AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
Amboseli lies immediately North West of Mt. Kilimanjaro, on the border with
Tanzania. Amboseli was established as a reserve in 1968 and gazetted as a
National Park in 1974. The Park covers 392 km2, and forms part of the much
larger 3,000 Km2 Amboseli ecosystem. Large concentrations of wildlife occur
here in the dry season, making Amboseli a popular tourist destination. It is
surrounded by 6 communally owned group ranches.
The National Park embodies 5 main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia
woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of
a pleistocene lake basin, now dry. Within this basin is a temporary lake,
Lake Amboseli, that floods during years of heavy rainfall. Amboseli is
famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty - the landscape is
dominated by MT Kilimanjaro.
On the border with Tanzania, Kajiado District, South Kenya; Co
vers 392km2
Climate:
The climate is mainly hot and dry. Amboseli is in the rain shadow of Mt.
Kilimanjaro. The maximum average temperature of the warmest month is 33°C
during the day, while that of the coldest is 27-28°C. An annual rainfall of
300mm per annum is distributed in two seasons: April/May and
November/December. Recurrent droughts and potential evaporation of 2200mm
per annum typifies the region (KWS, 1991).
