Amboseli

Amboseli National Park is situated about 250 km to the south-east of Nairobi and covers an area of approx. 400 square kilometres on the border with Tanzania. It is famous because of its backdrop: the highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro. The sight of the snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro rising as a backdrop to this park makes it one of the most photogenic in Kenya.

The Park is based on two areas of swamp in the arid surrounding plains, and because of the low rainfall in the area they are central to the lives of the animals that live in the park. Because of these swamps, with their water and grazing, Amboseli is home to an abundance of game, from Lions, cheetahs and leopards to giraffes and buffalo. It is especially famous for its elephants. The west of the park is the dried bed of Lake Amboseli, usually dry and dusty, which makes the lush green of the swamps even more startling. The swamps themselves are fed by underground streams that come down off Mt. Kilimanjaro, producing areas of wetlands and pools large enough to support the game and for Hippos to live in them. As the snows on the summit of Kilimanjaro diminish, there are great concerns as to the future of this water supply and the rising salinity of the water.

Amboseli was originally set up as a reserve in 1906 and reached full National Park status in 1974. Recently control of the Park was moved from the Kenya Wildlife Service to the local council, a move that has worried many as to whether the revenues will still benefit the local Masai. It also puts a question mark over the future of other of Kenya's Parks. Most lodges are based in the central swamp area, known as Ol Tukai.

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