Best Time for a Kenya Safari
Best Time for a Kenya Safari: The Kenyan climate is ideal for a year-round African bush and beach vacation. The mild to tropical temperatures ensure that you are comfortable during your game drives and other outdoor activities during the day. In the nights and early mornings, you may just need a light jacket or thick fleece to be comfortable in the Great Rift Valley highlands. Temperatures and precipitation amounts vary throughout the year.
Understanding the natural cycle of the wet and dry seasons will assist you in planning the best East African safari and coastline excursions in Kenya depending on your particular preferences. We provide this information as basic suggestions; your tour consultant may provide you with more detailed information based on your destination, animal preferences (including marine life), and chosen Kenyan outback tour activities.
Another factor to consider when planning a safari to Majestic Kenya is the effect of climate change on weather patterns all throughout the world, including Kenya. We are constantly in communication with campers, guides, rangers, and other tour personnel in the field. As a result, you can be certain that the advice provided by your tour operator is based on on-the-ground informants where necessary, rather than being based merely on sample historical data. From July through October, majestic Kenya has the longest dry season of the year, as well as a colder time for the first couple of months.
During this period, animal numbers and variety will be higher. Because of the lack of or limited precipitation, the few surviving temporary water sources evaporate or recede, leaving animals with fewer places to drink and congregating at permanent water sources.
Furthermore, the lack of rain causes the flora in the interiors to be scarce, thus animals rush to the open plains in search of new greenery. The presence of these prey species attracts predators that rely on grazers and foragers for sustenance. The lengthy dry season attracts the most visitors since it is considered the finest period for wildlife watching, but the most costly season to visit.
Furthermore, the time of year corresponds with family safari holidays in Kenya during the lengthy summer school break in Europe, the Americas, and other parts of the world. Finally, because of the abundance of stagnant waterways, the extended dry season often results in fewer insects and mosquitoes than other times of the year.
The extended dry season in Kenya is followed by a brief rainy season in November and December. Because the rains increase the quantity of foliage in the wilderness, the animals become more spread and may require longer tracking time to spot them. Because there is more water available, the animals concentrate less at the last surviving water sources and prefer waterholes closer to their pasture and territorial residence.
The brief humidly hot-dry season of January and February corresponds to cold wintry weather in Europe and the United States. The desire to escape the chilly weather drives an inflow of visitors to Kenya’s abundant natural, historical, and cultural assets in the national parks and along the east coast. Couples, honeymooners, and solitary travelers who want the benefits of the dry season, such as easier wildlife watching and ground mobility, prefer the short dry season. When opposed to the long cool-dry season, the short hot-dry season provides the extra benefit of reduced visitation numbers, but there is little financial benefit.
The rainy season lasts from April through June. Road conditions may be affected, but we believe that this is the time of year when Kenya’s vegetation is at its most beautiful. Because of the abundance of flora and water supplies, herbivore animals are less concentrated due to the increased availability of pasture and water. Grasses are also long, making predators difficult to track and notice, necessitating extra time in the woods. The extended rainy season, on the other hand, corresponds with the calving season of several species, particularly antelopes, zebra dazzles,.
Despite the disadvantages of the weather, you have a front-row seat to the birth, the initial interaction between mother and baby, and the first steps. You also wait with suspense as a baby learns to snuggle among the foliage to evade the notice of the plains’ various predators. We do tell our visitors that the lengthy rain season is the most affordable time to visit Kenya; but, tourist levels do rise significantly around the Easter holiday week.
Wildebeest and Zebras
Although the weather in Kenya offers a delightful African vacation at any time of year, some animal phenomena occur exclusively at specific seasons. If you want to see these events, your trusted tour operator will advise you on the weather, including rainfall, temperature, humidity, lodging rate, tour pricing, and other aspects. The Great Migration, which arrives in the Masai Mara National Reserve from the Serengeti national park during the long cold, dry season – from late July to October – is one of the most popular wildlife phenomena.
Anglers, divers, and other water enthusiasts will discover a paradise of marine life and aquatic activities throughout Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline and islands, such as Mombasa’s North and South Coast Beaches, Lamu, Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Funzi, and Chale. The humidity will most certainly be higher than inland, but the cooling water, sea air, and peaceful beaches make the experience highly appealing.
The coastal areas support a diverse range of marine animals, and some pelagic species and marine mammals pass through. Humpback whales may be seen from the end of June until the end of December. Fishermen wanting great adventure may decide to visit Kenya’s coastal coasts from August to October for yellow fin tuna. Marlins arrive in December and stay into March.
