21 February 2022

Kenya in May/June?

Hi folks. We were meant to go to Kenya tomorrow, but then some COVID happened and now we need to rearrange our trip. It looks like the best dates where accommodation costs etc would be the same are going to be May/June. Does anyone know whether this is a good time for mammal watching? Most trip reports seem to be Feb or Jul/Aug. We are going to Aberdare, Meru, Tsavo and the coast.

Thanks

Matt & Maureen

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5 Comments

  • 21 February 2022
    David Bishop

    Hi guys, I led a trip to neighboring Tanzania at that time which coincided with the end of the little rains. As a consequence the vegetation was very lush, many plants were in flower and birds in full breeding dress. In a month we saw 55 species and we were not focussing primarily on mammals. I especially like this time for the reasons I describe above and suggest that you should have a very productive and enjoyable time in Kenya.

  • 22 February 2022
    Venkat Sankar

    May-June in Kenya is (usually) the tail end of the “long rains”, though the exact timing & intensity of the rains has gotten increasing variable year to year. Anyway, you should expect relatively warm & humid weather with sporadic but intense rain storms. As David says, vegetation will be very lush so small mammals & medium sized species will be harder to spot and night drives will also be less productive. But there’s no bad time to visit Kenya – the bush will be lush and green, and you’ll still see lots of mammals and especially birds. Costs will also be lower than peak season. The only real disadvantage of this time of year is that the wet conditions may mess up roads, so some sites will be inaccessible. Though I don’t think that will be a big problem in any of the places you’re planning to visit, as most will have good all-weather roads.

  • 22 February 2022
    Vladimir Dinets

    Isn’t there a major drought going on?

    • 24 February 2022
      shortclaws

      Wow… yes. I had missed that entirely in the news, though it sounds like it’s concentrated in the north of the country. Interestingly the guides we’re using have said that the March/April rains look very likely this year (no idea how they judge that!) so with luck the drought will break.

  • 26 February 2022
    Morten Kure Kattenhøj

    Remember that the north starts in Central Kenya because the capital is to the south. So from Laikipia and northwards – plus east of Mt. Kenya too.

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