Amboseli is best known for two things: large, easily-viewed elephant herds and views across to Mount Kilimanjaro, which sits just over the border in Tanzania. The park's swamps, fed by underground water from Kilimanjaro's snowmelt, stay green even in the dry season and draw wildlife in reliably, making for good, relatively compact game viewing.
Game drives around the swamp system and dried lake bed
Photography of elephants with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop
Visits to Maasai communities living around the park
Observation Hill for panoramic views over the park
Dry seasons (June-October and January-February) bring wildlife into closer contact with the swamps, concentrating game viewing. Kilimanjaro is most often visible early in the morning before cloud builds up later in the day, in any season.
By road it's around 4 hours' drive from Nairobi. Scheduled flights also connect Nairobi's Wilson Airport to Amboseli's airstrip in about 45 minutes.
Lodges and tented camps are available both inside the park and in the surrounding conservancies, which - similar to the Mara conservancies - allow activities like night drives and guided walks that the main park does not.
Dust can be significant in the dry season - a scarf or buff is useful on game drives
Malaria risk area
The park is relatively compact, making it easy to cover in a single or half-day visit
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