Amboseli Reserve
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| Amboseli National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
| Location: | Kenya |
| Area: | 3,260 km² |
| Established: | 1974 (as a game reserve from 1906) |
| Governing body: | Olkejuado County Council and the Maasai tribe |
Amboseli Game Reserve, formerly Amboseli National Park is in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya. The park is 3,260-square kilometer (1,260-square mile) in size and the local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy. The park is a combination of swamps, dried-up lake and semi-arid vegetation.
Very near to the capital city Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the third most visited game area in Kenya after Maasai Mara National Reserve and Nakuru National Park and the visit can easily be done in a weekend.
In 1883, Joseph Thompson was the first European to penetrate the dreaded Maasai country known as Embosel (meaning dust in Maa) and he was astonished by the fantastic contrast between the arid areas of the dry-lake bed and the oasis like swamps.
It was created as a game reserve in 1906 but returned to local control in 1948. Gazetted National Park in 1974 in order to protect this unique ecosystem. The park brought in 3.5 million U.S. dollars (2.9 million euros) in admissions in 2004. On September 29, 2005, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki delisted the park, taking control over it from the Kenya Wildlife Service and turning it over to the Olkejuado County Council and the Maassai tribe. Several groups saw this as a political favor in advance of a vote on a new Kenyan constitution and legal challenges were expected. The delisting would give the admission fees collect directly to the county council and perhaps allow the Maassai to graze cattle within the park.
The park is famous for being the best place in Kenya to spot elephants. Particular attractions of this park include a high concentration of elephants and spectacular views of Mt Kilimanjaro.
