I had always heard that Amboseli National Park is the one park in this country that one is guaranteed of sporting most animals within an hour. I had always found that fascinating. I mean, each park has its glory but how does this one look to have such excellent praise?
But on the other side, Amboseli is also one of those parks that you rarely encounter anyone who has been there. For a long time it was seen as an exclusive for the rich. I mean, our home is barely three hours from it’s gates but we have never ventured inside.
This was until my travelling partner and I decided to do a road trip to Oloitok tok, a border town between Kenya and Tanzania. To be honest only a mountain took us there. Oloitok tok is famed for it’s view of Mount Kilimanjaro. They say it looks spectacular from the Kenyan side.
But it wouldn’t make sense to go to Oloitok tok and not pay a visit to Amboseli. Plus when we asked about the roads inside the park, we were assured that they are fine and well maintained. And this is how we found ourselves visiting Oloitok tok on day one, finding a place to sleep just after Kimana and waking up the next day to go see the beauty that is Amboseli National Park.
What I saw left me so awed that I was back a few months later with my family. It is indeed true, in case you are short of time, this is the place to visit. Within two hours maximum, you will have spotted most of the animals, complete with stopping to watch herds of elephant eat. This is because the place is a savannah grassland with a swamp in the middle. A haven for wild animals.
And on my second visit there, Mt Kilamanjaro showed itself. They were not lying. It was more than beautiful. If one is lucky, they can manage to take one of those postcard pictures that have an elephant or zebras infront of Africa’s largest mountain.
On sleeping accomodations, there should be only 2 hotels inside the park, and I think one is in ruins. The rest are just outside the park. I would say choose your budget and spend accordingly. Either way, Amboseli National Park will slap the same. Here are some pictures of what awaits
Mwende Kyalo 