Amboseli National park is one of the best stopping African safari destinations to experience the unbeatable safari activities in a lifetime.
The park is known for its wide range of mammal species with one of the highest populations of elephants in the world and endless activities visitors can go on.
Below, we’ve detailed the best things to do in Amboseli in this beautiful part of south Kenya.
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Amboseli best activities
Game drive viewing
Amboseli National Park is a spectacular home full of big five and wild animals with a huge population of elephants which inhabit the open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush, marsh land.
Game drive viewing is conducted all day long but the best time to see wild animals is early in the morning which starts at 6:30am till 11:30am and evening begins at 2pm till 6:30pm.
During day time you can be able to see the high concentration of animals on water banks quenching their thirst and animals you’ll see include: Spotted hynes, bush baby and serval cats, waterbucks, buffalos, baboons, aardwolf, leopards, jackals, lions elephants and more.
Maasai cultural tours
The park is surrounded by the local community ‘’Maasai people’’ on your visit to Amboseli National Park you can visit these local people in the afternoon time.
Get to learn about their unique way of life such as their thrilling traditional dances as they jump up and down you can join them and leave with quite remarkable once in a lifetime, unique clothing, you can as well as participate in the re-afforestation by planting seeds with them.
Bubbly sundowner
The ‘sun-downer’ is an essential part of safari life and dates back to the time of the great safaris of the 1920’s when elegant cocktails were always served while watching the spectacle of the African sunset.
Timed to begin as the sun begins its descent, the sundowner begins with a gentle evening game drive, arriving at the sundowner site just as the evening sky turns gold-pink over Amboseli.
Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones, Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct but Kibo, the highest peak, is dormant and could erupt again.
Scaling this incredible mountain is a lifelong goal for many travellers and the surrounding Kilimanjaro National Park is teeming with wildlife and safari visitors to see the incredible lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, leopards, and many more.
Elephant study
The elephants of Amboseli are among the most studied in the world, thanks largely to the work of Dr Cynthia Moss, whose books include The Amboseli Elephants and Elephant Memories.
The research camp remains in operation in the heart of the park, under the guidance of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants and a visit here is a rare opportunity to learn more about these soulful creatures.
Although the camp is not open for casual visits, it is possible, with prior arrangement, to arrange a one-hour lecture at the camp, during which the researchers explain their work and other related issues of elephant conservation, with time for questions at the end.
Guided nature walk
The park is naturally rewarded with stunning vegetation, swamps and mammal species which can be encountered on your nature walk experience.
Guided nature walks in Amboseli National Park can be conducted around the park and on the observation hills.
A guided nature walk is the best way of adventuring the hidden treasures of the park since it is done on foot and also get a chance to have closer viewing of wild animals such as herds of elephants, zebras, giraffes, impalas, buffaloes among others.
Visitors can also listen to the sweet melodies of birds singing as well as having the rewarding sight of a snow capped Kilimanjaro in the background.
Bird watching
Home of over 400 bird species which can be spotted along swamp areas, grasslands, acacia woodlands and beyond, Amboseli is a hub for birds and one of the best things to do in Kenya.
Bird species you’ll encounter here include: Greater flamingo, Lesser flamingo, Long toed lap claw, Rufous chatterer, Spike-heeled heron, Tavete golden weaver, vonder Dicken’s hornbills, Dickinson’s kestrel, Common redshank, African swamphen and the pangani longclaw.
The best time to do birding in Amboseli national park starts from May to June and October to December. You need to carry your binoculars to have clear sightseeing of bird species on far distances.
Hot air balloon safari
This is a rewarding activity conducted early in the morning as you’ll fly the skies of Amboseli National Park with superb aerial views of herds of elephants, buffaloes, the plains, birds of the air and much more.
Traditional dances
Outside your lodge by the campfire, be enchanted and amazed by the traditional dances of the Maasai people as well as enjoying your drinks in the middle of the wilderness.
Horseback safari
Like the explorers of old, this is a truly unique way to experience Amboseli without the hum of the safari vehicle and includes cavalcades near elephants and giraffes in their natural environment, and meeting with native tribes.
Photography safaris
Visitors on a photo safari will be in dreamland at Amboseli where small groups can share a luxury photography tour with like-minded individuals and capture their favourite moments.
Observation Hills
An amazing location to have a lunch or picnic with awesome views of the park and animals. A very tranquil spot for visitors to soak in the park views with nearby benches and tables set up so you can enjoy sitting down under a shade and take in the views at your own pace.
The views are stunning and facilities are well maintained with views of most of the landscape as you relax and learn more about the fascinating history of the Amboseli ecosystem and Maasai people.
Other places of interest
Other places worth a visit on your trip to Amboseli National Park and Kenya include:
Masai Mara National Reserve
Kenya’s most famous park, Masai Mara is known for having some of the highest concentrations of the big five in Africa, but it also witnesses the phenomenal Great Migration.
Sharing a border with Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Masai Mara safaris receive a massive seasonal wildebeest migration.
Tsavo West National Park
Covering an area of 3,500 square miles, Tsavo West National Park is more mountainous and wetter than its Tsavo East park counterpart with swamps, Lake Jipe and the Mzima Springs.
Lake Naivasha National Park
The crater rim at Lake Naivasha NP provides great scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley all the way to Lake Naivasha with big cats and major wildlife at Mount Longonot including buffaloes, elands, lion, leopard, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffes and Grant’s gazelles.
Lake Nakuru National Park
When conditions are right, between one and two million lesser and greater flamingos feed around the shores of the shallow Lake Nakuru NP, which together with tens of thousands of other water birds.
A spectacular sight and those who have been to the lake will attest to its beauty with its rich topography of hills, grasslands and forests.
There are several easily attained vantage points from which to enjoy wonderful views of the landscape and especially the lake with its undulating pink population of birdlife.
Though the park is not large in size, a visit to Lake Nakuru will be a very full and colorful safari experience.
What are the best activities in Amboseli National Park?
The best activity at Amboseli National Park is a game safari watching huge elephant herds pose in front of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, guided by a local Maasai community member.
What is the best time of year for activities in Amboseli National Park?
The dry season from June to October is generally considered the best time to see wildlife in Amboseli; with little rain falling wildlife retreats to the park’s swamps where underground water from Kilimanjaro wells up permanently year-round.