About Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park is situated in Kenya near the Tanzania border. Amboseli National Park budget travel offers one of Africa’s best game parks, with excellent game and bird viewing.

Amboseli National Park Budget Travel

Amboseli National Park budget travel is very easy with great value for money backpacking tours and fantastic highlights. Below is useful information on Amboseli National Park to help you plan your budget holiday in Amboseli National Park. We offer a variety of budget tours and backpacking advice in Amboseli National Park.

Airports

Nearest Amboseli National Park airports include the following:
• Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi International Airport
• Amboseli National Park Airstrip

Birdlife

Amboseli National Park birdlife is extremely rich and diverse, with 420 species of birds recorded. The marshlands and woodlands create an optimal environment where hundreds of breeding water birds, including large flocks of Greater and Lesser flamingo, can be found. Other species to be seen in the park includes kingfishers, pelicans, African fish eagle, bee-eaters and pygmy falcon and martial eagle.

Conservation

Amboseli National Park conservation plays a key role in preserving the diversity of species which live within the park’s range of ecosystems. The park is relatively free from poachers and other environmental hazards, and as a protected area supporting a large number of game and bird species, the park is a successful conservation model.

Culture

Amboseli National Park cultures include the following:
• Cattle play a key role in Maasai wealth and status, as well as occupation
• Traditions and rituals are an integral part of the Maasai culture
• Clothing has been a distinctive trait for centuries
• Jewellery is both identification and tradition in tribes
• Gender roles play a key role in social structure

Customs

Amboseli National Park customs allowances for free import by passengers of 16 years or older includes:
• 1/2 lb. of tobacco, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars
• 1 bottle of alcoholic beverages
• 1 pint of perfume

Health

Amboseli National Park health facilities are few and far between, and with the reserve situated a fair distance from the nearest town, getting to hospitals in case of sickness could take hours. Be prepared, and take out comprehensive travel insurance ' also bring a basic first aid kit with supplies such as cold medicine, headache pills, diarrhea pills, nausea pills, bandages and malaria medication.

AIDS

Amboseli National Park HIV/AIDS precautions include the following tips:
• Don’t ever share needles or syringes
• Practice safe sex at all times
• Equipment should be sterilized
• If you require self-administered injections, take an adequate supply of your own needles
• Avoid tattoos, acupuncture treatment or body piercing

Vaccinations

The following Amboseli National Park inoculations are required:
• Yellow Fever
• Hepatitis A & B
• Typhoid
• Polio
• Rabies

Languages

Amboseli National Park languages include the following:
• Maasai
• English
• Swahili

Malaria

Amboseli National Park malaria medication includes the following:
• Mefloquine (Lariam)
• Doxycycline
• Atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone)

Money

Amboseli National Park money and banking information is as follows:
• Very few camps accept credit cards
• Be prepared and bring local Kenyan currency
• Travellers cheques can be exchanged at airports

People

Amboseli National Park people include the following:
• Maasai
• Other settlers

Phrase

Amboseli National Park local phrases include the following in Swahili:
• Hello - Jambo
• Can I please have...? - Tafadhali nipatie...?
• Do you speak english? - Unajua kizungu?
• Excuse me ' Samahani
• No problem! - Hakuna matata!

Vaccinations

The following Amboseli National Park inoculations are required:
• Yellow Fever
• Hepatitis A & B
• Typhoid
• Polio
• Rabies

Plants

Amboseli National Park plants include a number of habitats which support large numbers of game and birdlife. Ecosystems include open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland. Palm trees and acacia trees can be found along certain areas, with the plains mostly consisting of grasslands dotted with marsh areas.

Religion

Amboseli National Park religion includes the following:
• Traditional beliefs
• Christianity

Safety Tips

• Do not ever leave your car during a game drive, unless you are at a picnic site and have been given the go ahead by your guide
• Do not ever wander around alone, especially at night ' no guests should be permitted to walk around between dusk and dawn
• Leave valuables in the lodge central safety deposit, this ensures that your goods are kept safe and secure
• Stick to the speed limit when driving in the park, and do not ever drive off-road ' this could upset the fragile balance of the park’s habitats and endanger your life
• Listen to guides and park rangers when they offer travel warnings or wildlife precautions and follow instruction at all times

Transport

Amboseli National Park local transport includes:
• Plane
• Car

Travel Books

Amboseli National Park recommended travel books include:
• The complete guide to Amboseli National Park by Steve Lawrence
• Amboseli National Park: Map by Macmillan Traveller's Maps
• Insight Pocket Guide Kenya by Marti Colley
• Kenya in Pictures by Catherine Broberg
• Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family by Cynthia Moss

Visa Requirements

Get more information on visas in Kenya

What To Buy

• Durable luggage such as a backpack plus a good moneybag
• Kenyan wildlife and bird species guide
• Kenya guide book and Swahili phrase book
• First aid kit with basic supplies and medicines
• Wet wipes, toilet roll and a torch with spare batteries

What To Pack

Lightweight clothes in neutral colours
• Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and sandals
• Sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen
• Camera, spare film, batteries and binoculars
• Warm jacket and raincoat for rainy season and cooler days

When To Go

• Main tourist seasons are from December to February and from July to August
• January to February is hot and dry, making it best for game spotting
• Rainy seasons run from March to June and October to December
• Rainy season offers the best bird watching, but the roads are poor during these months
• The landscapes are at their greenest and most beautiful from March to October

Wildlife

With some of the largest elephants in Africa, and excellent game viewing opportunities, Amboseli National Park wildlife is abundant and diverse. While the park lacks the huge number of predators found in other Kenyan parks, there are some of the country’s largest bull elephants to be seen, who have some of the largest tusks in Africa. Cheetah, leopard, buffalo, small lion prides and a number of antelope can also be seen.