Weather & when to go to Kenya

With pleasant overall conditions all year round, Kenya's southern highlands and coastal lowlands see little variation in conditions; each has a wet season between March and May and a second one in November and December. Temperatures are consistent throughout the year and cool for an equatorial region, ranging from high 20°Cs to low 30°Cs (80°Fs to low 90°Fs) on the coast, dropping slightly inland and then raising again closer to Lake Victoria.

Most popular time to visit:

Jan – Feb. Most people find the hot, dry weather during this time the most pleasant in comparison to the rest of the year’s weather.

This is also the best time for bird watching, as bird in huge numbers flock to the lakes.

Good time to visit:

June – Sept: the ‘shoulder season’, when the weather is still dry.

March – May (and to a lesser extent from Oct – Dec): The rainy season starts. This also means things are much quieter and more rooms for much lower prices are available. You can still get around easily despite the rain.

Migration time:

July & August is the best time of the year to witness the Migration in the Masai Mara

Best things to do on a Kenya Overland

1. Go on safari in the Masai Mara, and while there, make sure you drift over the area in a Hot Air balloon.
2. When in Kenya, make sure you visit a local craft market, feed a giraffe in Nairobi, and see a flamingo in Lake Nakuru.
3. This is also a great country to help out at a local community project.
4. If you love eating meat, then dinner at Carnivores is a must!
5. An event not to be missed when visiting Kenya, is the annual Migration, Kenya's most spectacular event. The best place to witness this incredible phenomenon is in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Here you’ll have millions of wildebeests all the way from the Serengeti move en masse in July and August in search of greener grass. In October, they head south.

Areas of interest in Kenya

Nairobi

As Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi is the country’s main commercial and business centre. Even though it’s not really the biggest, if you compare it to your average city, it’s still incredibly busy, as it’s the main gateway for most airlines into East Africa.

Amboseli National Park

At the Amboseli National Park you can experience something African storybooks are made of: a huge herd of elephants moving coolly across the grassy plains, with Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro serving as backdrop. 

Masai Mara National Reserve

If you’d like to see a lion in action or would like to witness the Great Migration, the Masai Mara National Reserve should be on top of your list. Famous all over the world, this reserve beckons you to its open rolling grasslands, where an astonishing amount of wildlife roams. It’s backed by the magnificent Esoit Oloololo (Siria) Escarpment and watered by the Mara River.

Large prides of lions are found all over the place, and usually you’ll catch them hunting. Cheetahs and leopards also wander around here, and sightings of them are quite frequent. There’s also no shortage of elephants, hippos, buffalos and zebras.

Lake Nakuru

This is where you’ll see those thousands of pink flamingos you’ve always seen on pictures, gathered together to feed on Lake Nakuru’s algae. This pink spectacle moves back and forth as they feed, and, occasionally and spectacularly, takes to flight, creating a rosy drama African legends are made of.

But Lake Nakuru has more than just flamingos. This park is also an important sanctuary for both the black and white rhino. Sharing their home with them, are huge herds of waterbuck, buffalo, zebra, the endangered Rothschild Giraffe and more.

Lake Nakuru is also one of the best places to spot a leopard. In fact, the big cats love this place, and this includes several large prides of lion.

We recommend you also go exploring beyond the lake, as forests, cliffs, waterfalls and more are ready to impress your inquisitive mind.

Lake Naivasha

A beautiful freshwater lake, Lake Naivasha is fringed by thick papyrus. Even though it’s almost 13km across, its waters are shallow with an average depth of only 5m. The size of the actual lake area depends mainly on the rainfall. The size can vary between 114 and 991km².

At the beginning of the 20th Century, there was practically no lake, as Lake Naivasha completely dried up. Farmers jumped to the occasion and used the open land for farming. But it wasn’t long after that, when a few years later, rain poured down heavily and washed away the newly established estates. The lake was back!

Heavy winds and storms in the afternoons usually produce high waves in the lake.  Because of this, the local Maasai christened the lake Nai’posha. This means ''rough water''. The British later misspelled the word as Naivasha.

Lake Naivasha and it surrounds has fertile soils and plenty of water supply, making this area one of Kenya’s prime agricultural regions. Many forests surround this lake, drawing an astounding amount of birdlife. In fact, Lake Naivasha is known as a world-class birding destination. Keeping the birds company, are giraffe, buffalo, Colobus monkeys, hippos and many other game. Take a boat trip out on the lake, and try and spot an African Fish Eagle scoop himself a bite.

The region surrounding Lake Naivasha is just as exciting. There are two smaller lakes nearby, namely Oloidien and Sonachi, a bright green cater lake.

Right beside Lake Naivasha, lies Hell’s Gate National Park, named for its two huge red-tinged cliffs that frame an active interior of steam vents and bubbling springs. Lots of plains game and birdlife roam around here, and, since walking is permitted in this park, you can hike, cycle and climb rocks among them.

Recent history of Kenya

It was in 2002 when President Moi decided to retire on very generous retirement benefits. Then, at the December 2002 elections, KANU was scared off by the National Rainbow Coalition, led by Mwai Mbaki. All this brought about a feeling of new optimism in Kenya. Since that, there’ve been signs since that this new government is just as intolerant of opposition, just like its predecessor.

Meanwhile, Kenya struggled with HIV, terrorism, major floods, droughts, cholera and malaria epidemics, ethnic fighting and food shortages, deemed in mid-2004 by the president as a national crisis.

In March 2004, the long-awaited draft for a new constitution was finally released. But it had failed to win parliamentary approval by a deadline set for the middle of that same year.

This disharmony in the government carried on in 2005, and the British High Commissioner made astonishing corruption allegations against the Kibaki government. This resulted in suspension of aid by the Dutch, German and US governments. The EU and Japan threatened Kenya that they’d follow suit if they did not address corruption in the ranks. This lead to more infighting and divisions within the Kibaki government.

In 2006, allegations were made about media censorship. As if that wasn’t enough, the worst drought of the decade hit Kenya. These disasters mean that the challenges facing the Kibaki government today, remain profound. In 2008 violence post elections has caused many deaths and political instability. See latest information on our blog.

Kenya’s 4% yearly increase of its population is leading to growing social pressure and its associated problems commonly found in developing countries. If Kenya hopes to maintain some form of political stability, they’d need to address these problems in the near future.

Overland Activities in Kenya- Highlights

1. Hot air balloon safari in the Masai Mara
2. This is also a great country to help out at a local community project.
3. When in Kenya, make sure you visit a local craft market, feed a giraffe in Nairobi, and see a flamingo in Lake Nakuru.
4. If you love eating meat, then dinner at Carnivores is a must!
5. Annual migration between July and August.

Quick facts of Kenya

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Medical matters

1. Meningococcal meningitis
2. Malaria
3. Cholera
4. Hepatitis
5. Typhoid
6. HIV/AIDS
7. Yellow fever

Getting there

Safety in Kenya

The areas bordering Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia are all prone to banditry. While travellers are not usually targeted, adequate security arrangements and awareness of the situation are in order to ensure safe travel in these parts of Kenya.

At the moment, the Somalian border is closed because of the conflict north of the frontier.

Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, does have a problem with serious crime. It’s a very popular place to get mugged, especially at night. When in this city, take local advice about security seriously. Mostly, pure common sense should keep you safe.

Mombasa is regarded as a safer destination, but you must still be safety conscious, especially when going out by yourself.