Amboseli National Park, the most popular is driving, it takes approximately 240 kilometers while using the Namanga road, this distance is driven in 4 hours depending on the gate that you are using, driving to the park is conducted by a tour operator with a pickup from the international airport or the agreed point within Nairobi and self-drive, in this option of driving to Amboseli national park on self-drive you will be required to pay park entrance fees together with hiring a game ranger for safety purposes.
How reach Amboseli National Park by flight begins from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or Wilson Airport to the nearest airstrip in the conservation area, it is the fastest way of getting to the park and convenient for travelers with less time and sometimes elderly to take on long hours of driving, domestic flight handlers arrange flights to the destination on daily using with charter or scheduled flights. Flights can be booked directly to the airline or through a tour operator.
How to reach Amboseli National Park by any means is convenient during the dry season in December -February and June -September the roads are in good condition, less rainfall during this time which makes access less difficult, upon reaching the national park, there are several things to do from fam drives which are conducted in sessions beginning in the early morning, afternoon and evening times, the morning hours are the most recommended times to do game drives it is when mammal species are most active. Birding in Amboseli National Park is a rewarding experience there are over 400 species in the park including pelicans, herons, martial eagles, and African harrier hawks, to mention a few.
In conclusion, how to reach Amboseli National Park can be done any time of the year despite the wet season coming with challenges and difficulties.