Amboseli National Reserve

Amboseli National Reserve, which is crowned by Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, is one of Kenya's most popular tourist destinations. The term "Amboseli" is derived from a Maasai phrase that means "salty dust," a good description of the park's dry conditions.

In 1948, Amboseli was formed as a wildlife reserve, covering 1,259 square miles (3,261 square kilometers) northwest of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Open plains, acacia forest, lava-strewn thornbush region, swamp, marshes, the Amboseli lake bed, and the slopes of Oldoinyo Orok were among the seven ecosystems identified. Historically, the Maasai and their livestock herds lived on the reserve's land. The reserve is one of the greatest sites in Africa to get up close and personal with enormous herds of elephants. The park is home to a wide range of species. Baboons, lions, cheetahs, elephants, black rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, Maasai giraffes, buffalo, oryx, wildebeests, gerenuk, impalas, and gazelles are among the important wildlife.