Laikipia
July 6, 2021
Samburu
July 6, 2021
Laikipia
July 6, 2021
Samburu
July 6, 2021
The second most popular spot after the Masai Mara would be Amboseli National Park which boasts some of the country’s largest elephant herds and stunning views over Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania & is easily combined with Chyulu Hills National Park.
Amboseli National Park is one of our favs and is probably the second most popular National Park after the Masai Mara. Just south-east of Nairobi, it is best known for its large elephant herds and jaw-dropping views out over Mount Kilimanjaro across the border in Tanzania. With over 400 species of birds, it’s fab for ticking off some of our feathered friends from your list and with over 50 mammal species including lions and cheetahs, you’ll be treated to some phenomenal general wildlife, too! It’s easy to combine the Chyulu Hills National Park while in this area as it’s a short distance northeast of Amboseli and is much greener than the often-dry plains of Amboseli. For those adventurous ones out there, Chyulu Hills is simply ideal as you can go horse riding, mountain climbing and mountain biking as well as indulge in the usual safari activities. Another real highlight of visiting this area is that you can go off and explore the area’s caves, including Leviathan Cave which is a staggering 11.5km long and is the longest and deepest lava tube in Africa.
Amboseli & Chyulu Hills National Park FAQs
For a Kenya safari, Amboseli National Park is definitely worth including if you have time to explore the country as a whole. Amboseli National Park activities are an excellent complement to those enjoyed elsewhere in Kenya as the landscape is certainly very unique with exceptional views out toward Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. You’ll also get to find the ‘big tuskers’ which the park is well known for, so you can snap some super shots of ellies with tusks over 1.5m in length weighing some 70kg!
The distance from Nairobi to Amboseli National Park is roughly 365km southeast and takes around 5 hours to get to when driving directly. As part of a Tailormade Africa safari, we would normally include a light aircraft flight from Nairobi’s Wilson airport which takes just over half an hour, adding a good few valuable hours of safari time! The distance from Amboseli to Masai Mara is simply too far to drive (approx. 500km on pretty poor roads!) so the best way to combine both parks is to include a light aircraft flight. Again, we will organise all the logistics for you so you don’t have to worry about a thing!
Amboseli National Park Kenya has a handful of lodges which we love to include, particularly Tortilis Camp Amboseli – but there are others! If you combine Amboseli National Park with neighbouring Chyulu, it’s well worth including Ol Donyo Chyulu Hills which is another one we simply adore. Ultimately we love to get to know all of our clients individually to ensure that we are hand-picking the best spot possible for you to stay at while visiting Kenya.
In addition to the 1000+ elephants that call Amboseli home, the park boasts over 55 mammal species and over 420 bird species. Predators you can look out for include lions, cheetahs and hyenas. The park, unfortunately, lost all of its rhino population due to poaching, however, the other big 5 animals can be found here including the obvious elephant and lions but also the elusive leopard and buffalo.
Amboseli is one of those places you can visit all year round and have a superb time. That said, the long rains can make things a bit sticky so we’d suggest avoiding April and May if you would rather not have mucky boots! The dry season (July – Oct) is usually the best time to find the animals as they tend to congregate around the only water sources available, however, November through to June is super green and affords some phenomenal photographic opportunities – particularly with Kilimanjaro in the background. Finding game in long grass may be a tad more challenging, however, we also find the cats walk along the roads when things are a little wetter so that could be totally in your favour!
The Chyulu Hills National Park is found in southeastern Kenya, right next to Amboseli National Park. It is effectively an extension of the Tsavo West National Park which is on the other side of the park to Amboseli. When looking at a Chyulu Hills National Park map, you’ll find the eastern flank of the Chyulu Hills mountain range is actually within the park. Chyulu Hills National Park is rich and much greener than Amboseli and makes for an excellent addition to an itinerary when in the area.
AMBOSELI & CHYULU HILLS NATIONAL PARKLODGES & CAMPS
Tortilis Camp has a prime location for witnessing the majesty of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. The camp is named after the flat-topped, umbrella thorn tree, the Acacia Tortilis, and embraces a hill in one of Amboseli’s areas of Acacia Tortilis woodland. Located in a private conservancy bordering the national park, game drives, walks, sundowners and bush meals take place both inside the national park and in the conservancy, where guests enjoy exclusivity ... Read more
On the slopes of the volcanic Chyulu Hills, Ol Donyo Lodge offers unparalleled views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the vast open plains of the 125,000-acre Mbirikani Group Ranch between the Tsavo East and Amboseli National Parks. Originally built in 1987 by the bush pilot and conservationist Richard Bonham, the lodge was transformed into an exclusive safari destination in 2008. Each suites rooftop terrace offers guests the opportunity to sleep under the stars in their private star beds ... Read more
Campi ya Kanzi is an award-winning boutique eco-lodge in the Chyulu Hills of southern Kenya, in Ernest Hemingway’s “Green Hills of Africa." For more than 20 years, the camp was the only Kenya luxury safari lodge on a Maasai-owned reserve spanning 283,000 acres of pristine wilderness ... Read more
