Things to do in Amboseli
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Amboseli
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Long dry season. Herds concentrate at the swamps, tracks are dusty and dawn Kilimanjaro views are most reliable.
Short dry season. Hot, good herds, fewer vehicles and often superb dawn light after the short rains.
Long rains, peaking April and May. Green and quiet with flooding lake bed and birds, but muddy tracks and dispersed game.
Short rains. Fresh growth, migrant birds and below peak prices until the late December festive spike.
What's on
- Maasai Olympics December, biennial
Community games in the Kimana area where morani compete in traditional disciplines instead of lion hunting.
Best things to do in Amboseli
Enkongo Narok Swamp
The main spring fed swamp where elephant families feed and bathe all year, with Kilimanjaro behind on clear dawns.
Observation Hill
The one place you may climb on foot in the park, for a panorama over the swamps, plains and lake bed.
Lake Amboseli
A vast dry lake bed that floods after heavy rain, drawing flamingos and turning dawn drives white and flat.
Longinye Swamp
A quieter eastern swamp system where buffalo, elephants and waterbirds gather away from the central tracks.
Amboseli Elephant Research Camp
Base of the elephant study running since 1972, visitable only by pre arrangement through the research project.
Kitenden Conservancy
A western wildlife corridor toward Kilimanjaro and Tsavo, important for elephants and with no operating lodge yet.
Amboseli National Park
Be on the central plains at first light for the classic elephant herds crossing in front of Kilimanjaro.
Where to stay in Amboseli
Inside the park
first trip, dawn starts and no gate queue
Ol Tukai and Serena sit inside the fence, and Tortilis holds the quiet south western corner and its conservancy.
Kimana Sanctuary and the east conservancies
luxury, walking, night drives and corridor conservation
Angama in Kimana Sanctuary, Tawi on its conservancy and Elerai on its own land add what the park rules do not allow.
Selenkay Conservancy
all inclusive conservancy value and low visitor numbers
Porini is the conservancy's single small camp, with walks, night drives and park days included in the rate.
Chyulu Hills
active add on stays, riding and walking
Ol Donyo Lodge sits between Amboseli and Tsavo West and is booked as its own stay, not as an Amboseli base.
Kimana Gate gateway
mid range and budget safaris, groups and self drivers
The camps and lodges outside Kimana Gate trade dawn minutes inside the fence for pools, space and much lower bills.
Think twice about
- Nairobi as an Amboseli base
Nairobi is four to five hours away by road. Day tripping wastes the dawn Kilimanjaro window and pays premium park fees for a transfer.
- Loitokitok town as a safari base
Loitokitok is a useful service town, but sleeping there adds a long early drive to Kimana Gate and gives no conservancy access. Sleep at the gate or inside.
Best restaurants in Amboseli
Angama Amboseli
Guests only lodge dining in Kimana Sanctuary, flexible indoor outdoor meals built around the safari day.
Elewana Tortilis Camp Amboseli
Guests only camp dining in the south west, a strong reason to choose this camp over a larger lodge.
Ol Tukai Lodge Amboseli
Lodge dining on a terrace facing the wetlands, plus the open air Elephant Bar between drives.
Kibo Safari Camp
The dining room and bar of a large Kimana Gate camp, the mid range meal most gateway visitors actually eat.
Royal Court Restaurant
A local African restaurant in Kimana town, the practical lunch stop for self drivers passing through.
Jacaranda Garden Restaurant
A small garden restaurant in Kimana town for a simple local meal outside the lodge system.
Outdoor things to do in Amboseli
Kilimanjaro Balloon Safaris
A dawn balloon flight over the Amboseli plains and swamps, ending with a bush breakfast after landing.
Selenkay Conservancy
Maasai owned land north of the park where walking safaris and night drives are allowed, unlike in the park.
Kimana Sanctuary
The first community owned conservancy in Kenya, a fever tree corridor for super tuskers toward Tsavo.
Elerai Conservancy
A community conservancy south east of the park for guided walks with Maasai guides and Kilimanjaro views.
Chyulu Hills
Green volcanic hills east of Amboseli for horse riding, walking and lava country on a longer add on stay.
Tsavo West National Park
The neighbouring park for a long combination stay, with the rhino country that Amboseli itself lacks.
Best hotels in Amboseli
Ol Tukai Lodge Amboseli
Inside the park among acacia and palms, with terraces facing the wetlands or Kilimanjaro and 80 chalet rooms.
Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
The classic large lodge inside the park, a reliable family base with a pool and animals close outside.
Elewana Tortilis Camp Amboseli
A small luxury tented camp in the quiet south western corner, with its own conservancy and Kilimanjaro views.
Angama Amboseli
Ten suites in a fever tree forest in Kimana Sanctuary, with super tuskers in the corridor outside your deck.
Tawi Lodge
Thirteen eco cottages on a private conservancy east of Kimana Gate, each facing Kilimanjaro.
Elerai Camp
A community linked eco camp on its own conservancy, looking to Kilimanjaro one way and the park the other.
Porini Amboseli Camp
A small tented camp in Selenkay Conservancy, with walks, night drives and park drives included in the stay.
Ol Donyo Lodge
A luxury lodge in the Chyulu Hills with horse riding, star beds and a hide at the waterhole, as an add on.
Is Amboseli expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | KES 30,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | KES 65,000 a person |
| Splurge | KES 150,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Amboseli Elephant Research Camp: weeks ahead
- Kilimanjaro Balloon Safaris: months ahead
- Selenkay Conservancy: weeks ahead
- Kimana Sanctuary: weeks ahead
- Elerai Conservancy: weeks ahead
- Chyulu Hills: months ahead
- Ol Tukai Lodge Amboseli: weeks ahead
- Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge: weeks ahead
- Small conservancy camps for June to October and late December sell out months ahead. Book Angama, Tawi, Tortilis and Porini early.
- Pay KWS park fees on eCitizen through KWSPay the day before. Cash is not accepted and gate connectivity can be poor.
- Book the balloon early in the stay so a weather cancellation can roll to the next morning, and confirm refund terms.
Is Amboseli safe?
- Amboseli is a malaria area at about 1,150 metres. Discuss prophylaxis with a clinician and use repellent and covered skin from dusk.
- Off road driving is prohibited in the park, gates run 6am to 6pm and there are no night drives inside the park at any price.
- Border counties far from Amboseli carry higher risks; Kajiado County and the Amboseli route are not in those areas.
Amboseli travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- No seller can guarantee Kilimanjaro. The mountain is a dawn chance, best in the dry months, and three nights is the honest insurance.
- Any operator promising rhino inside Amboseli is wrong. There is no rhino population in the park.
- Watch for quotes that exclude the US$90 per day park fee, conservancy fees or the balloon and rebuild them as extras later.
Getting around Amboseli: public transport and more
- Drive in via Emali for the Kimana Gate lodges in about four to five hours, or via Namanga for Meshanani Gate on tarmac to Namanga then rough murram.
- Fly from Nairobi Wilson Airport to Amboseli airstrip in about 40 to 60 minutes, or drive one way and fly the other on short trips.
- Inside the park use a high clearance 4x4, keep to tracks, fill up with fuel before the gate and download offline maps.
Who Amboseli suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Amboseli your trip
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