Why Amboseli Should Be Your Next Travel Destination

Derived from a Maasai word that roughly translates to “salty dust”, Amboseli is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. We had the pleasure of visiting the park last month and here are some highlights from the trip as well as reasons why this ought to be your next travel destination.

Various Hotels to Choose From

We had several options to choose from when making our booking – Amboseli Sopa , Tawi Lodge, Tortilis Camp, Amboseli Serena and Ol Tukai Lodge. However, only the last three are in the park. Booking a hotel outside the park might have proven problematic. One would need to drive into the park for each game drive. In addition to this inconvenience, hotels outside the park may not have as glorious views of the mountain or surrounding wildlife as hotels within the park. 

The Drive

We were anxious about how much time we would spend on the road. We went in expecting the worst but our driver assured us that in 4 hours we’d be seated at the restaurant having lunch. Well he was spot on with his prediction. After taking a right on the Emali junction, we drove for half an hour before we went off road. Less than an hour later, we were checking in.

Ol Tukai Lodge

 Settling for Ol Tukai was an excellent decision because the only thing separating us from a herd of elephants was 6 feet and an electric fence. The staff is incredibly friendly. The rooms and bathrooms are spacious and tastefully decorated with the balcony opening up to the majestic view of the towering Kilimanjaro. The food selection was wide and sumptuous. We highly recommend the roast turkey leg. Watch out for those monkeys though, as one made a hasty exit with our dessert.

See Mt. Kilimanjaro in all its grandeur! 

Standing at 5895m above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is quite possibly the most awe-inspiring sights we’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. Its highest peak Kibo rules the skyline and casts an omnipotent shadow on the surrounding Savannah while its lower peak Mawenzi looks up to it like an apprentice. As spectacular as this mountain is, seeing it isn’t always a guarantee. Cloud cover had us worried in the beginning but as the evening hours drew nearer, the mountain stood in plain sight for us to marvel over. 

 The Game Drives

The rainy season isn’t the most opportune time to visit. The animals are scarce and the driver must search every nook and cranny of the park to locate wildlife. This is partly because Amboseli’s water table is high thus rendering most of the landscape into one major swamp. 

Nevertheless, all our game drives were successful. We had the pleasure of witnessing a matriarch and her herd cross the road right in front of the van, as well as a cackle of hyenas scavenging in a nearby plain. The observation hill, which was created from lava deposits (from Mt. Kilimanjaro) centuries ago, has a strategic view of the entire park and is definitely an excellent spot to take pictures from.


Collectively we saw grant’s gazelles, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, warthogs, ostriches, hyenas, buffaloes and 4 very elusive lionesses. The driver also kept throwing bird species names at us but I can’t for the life of me remember a single one. Can you blame me though; there are over 500 bird species in the park!

There’s plenty to say about Amboseli but we’re not about to give everything away. You have to experience it for yourself. Give us a call on +254705804226/+254739077204/+254790494639 to secure your Amboseli experience.