How to get to Amboseli National Park

How to get to Amboseli National Park is an aspect during the safari planning process that most travellers do look at. Amboseli is the second most popular Kenya national park after Maasai Mara National Reserve. Amboseli National Park is a beautiful scenic Kenya national park with a backdrop of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. Amboseli has the big five and a variety of other wild game including large herds of elephants, gazelles, and so much more. The bird life and the scenery is also very breath-taking. With all these attractions in Amboseli, there are a number of activities that tourists can do in the park, thereby having them visit the park.

To get to enjoy all that Amboseli has to offer, one ought to know on how to get to Amboseli.

The Park is found in Loitoktok district of Kenya which is just adjacent to Tanzania. Amboseli lies in the Rift Valley area of Kenya, and is only 365km southeast of Nairobi city, making Nairobi the nearest city to the park. Nairobi is the most common point of entry by most international tourists who use the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport which is only 1km southwest of Nairobi city. The Park can be accessed by both road and air from Nairobi and other neighbouring locations and attraction sites. Some of the most common locations and attraction sites from where some travellers use to connect to Amboseli include;

Nairobi city which is the most common starting place for a transfer to Amboseli How to get to Amboseli is about 365km away from the park, taking about 3-4 hours of road drive.
From Mombasa city, it is about 451km to Amboseli taking about 7-8 hours by road.
Bugoma to Amboseli is 625km and takes approximately 11-12 hours of road drive.
From Malindi, it is 530km to Amboseli taking about 8-9 hours of road drive.
From Kisumu, it is about 559km to Ambosel with a road drive of about 10-11 hours.
From Hell’s Gate National Park, Amboseli is 350km away with a 6-7 hours road drive
From Samburu National Reserve, it is about 540km to Amboseli National Park with a 9-10 hour drive time
From Lake Nakuru National Park, Amboseli is 390km with a road drive of 7-8 hours
From Maasai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli is about 490km with a distance of 10-11 hours road drive.

It is however as earlier mentioned Nairobi city which is the most common starting point of a Kenya safari to Amboseli. From Nairobi, Amboseli can be accessed by both road and air.

Getting to Amboseli National Park by Road

Travellers wondering on how to get to Amboseli should know that they can do so by road. There are a number of well-developed and maintained routes from Nairobi to Amboseli, leading travellers to the five gates of the park namely Kulunyiet gate, Meshananai gate, Iremito gate, Kimana gate and airstrip gate. From Nairobi to Amboseli via Meshananai gate, it is bout only 2.5hours while it is about only 228km via the Kimana gate which passes through Emali town.

There are both private and public means of transportation that travellers can use to get to Amboseli National Park. It is however best to use private means especially through a reputable tour operator. For self-drive travellers however, be sure to have a 4WD vehicle so as to be able to successfully navigate Amboseli, irrespective of when you visit the park.

How to get to Amboseli National Park by Air

For those travellers not after the longish road drives to Amboseli, there is an option of accessing the park by air. There are a number of airlines that one could choose from say from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Some of the chartered flight companies include Air Kenya which operates from Nairobi to Amboseli, Safarilink which flies from Nairobi and Tsavo West National Park, Mombasa Air Safari from Mombasa, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Malindi and Diani Beach. Booking your flight days before your actual date of departure is necessary to secure your seat and availability.

Travellers are reminded to have their travel documents in hand for when they may be needed say a passport, vaccination cards say for yellow fever and a visa if entering Kenya for the first time.