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Amboseli covers an area of 3,810 square kilometres in southern Kenya and is dominated by the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro.

It is justly famous for its big game — elephant, lion and cheetah are the main attractions — and for its great scenic beauty. There are five main wildlife habitats, plus a generally dry lake-bed — Lake Amboseli — from which the park takes its name. Habitats range from open plains to stands of fever trees, thick thorn-bush and swamps and marshes. All support good wildlife densities.

Wildlife of Amboseli

Elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, Maasai giraffe and buffalo are some of the big game you may see on a game drive. Plains game is prolific and includes Burchell's zebra, eland, Coke's hartebeest, white-bearded wildebeest, common waterbuck, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle and impala. In the dry bush country and arid area you may find gerenuk and fringe eared oryx. Smaller mammals always in evidence include black-faced vervet monkey and yellow baboon, black backed jackals, spotted hyena and bat eared foxes.

Birdlife

Birdlife is abundant, especially in the vicinity of the swamps and lakes where you can see a large variety of water birds. There are pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, lily-trotters, egrets, hammerkops and the rare Madagascar squacco heron can sometimes be seen. So far, 47 raptors have been identified, including the rare taita falcon and southern banded harrier eagle.