While Kenya’s lush wilderness has dynamic appeal all year long because of the country’s location on the equator, there are times and places that offer truly different experiences. The best wildlife viewing is June through October. Prices are lower November through May due to rainy season but it is a great time to witness birds migrating. To find the best season that suits your travel style, let us share our unrivaled expertise.
The Great Migration
In the warm months from July through September, the Maasai Mara hums with intoxicating excitement at the promise of the annual Great Migration, the dramatic river crossing of millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from the Serengeti to the Mara’s rich grasslands. We can arrange a front row seat as herds amass along the southern banks of the Mara River, at once jostling for position and shying away from the edge, where crocodiles lurk in the shallows. The Maasai Mara also boasts the world’s greatest concentration of lions.
During a game drive with a professional guide, you might see the majestic cats traversing the tree-flecked savannah in search of a quick meal or lazing in a spot of summer sun for an afternoon nap. For an active adventure on-foot, track rhinoceros with a Ndorobo tracker. Maasai Mara is also the ancestral home of manyattas, local villages where the enduring Maasai warriors gather to ardently greet guests, regale with bush lore and share in refreshing summer sundowners.
Birding Safaris
October marks the beginning of the ideal bird watching season in Kenya. With more than 1,050 avian species on record, the woods and groves of the Great Rift Valley are among the best places to go on a bird safari and glimpse the most striking species of bird, from the lanky ostrich and the stately crane to the distinguished eagle and the slender pink flamingo. Known as the “Cradle of Mankind,” Olduvai Gorge in the Great Rift Valley is home not only to exotic birds and other magnificent wildlife, but also to human fossils preserved in lava flow dating back nearly two million years. Our insider connections offer the opportunity to fly over this remarkable natural site literally filled with history. Gentle rains during the autumn months bring life to the rich landscape and feed the valley’s many lakes, providing for a spectacularly verdant safari experience.
Traditional Culture
On the edge of the Indian Ocean’s warm waters, the coastline of Lamu is met by breathtaking wilderness that stretches right to the ocean’s edge and assures you that the Kenyan coast is like no other. Celebrate Lamu’s living heritage during mid-November’s Lamu Cultural Festival, which showcases traditional dances, Swahili poetry, donkey races and henna painting. The Lamu Museum is another rich cultural stop. A brass-studded door imported from Zanzibar leads into the museum, where you can find displays of rare ceremonial horns, jewelry and other artifacts revealing the historical richness of the Lamu archipelago. The pleasant weather is an excuse for a ride aboard the large Tusitiri Dhow, whose uniformed crew can accommodate day or overnight cruises as well as provide scuba and fishing equipment for enjoying the warmer winds and clearer water from October to March.
A Time for Renewal
In Northern Kenya, Lewa, a newly named UNESCO world heritage site, shines in the fresh months of spring. Romance lingers in the air, where birdsong rings out on early morning game drives and a scarce Pygmy Falcon might soar overhead with the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy’s 350 other varieties of bird. Endangered Grévy’s zebras trot freely here among galloping giraffe and rare black rhinoceros and white rhinoceros. A daytime safari is only the beginning of Lewa’s chances for animal encounters. An eclectic dinner prepared by your chef and served near the banks of a watering hole gives ample opportunity to spy the playful interactions of nearby wildlife as the stars slowly begin to twinkle in the sky. For an up-close view, safaris on horse or camelback offer a different perspective of Kenya’s natural offerings. Above the plains, Mount Kenya – considered the glorious seat of God by the Kikuyu – coyly peeks from behind cloud cover, watching as the circle of life begins anew on the springtime grasslands.
Kenya is the experience that will fulfill your lifelong dream, from the unspoiled savannah of the grand Maasai Mara and the dramatic slopes of Mount Kenya to the impressive dip of the Great Rift Valley and the bustling wildlife of Lewa. Kenya thrills, romances, charms and invites in every season. Browse our Kenya Safaris and Africa tours.
