Why I love Amboseli National Park
Consider placing Amboseli at the top of your Kenyan safari wish list for 2025..
Out with the Old - January 2024
Amboseli National Park is a wildlife photographer’s playground, known for its iconic big tusker elephants and large family herds, giraffes, wildebeest, and diverse birdlife. The lake bed during the dry season is a prime migratory route, where big herds of elephants, along with journeys of giraffe and straggling wildebeest, can be photographed against the dramatic cracked earth — a true highlight of Amboseli. The pièce de résistance of the park - if you get the weather for it - is the looming magisterial presence of Mount Kilimanjaro, its instantly recognisable flattened peak stands sentinel over the wildlife-filled landscape below.
Craig - September 2024
Seasonal Magic
The park transforms with the seasons: in the wet season (short rains in November and December and long rains in April and May), lush greenery and vibrant birdlife abound. The dry season (July to October) presents an incomparable palette of earthy tans, beiges, and browns. There’s also something so unique about the light on Amboseli mornings and evenings, I’ve found no other park presents me with opportunities to capture beautiful pastel hues in colour images, while black-and-white pieces seem to present themselves so naturally in this part of Kenya.
Capturing Moments in Amboseli: Some of My Favourite Shots
Love Bite - August 2024
Black-and-white shots like Love Bite (zebra stallions play-fighting on the open plains) and the story which wrote itself Out with the Old (a matriarch elephant with baby confronting a bull whose time in the herd is coming to an end), Amboseli offers incredible photographic moments. Part of what I feel made these images so successful is the lack of distractions present in the environment: the open grasslands work act as an outdoors photography studio, simply have patience and sooner or later the subjects will present themselves.
Some of my favourite colour images include a serene pelican drying its wings at the lake - a unique opportunity to capture wetland activity in the midst of expanses of dry open spaces and dusty plains. I have also had one of the rarest cheetah sightings of all: a female with five cubs. This was just one of the surprises that Amboseli has thrown my way of late, and it presented me with incredible opportunities to capture the cubs at play and rest, interacting with their mother (who I think is contender for mother-of-the-year, honestly) , as well as having a herd of elephants moving across the background to boot.
Planning Your Trip to Amboseli
Stay at one of the many properties near Kimana Gate, just 27 km (35 minutes) from Kimana Town, for the best access. There are numerous accommodation options nearer to the town, but do keep in mind you’ll have a longer drive to the park in the mornings.
Mirage - October 2024
A 4x4 is essential for navigating the park’s rougher and wetter terrain, but if you are self-driving the main roads are well-maintained and in good condition - just do not attempt to cross the dry lake bed in the right season in anything other than a 4x4. Even the smallest amounts of rain have a surprising impact on this otherwise dry and dusty path. I have had some incredible sightings on self-drive visits, but staying at a camp with an experienced knowledgable guide cannot be beaten, especially if you are visiting for the first time or are a newcomer to wildlife photography. Booking in advance is advised, especially during peak seasons.
If you are hoping to photograph the iconic Craig, your camp will advise you on the best course of action. He’s rarely seen in the main reserve, preferring to spend most of his time in a neighbouring conservancy, so you’ll need an experienced guide in order to help you find him and have approved access to this area.
Moving Mountains - September 2024.
The dry season brings copious amounts of dust which can get whipped up in late-afternoon wind, so photographers be ready to clean your gear daily!
Amboseli has never disappointed me, offering surprising wildlife encounters and iconic photo opportunities, from its signature elephants to the stunning landscape itself. Even on a ‘quiet’ game drive, with copious patience and a good eye I’ve captured an award-winning image.