Welcome to Wildebeest Safaris Ltd

East Africa is host to the largest animal on land: the elephant. Herds of these can be seen strolling the plains and it is from the Amboseli national park where one can capture this breathtaking image. Amboseli not only boasts of this but from here, Mount Kilimanjaro can be viewed exceptionally well in the early mornings and late evenings providing ambience.

The park is home to the Maasai community whose culture and values are an attraction in itself, however this has been punctuated by adversity such as the reallocation of the park's land by the Kenya Wildlife Services. The park was established in 1974 and covers an area of 392 km square. It forms part of the Amboseli eco- system covering an area of 3000km Square. It is located on the border with Tanzania and Kajiado district, in southern Kenya.

Famous authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark have based their works on game- culture in the African wilderness from this park. Most lodges and safari camps in Amboseli are of world class quality and are conveniently located in the parks.

Amboseli is approximately 200km from Nairobi and the usual route is via Namanga. The road is tarmacked up until Namanga from where the ride becomes rough. The other road is via Emali on the Nairobi- Mombasa road. The park has a single airstrip for light aircraft with Air Kenya providing daily flights. The park can be accessed via five gates, Kelunyiet, Iremito, Imeshanan, Kitirua & Airstrip.

Amboseli National park is generally not a large park but there is plenty to see. The animal selection is vastly diverse. Elephants are a majority, the largest number in all Kenyan parks. The openness of the park has enabled predators such as the cheetahs and hyenas to roam around. Other animals include hippos found in the swamps, wildebeest, antelopes, zebras, giraffes, buffalos, and birds of all sorts.

Also to be seen is the aforementioned Mount kilimanjaro, which is the world's tallest freestanding mountain. Mount Meru can also be seen enhanced by the observation hill, which allows an overall view of the park.

The Maasai community, one of the few communities to have maintained their cultural practices adapting a few contemporary elements, attracts visitors both locally and internationally. Activities in the park are mainly wildlife viewing. Most of Amboseli is flat and dusty with two swamps that provide sanctuary for the hippos. Vegetation has been mostly affected by tourism itself thus tour vehicles are asked to stick to the legitimate road.

The Selenkay Conservancy

The Selenkay Conservancy boundary is 10 miles north of Amboseli National Park, within the Amboseli eco-system, and is an important dispersal area and rangeland for wildlife migrating out of the park. In May 1997, the local Maasai community decided to set aside the area as a reserve for wildlife, so that the habitat could be protected and wildlife conserved, and entered into a partnership agreement with Porini Safari Camps and Gamewatchers Safaris.

Selenkay Conservancy is well off the beaten track and has not been visited by tourists until fairly recently. It lies in the heart of Maasailand and the animals are truly wild and not fully habituated to vehicles. The number of tourist visitors staying at the Amboseli Porini Camp within the 15,000 acre Selenkay Conservancy is limited to a maximum of eighteen per day to retain the wild and unspoilt nature of the area and to minimise the impact on the environment. Within the conservancy the following animals have been seen recently: elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, striped hyena, jackal, bat-eared fox, caracal, African wild cat, serval cat, genet cat, honey badger, mongoose, zorilla, porcupine, Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, grey bush duiker, gerenuk, impala, oryx, lesser kudu, eland, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, giraffe, warthog, yellow baboon, vervet monkey. Birdlife is prolific, especially birds of prey.