Best time to visit Kenya – Best months for Kenya safaris
Are you planning a visit to Kenya and wondering when the best time is? The best months of the year to visit Kenya are from June to October which is the dry season. The months of June to October are great for wildlife viewing and coincide with the Great Wildebeest Migration. However, the country has two dry seasons and the other is in the months of December – February which is also a good time to visit Kenya for safaris. In December, the rains are short and there are great chances of seeing newborn animals and migratory bird species.
Wildebeest migration usually reaches the Maasai Mara National Reserve in July and stays here until October when they return to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The high season when parks are crowded with tourists is from July to November and January to February.
The rainy season is in most cases not preferred as the best time to undertake Kenya Safaris, however, this is a good time to travel for those who wish to have birding trips and it is also the time of the year when there are fewer visitors in the parks and possibly so many discounts for travel and accommodation. The peak of the long rains is in the months of March, April, and May that are very wet and make travel inconvenient.
The dry season months are best for Kenya Safaris because the trails are drier and therefore you have the advantage of visiting many destinations as well as having longer game viewing times. During the dry season, the grass is also short which makes spotting wildlife much easier and taking beautiful photographs as the skies are bright. With the fewer rains in the dry season, there are also fewer mosquitoes which reduce the risk of getting malaria.
Activities to do in Kenya
Kenya is one of the famous Africa Safaris destinations where many travelers from all over the world visit every single year. The country is referred to as “Magical Kenya” because of the amazing attractions and activities that tourists can undertake at any time of the year. Kenya is one of the countries in the East African region with a coastline of the Indian Ocean. The country encompasses savannah, lakes, the Great Rift Valley and mountains. Kenya is home to numerous wildlife species including the wildebeest that migrate annually, lions, rhinos, elephants, and many more. From the capital Nairobi to the white sand beaches of the Indian Ocean, Kenya is a magical safari destination, and here are the best things to do for Kenya Safaris.
Wildebeest Migration in Maasai Mara Game Reserve
The wildebeest migration is one of the most intriguing and thrilling displays of wildlife behavior. Maasai Mara National Reserve is one of Kenya’s oldest and most visited safari destinations especially because of the Great Migration.
After the rains when the first flush turns the Maasai Mara Game Reserve golden savannah green, the most mesmerizing wildlife spectacle is the wildebeest migration. The animals that form the great annual migration include the wildebeests, whose numbers are just about 1.7 million, Thomson’s gazelles with about 400,000 of them, 300,000 zebras and about 12,000 elands. In reality, there is no other African safari destination where such a single entity of millions of wildlife can be seen in a single migration. The migration is annual with an endless movement of wildebeests in search of water and greener pastures.
Hike Mount Kenya
For hikers, Mount Kenya is one place you should visit while on a Kenyan Safari. Mount Kenya is the second-highest peak in Africa, rising over 3,800 meters (17,000 feet) above sea level. Though not as high as Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the summit trails of Mount Kenya are far less crowded than their snowy counterpart. The hike to Mount Kenya takes about 5 days to and from with 4 overnights on the mountain.
Bird Watching-Flamingos
When it comes to flamingos in Kenya, Lake Nakuru is the most popular destination included in many Kenya Safari, promising numerous flamingo sightings. However, flamingos are migratory birds, and depending on the conditions they can be in any of the East African Rift Valley Lakes. With the large-scale flower farming, large flamingo flocks move to the other soda lake North of Lake Nakuru, known as Lake Bogoria.
Lake Bogoria may not be as popular as Lake Nakuru as a destination for sighting flamingos but is truly the ultimate place for the lesser flamingos. Lake Bogoria formerly known as Lake Hannington is a saline and alkaline lake in Kenya that is at times home to one of the world’s largest populations of lesser flamingos. Other than Lake Bogoria, other habitats for flamingos include Lake Nakuru, Lake Elmenteita, and Lake Logipi in the North and Lake Magadi in the South.
Giraffe Centre
Giraffe Centre is the creation of the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (A.F.E.W. Kenya), a Kenyan non-profit organization. Their main purpose is to educate Kenyan school children and youth on their country’s wildlife and environment, as well as give local and international visitors an opportunity to come into close contact with the world’s tallest species, the giraffe. In 1977 when Jock Leslie-Melville and his wife Betty Leslie-Melville discovered the sad plight of the Rothschild Giraffe ( a giraffe subspecies found only in the grasslands of East Africa), they founded the Giraffe Centre. With their efforts, funds were raised, and education center was constructed and over 300 Rothschild Giraffes are safely breeding well in various Kenyan national parks.
The giraffe center is currently home to seven female and three male giraffes. Six of these were born at the Centre while four were translocated from different parks and nature conservancies across Kenya. Bynames the giraffes are Betty (oldest at 17), Kelly –tallest of the females, Daisy IV, Stacey, Salma II, Margaret, Edd (the biggest and father to all the calves), Nandi (2-year calf to Stacey), Mpingo, Lilly, and Olerai.
Take care of orphaned elephants in Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
There are orphaned elephants and a blind rhino in the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust just on the outskirts of Nairobi. The organization that was founded in 1977 by pioneers David and Dame Daphne Sheldrick has saved hundreds of baby elephants and a blind rhino known as Maxwell. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is conveniently located a few kilometers from the capital Nairobi, making it one of the best places to visit while in Kenya. The trust is also situated just close to the Nairobi National Park- the closest park from the capital and also a perfect getaway for day trips for Kenya tours.
Beach Adventures
For beach adventures, there are very many great destinations to visit including the very beautiful Diani and inland beaches like Mombasa and Malindi or a Lamu island tour. These come in handy for honeymoon tourists who would want to relax on the chilly beaches.
Kenya is bordered by several East African countries that offer great wildlife and primate tracking experiences. Tanzania safaris are one of the most appreciated wildlife tours, Uganda gorilla safaris, or Rwanda gorilla tours for both mountain gorillas and chimpanzee trekking trips.