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| '''Amboseli National Park''', formerly '''Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve''' is in ], ] in ]. The park is 390 km² (150 mi<sup>2</sup>) in size at the core of an 8,000 km² (3,000 mi<sup>2</sup>) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The |
'''Amboseli National Park''', formerly '''Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve''' is in ], ] in ]. The park is 390 km² (150 mi<sup>2</sup>) in size at the core of an 8,000 km² (3,000 mi<sup>2</sup>) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The | ||
| 260 km (160 mi) from the capital city ], Amboseli National Park is the third most visited game area in Kenya after ] and ] and the visit can easily be done in a weekend. | |||
| In 1883, ] was the first European to penetrate the feared Maasai region known as ''Empusel'' (meaning 'salty, dusty place' in Maa). He, too, was astonished by the fantastic array of wildlife and the contrast between the arid areas of the dry-lake bed and the oasis of the swamps, a contrast that persists today. | In 1883, ] was the first European to penetrate the feared Maasai region known as ''Empusel'' (meaning 'salty, dusty place' in Maa). He, too, was astonished by the fantastic array of wildlife and the contrast between the arid areas of the dry-lake bed and the oasis of the swamps, a contrast that persists today. | ||
Revision as of 15:50, 6 June 2008
| Amboseli National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN category II (national park) | |
| Location | Kenya |
| Area | 392 km² |
| Established | 1974 as a national park (as a reserve in1906) |
| Visitors | 120,000 (estimated) (in 2006) |
| Governing body | Kenya Wildlife Service, Olkejuado County Council and the Maasai community |
Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve is in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya. The park is 390 km² (150 mi) in size at the core of an 8,000 km² (3,000 mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The In 1883, Joseph Thompson was the first European to penetrate the feared Maasai region known as Empusel (meaning 'salty, dusty place' in Maa). He, too, was astonished by the fantastic array of wildlife and the contrast between the arid areas of the dry-lake bed and the oasis of the swamps, a contrast that persists today.
Amboseli was set aside as the 'Southern Reserve' for Maasai in 1906 but returned to local control as a Game Reserve in 1948. Gazetted a National Park in 1974 in order to protect the core this unique ecosystem, it was declared a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve in 1991. The park earned $ 3.5 m (€ 2.9 m) in 2005. On September 29, 2005, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki declared that control of the park should pass from the Kenya Wildlife Service to the Olkejuado County Council and the Maasai tribe. Some observers saw this as a political favor in advance of a vote on a new Kenyan constitution: legal challenges are currently in court. The degazetting would divert park admission fees directly to the County Council with questionable spread of benefits to the Maasai immediately surrounding the park. It would set an unfortunate precedent that could jeopardise the status of other parks in Kenya.
The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants. Other attractions of the park include opportunities to meet Maasai and spectacular views of Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
There is a small airport in Amboseli, the Amboseli Airport (HKAM).
Footnotes
- "ATE". elephanttrust.org. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
{{cite web}}: Text "Amboseli Trust for Elephants" ignored (help)
External links
2°41′21″S 37°16′15″E / 2.68917°S 37.27083°E / -2.68917; 37.27083
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