Amboseli

Amboseli is a compact, flat park in southern Kenya facing Mount Kilimanjaro, which rises across the border in Tanzania. Much of it is the dry bed of an ancient lake, a pale plain where dust devils spin at midday and heat haze makes the herds seem to float. Through it run swamps fed by Kilimanjaro's rain and snowmelt, which seep underground and surface here as springs, keeping the grass green in the driest months. The swamps draw the animals, above all the elephants. Families that researchers have followed since the early 1970s wade belly-deep through the marsh, and some old bulls carry tusks that sweep close to the ground. Hippos, buffalo and pelicans share the water, while lions, spotted hyenas and cheetahs work the open edges. Climb Observation Hill for a view over the whole basin, and meet the Maasai families whose cattle graze around the park. Kilimanjaro is shy at midday; the summit usually shows clearly at dawn and again in late afternoon. June to October and January to February are the dry months, when game crowds the swamps. Amboseli is four to five hours by road from Nairobi or a short flight from Wilson Airport, and it lies close to the Namanga border, so it pairs naturally with Tsavo West or a crossing into Tanzania.