Amboseli Day Tour from Nairobi: Mount Kilimanjaro & Elephants

Amboseli sits in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the elephants know it.

An Amboseli day tour from Nairobi includes hotel or airport pickup at 5 a.m., a morning and afternoon game drive with an English-speaking guide, and a visit to the local Maasai community around the park. You'll see large elephant herds, wetlands with sulphur springs, and the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, with Mount Kilimanjaro framing the landscape. Transport, bottled water and all game drives are included. Park entry, lunch and the Maasai village visit are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Amboseli National Park day tour

• Pickup from Nairobi hotel at 5 a.m
• Drive to Amboseli National Park
• Game drive from 8:45 a.m to 12:30 p.m
• Lunch at Serena lodge or picnic at Observation hill
• Enroute game drive exiting the park
• Drive back to Nairobi, arrive around 6:45 p.m

What’s included

• Transport in a comfortable tourist van with pickup from your Nairobi hotel or airport and drop-off at the end of the day.
• morning and afternoon game drives with a skilled driver and English-speaking guide.
• complimentary bottled water throughout the journey.

Times

• Every day 05:00

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Before you book

Live guide English

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup included.

Book up to 4h before

Ages Adult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4): free

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Infants must sit on laps

Operated by Wasili Kenya Safaris

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

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The experience

The van picks you up from your Nairobi hotel or airport at 5 a.m., and the drive to Amboseli takes roughly three and a half hours. You arrive at the park around 8:45 a.m., when the light is still low and the animals are moving. The park's name comes from a Maasai word meaning "salty dust". It's one of Africa's best places to see large herds of elephants up close, and Mount Kilimanjaro rises behind them the whole time you're there. Your guide leads the morning game drive until 12:30 p.m., when you break for lunch at the Serena lodge or at Observation Hill if you've brought a picnic.

Amboseli spreads across five different habitats: the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands fed by sulphur springs, open savannah and woodlands. Each one holds different animals and birds, and the guide navigates them knowing where to look. After lunch, you do an enroute game drive as you head back toward Nairobi, arriving around 6:45 p.m. The day is long, but the van is comfortable and complimentary water is available throughout.

The Maasai community lives around the park's edges, and you can visit them to see their daily life and culture firsthand. This is arranged separately from the game drives and is not included in the base tour price. If you choose to add it, your guide can facilitate the visit. The whole experience is built around the game drives and what you see from the van. There's no walking into the bush or wading through water.

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What time does the Amboseli day tour from Nairobi start and end?

Pickup is at 5 a.m. from your Nairobi hotel or airport, and you arrive back around 6:45 p.m. The game drives run from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the morning, then resume after lunch until departure.

Will I see Mount Kilimanjaro on the Amboseli game drive?

Mount Kilimanjaro frames the Amboseli landscape throughout the day. It's Africa's highest peak and sits just across the border in Tanzania, so visibility depends on cloud cover, but the park is positioned to give you views of it, especially in the early morning and late afternoon.

What animals can I expect to see on the game drive?

Amboseli is known for large herds of elephants, which you'll see up close. The park's five different habitats (wetlands, savannah, woodlands and the dried-up lake bed) also hold other wildlife and birds, though what you encounter depends on the season and the day's movements.

Is lunch included in the Amboseli day tour price?

Lunch is not included. You can eat at the Serena lodge during the midday break, or bring a picnic to enjoy at Observation Hill. Complimentary bottled water is provided in the van throughout the day.

Can I visit the Maasai community during this tour?

The local Maasai community lives around the park and can be visited, but the visit is not part of the standard game drive itinerary and costs extra. Your guide can arrange it if you're interested.

What's included in the tour price?

Transport in the tour van, hotel or airport pickup and drop-off, all game drives, and complimentary bottled water are included. Park entry fees, lunch, the Maasai village visit and any souvenirs are separate.