Amboseli National Park
🇰🇪 Kenya
🐘 Elephant Kingdom of AmboseliAmboseli National Park is a tropical savanna reserve situated in southern Kenya, featuring open grasslands, sparse acacia woodlands, and seasonal marshlands beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. This low-relief landscape lacks dense forests, offering wide horizons where volcanic dust flats stretch between muddy swamps and dry acacia tracks.
-2.623° S 37.204° E
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
African Bush Elephant
Loxodonta africana
★ 
Lion
Panthera leo
★ 
East African Giraffe
Giraffa tippelskirchi
★ 
Blue Wildebeest
Connochaetes taurinus
📊 Most Spotted
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiaca
Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
Superb Starling
Lamprotornis superbus
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
Plains Zebra
Equus quagga
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Thomson's Gazelle
Eudorcas thomsonii
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Grant's Gazelle
Nanger granti
Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Common Ostrich
Struthio camelus
⭐ Iconic Species
★ African Bush Elephant
Loxodonta africana
★ Lion
Panthera leo
★ East African Giraffe
Giraffa tippelskirchi
★ Blue Wildebeest
Connochaetes taurinus
📊 Most Spotted
Plains Zebra
Equus quagga
Thomson's Gazelle
Eudorcas thomsonii
Grant's Gazelle
Nanger granti
Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Common Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
Vervet Monkey
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Yellow Baboon
Papio cynocephalus
Bohor Reedbuck
Redunca redunca
Common Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
African Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Waterbuck
Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
📊 Most Spotted
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiaca
Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
Superb Starling
Lamprotornis superbus
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Common Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
Long-toed Lapwing
Vanellus crassirostris
📊 Most Spotted
Kenyan Rock Agama
Agama lionotus
African Striped Skink
Trachylepis striata
Leopard Tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis
Graceful Chameleon
Chamaeleo gracilis
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
Common Long-tailed Lizard
Latastia longicaudata
Southern African Python
Python natalensis
Rock Monitor
Varanus albigularis
Painted Dwarf Gecko
Lygodactylus picturatus
Red Spitting Cobra
Naja pallida
Puff Adder
Bitis arietans
Nile Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
Recent sightings in Amboseli National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Elephant Peak Activity
Elephants congregate in large numbers around the permanent swamps and marshes to feed on lush papyrus and green flush during early seasonal transitions.
2Flamigreen Wetland Rains
Seasonal rains fill the vast, dry Amboseli lake bed, attracting massive flocks of lesser and greater flamingos to the shallow alkaline waters.
3Predator Activity Peak
Lions and hyenas take advantage of congregating plains game as water sources fluctuate, creating dramatic wildlife interactions.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Elephant Peak Activity
- 2Flamigreen Wetland Rains
- 3Predator Activity Peak
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
After a siesta, we went back out with Solomon and saw even more of what Amboseli has to offer, including giraffes, cape buffalo, gazelles, and zebras.
We have seen the peak of Kilimanjaro, some herds of elephants 🐘, zebras, lion and lioness 🦁, wildebeests, hyenas, buffalos, hippopotamus, gazelles, antelope, impala, waterbuck, baboon, rock python and more.
As we made the drive back to the airstrip we were joined by literally hundreds of elephant, their columns stretching as far as the eye could see surrounded by the inevitable flocks of egrets.
As the Amboseli National Park does not have leopards or rhinos, it meant we had seen the three that were there: lion, buffalo and elephant.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Amboseli National Park?
The most likely sightings are African Bush Elephant (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Blue Wildebeest (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Blacksmith Lapwing (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Egyptian Goose (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Grey Crowned Crane (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 1272 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Amboseli National Park for wildlife?
March has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see African Bush Elephant in Amboseli National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a African Bush Elephant sighting in Amboseli National Park, based on 365 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Lion in Amboseli National Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in Amboseli National Park, based on 99 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see East African Giraffe in Amboseli National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a East African Giraffe sighting in Amboseli National Park, based on 101 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Blue Wildebeest in Amboseli National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Wildebeest sighting in Amboseli National Park, based on 267 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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