Amboseli National Park is beautifully packed with glorious sightings. Dubbed the “Home of the African Elephant”, it’s one of the safari destinations in Kenya to experience the unbeatable touristic activities.

It’s also one of the two premium national parks in Kenya and is located in the south-eastern region of Kenya near Tanzania. Its beauty is unknown to many and valued by few, but once you visit you will forever be in love with this destination.

Famed for its outstanding elephant herds—the park’s elephant population estimated at 1600. The majestic creatures are set with a backdrop of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro in neighboring Tanzania. Vegetation in the park is dominated by acacia woodland, rocky thorn bushes, marshland and a Pleistocene Lake Amboseli.

Apart from the guaranteed wildlife sightings in the park, one can delve deeper into the sphere of wildlife conservation that adds up to Kenya’s elite wildlife experiences. National Parks in Kenya are a great selling point for Kenya’s tourism industry and many people indulge in safari experience with a steely determination to marvel at the Big Five. Nonetheless, the Amboseli National Park offers more than wildlife and you are guaranteed a great experience.

In this article are some of the best activities to do in Amboseli National Park. We also share information on how to get to Amboseli National Park, operating hours and entrance fees, and some of the top accommodation options for you.

Here’s what to look forward to:

1. Game drive

2. Cultural tours

3. Camping

4. Guided nature walk at the Observation Hill

5. Bird watching

6. Hot Air Balloon Safari

7. Photography

8. Wildlife Conservation and Research at the Elephant Research Camp

Where to stay and eat at Amboseli National Park

Useful tips: How to get to Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park has four gates: Iremito, Meshanani, Kimana, and Kitirua.

The park is easily accessible by road from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. The park is approximately 240km from Nairobi, which translates to a 4-hour drive via the Nairobi-Namanga route via its Meshanani gate. This route is quicker as it has minimal traffic and is a lot more scenic.

Alternatively, one can take the Nairobi-Emali route via Mombasa road, which will be a 3-hour drive without traffic. However, this route can be slower as Mombasa road is among the busiest roads; thus, bound to experience heavy traffic especially during peak hours. Accessing the park from Mombasa is mainly through Tsavo National Park, approximately, 7 hours drive.

The park’s proximity to Nairobi makes it accessible for visitors who want to enjoy a drive along Kenyan roads. It is also great for day trips; however, to get the best out of the destination, I would recommend a two-day stay to exhaust all its products.

By train you can board the SGR at Nairobi or Mombasa and alight at Emali terminus. From Nairobi, the train takes 1 hour 30 minutes to get to Emali while from Mombasa, the train takes slightly under 5 hours. From here, Amboseli is 91km away and you will need to arrange for pick-up through Amboseli camp or car hire services.

Notably, for a luxury experience, visitors can get to Amboseli via domestic chartered flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport that land in the park’s airstrip or Namanga Airstrip, in the nearby Namanga town. The flight is approximately 90 minutes.