Attractions in Kajiado County
38. Amboseli National Park
The 392 km2 Amboseli National Park is especially held dearly by photographers against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, and its flat terrain. Administered by the local Maasai through Kajiado County Council, Amboseli expands over the dry savanna plains and contains enormous wildlife resources. The park derives its name from the Maasai’s equivalent of “dry river bed” in reference to Lake Amboseli – which over dry weather is smooth enough to drive across and only forming the shallow Lake Amboseli in the rain season. The smooth lake bed makes it easy to drive across to one of Amboseli’s useful observation points, consisting of a small hill that overlooks the major swamps, simply known as the “Observation Hill”. Moreover, it is equally easy to get lost crossing the dusty lake bed, and to avoid getting lost it is advised to follow the tracks. Amboseli National Park is famous for its elephants, buffaloes and rhino population. For accommodation, there is something for everyone at Amboseli. From Namanga, it is a 70 kms drive to Meshanani Gate. Via Emali, it’s reached through the Kimana (Olkelenyiet) Gate, which is a 231 kms drive from Nairobi.
39. Lake Amboseli
The 20 kms long featureless dusty plain of Lake Amboseli, which sustains only few inches of water in the course of the rainy season, between March to July, is quite an extraordinary component of Amboseli National Park; not least for the remarkable distortion of land-forms by the heat haze, which at times makes it difficult to distinguish between the mirage and the actual surface of the water. Amboseli National Park has a tremendous concentration of big game especially around the waterholes frequented by rhinos and elephants. It’s also one of East Africa’s best location for viewing the cheetah. The perfectly flat surface of Lake Amboseli, which provides a nimble and comfortable line of communication in dry weather, becomes completely impassable to vehicles during the rain season.
40. Maasai Heritage Museum
41. Kimana Sanctuary
In extent, this is about 23 km2 and its nearest point is roughly 6 kms east of Amboseli National Park. It is a vast savanna with low-lying hills and is “a key corridor that links Amboseli National Park with the Chyulu Hills Reserve and Tsavo National Park, providing wildlife with a route through the narrowest part of the space between two settled areas”. The sanctuary has good concentration of game including Thompson and Grant’s gazelles, zebra, eland and a thriving population of warthogs amongst other game. Kimana Sanctuary is communally owned by 480 local Maasai, who in 1996 had the vision to set-aside this land as the very first community conservancy in Kenya. The beautiful Kimana House, a self-catering 4-bedroom which sleeps up to 8, is a budget-friendly hideout that is surrounded by indigenous woody and nearby the river bank. It is reached via C102 Emali-Oloitoktok Road near Isineti Shopping Centre, 80 kms from Emali.
42. Sidai Oleng Conservancy
Sidai Oleng Conservancy, established in 2012 with an area of 28 km2, is owned and managed by the Maasai community from the Kuku Group Ranch. Its name translates to “very pretty” or “very good”, an idiom that answers to its pleasing location between Amboseli and Chyulu. It sits astride the Kimana Sanctuary, with Mount Kilimanjaro occupying much of its southerly views. “Sidai Oleng actively engages the native Maasai community with education and advocacy programs that grows their personal sense of purpose and value in preserving, even restoring their land. In addition, it employs local Maasai warriors from different villages as scouts and vigilant protectors of both the wildlife and the ecosystem”. The only development within Sidai Oleng is the five-acres research center constructed using local and natural material, with a camp ground for 50.
43. Selenkay Conservancy
Formerly Eselenkei Group Ranch, the 52 km2 Selenkay Conservancy is situated immediately north of Amboseli National Park. It is focused on the conservation and preservation of both the wildlife resources and the gallant Maasai ancestry of Amboseli. Selenkay is community-owned under Eselenkei Group Ranch. The area is also an important dispersal area and corridor for wildlife migrating out of Amboseli. Ergo, Selenkay is home to impressive wildlife including elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, gerenuk, impala, oryx, lesser kudu, zebra, jackal, hyena, bat-eared for, wildebeest, giraffe, warthog, among others, in addition to being a veritable birding area. Porini Camp in the only lodge at Selenkay Conservancy. “The camp is built and operates on low impact, limited to 18 guests at a time. The guest tents and staff quarters are made out of beige and green canvas tents that blends in with the surroundings. Natural vegetation within is undisturbed. Paths ways are naturally aligned with sand to demarcate the way.” From here, callers to Selenkay can enjoy unlimited safaris within the conservancy or in the adjoining Amboseli National Park. It is located 16 kms north of Amboseli Park.
Selenkay Conservancy is big on eco-friendliness. Guests are briefed upon arrival by the manager on the various existing activities of the camp and environmental conservation such as on water. A room leaflet is strategically placed on the guest bed with elaborate information on the water, energy and waste management and the community integration.
Abiri Kenya 