All 4 in 3 days here: ~70%
Amboseli National Park
🇰🇪 Kenya
East Africa, Kenya 1272 spp. recorded
Amboseli 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
🦜 Nature
536 Species sighted
59,819 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Mar Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 609 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 5 in 3 days here: ~50%
All 5 in 3 days here: ~30%
Recent sightings in Amboseli National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
60Jan
56Feb
75Mar
62Apr
50May
57Jun
57Jul
60Aug
52Sep
55Oct
59Nov
66Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Amboseli Airstrip
-
Ol Tukai Lodge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Observation Point
-
Amboseli Serena Lodge
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 864
🐒 Mammals 240
🦎 Reptiles 137
🐸 Amphibians 31
1272 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
44 Threatened 9 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
68% 📊
Coverage (277 species at ≥5% of 1272 in the inventory)
22% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 bird, 5 mammal)
65% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
192 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
32 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
49 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.4
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
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.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Amboseli National Park?
1,272 species
Amboseli National Park has 1,272 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are African Bush Elephant (about 80%), Blue Wildebeest (about 80%), Blacksmith Lapwing (about 70%), Egyptian Goose (about 70%) and Grey Crowned Crane (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Kenyan Rock Agama (about 30%).
When is the best time to visit Amboseli National Park for wildlife?
February–April, June–October and December
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in January, May and November.
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in Amboseli National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 558 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March, May–October and December (about 80%).
Can you see a Lion in Amboseli National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 139 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and October (about 70%).
Can you see an East African Giraffe in Amboseli National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an East African Giraffe sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 201 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July and August (about 60%).
Can you see a Blue Wildebeest in Amboseli National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Wildebeest sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 269 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March, June–October and December (about 80%).
Where in Amboseli National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Amboseli Airstrip
The richest sighting zone is around Amboseli Airstrip, followed by Ol Tukai Lodge and Observation Point, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Amboseli National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Amboseli National Park rates 4.8/5: 32nd of 316 parks worldwide and 23rd in Africa. 56 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
