Amboseli National Park is situated north west of Mount Kilimanjaro on the Tanzanian border. In the centre of the Park lies a now-dry lake basin. Within this basin is a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, that floods during years of heavy rainfall. Amboseli is famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty and Mt Kilimanjaro dominates the landscape.

Large herds of elephant are common sights in Amboseli National Park, as are buffalo, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, Coke's hartebeest, warthog, wildebeest, impala, giraffe, zebra and baboons. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are also present. Around the swamps and seasonal lakes, birdlife is abundant with a good variety of water species.

Most of the Amboseli National Park consists of a dry, ancient lakebed and fragile grasslands with patches of acacia woodland, while in the southern area there are a number of small volcanic hills. Around the swamps the vegetation is lush with yellow-barked acacias and phoenix palms.