Under the soaring gaze of snow-tipped Kilimanjaro, the Amboseli National Park continues to reign as one of Kenya’s most-coveted sections of backcountry. Though smaller than the rest of the parks in the vicinity, it’s hailed for its offering of up-close-and-personal safaris, fielding masses of cape buffalo, elusive cheetahs, streams of black-and-white zebras, and some of the most striking and fearless elephant herds around.
Many an Amboseli National Park tour guide will advice planning your visit keeping in mind the climactic oscillations from dry, dusty spells to wet season rains that clog up all the roads impossibly. Aside from that, holidays here are all about gawping at the awesome mountain vistas, spying out endangered animals and the astonishingly vibrant birdlife, and getting to grips with the raw African hinterland.
And when it’s time for a break from nature and a dose of culture is required, consider taking a tour to one of the nearby Maasai villages, where the locals lead the bushwalks and teach visitors the long human history of the Kenyan Rift Valley.