Best Time in Kenya

Best Time in Kenya

Q. When is the best month(s) to go to Kenya for a safari? Would the short rains in Nov. hinder your viewing and getting around in a vehicle?

A:
Roberta –

I feel the best months for Kenya are those which allow you to see the great migration in the Maasai Mara. That is normally August/September and October. The migration begins to return to Tanzania in November, so November is a marginal month hard to predict. As soon as it begins raining, the wildebeest high-tail it back to Tanzania. But as for November in particular, it’s hard to predict. It was only two years ago that the rains never started until January, so the wildebeest remained in the Mara a much longer time than normal.

But that was unusual, and for the time being, it seems like the weather has tracked back to normal cycles.

Rains per se should not be a reason not to go. In fact, my favorite time in Tanzania is during the beginning of the rains, because that’s the best time for the wildebeest migration, and the prettiest time on the veld, and the time when there are the most calves. (Caution: the rainy season in northern Tanzania is different from Kenya. There are no two distinct seasons of rain in northern Tanzania as in Kenya. There’s really only one: it begins towards the end of the year and continues through the first half of the year.)

Hope this helps!
– JIM

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