Best Time To Visit Masai Mara > Weather, Temperature & Season

What is the best time to visit Masai Mara?

July to October is the best time to visit the Masai Mara, because that is when the wildebeest are actually here. December to March is the value alternative, dry and quiet with excellent resident game.

The herds are in the Mara for about three months a year. They arrive from late July, stay through October, then move south into Tanzania. The famous calving is a Serengeti event and never happens in Kenya.

Long rains March to May, short rains November to December. April and May are the hardest going: the black-cotton tracks turn greasy and some camps close.

The Mara sits between 1,500 and 2,180 metres, so dawn is cold. A June or July game drive at six in the morning in an open vehicle is about 12°C. Bring a proper jacket, whatever the month.

Monthly Weather in Masai Mara

Month	High/Low (°C)	Rain
January	25°/ 15°	22 days
February	27°/ 14°	22 days
March	26°/ 15°	29 days
April	26°/ 15°	24 days
May	27°/ 15°	22 days
June	24°/ 15°	27 days
July	25°/ 14°	11 days
August	27°/ 15°	10 days
September	27°/ 15°	11 days
October	28°/ 15°	11 days
November	27°/ 15°	19 days
December	24°/ 15°	29 days

Masai Mara Travel Packages

Compare quotes from upto 3 travel agents for free

7 Nights / 8 Days

8-Day Kenya's Amboseli to Masai Mara Package

Amboseli National Park(2N) → Lake Naivasha(1N) → Lake Nakuru Nati...

Sold By: Wild Portraits Sa...(5.0 )

$ 4,130

22% off

$3,200/person

3 Nights / 4 Days

Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Adventure Safari Package

Lake Nakuru National Park(1N) → Masai Mara National Reserve(2N)

Sold By: Wild Portraits Sa...(5.0 )

$ 2,070

14% off

$1,765/person

6 Nights / 7 Days

7-Day Big Five Kenya Safari for Couples from India

Amboseli National Park(2N) → Lake Naivasha(1N) → Masai Mara Natio...

Sold By: Wild Portraits Sa...(5.0 )

$ 3,540

17% off

$2,935/person

4 Nights / 5 Days

Mid-Range Classic Kenya Safari Package

Lake Nakuru National Park(1N) → Lake Naivasha(1N) → Masai Mara Na...

Sold By: Wild Portraits Sa...(5.0 )

$ 2,490

15% off

$2,095/person

5 Nights / 6 Days

A 6 Day Safari Tour to Masai Mara

Lake Nakuru National Park(1N) → Masai Mara National Reserve(3N) → ...

Sold By: Wild Portraits Sa...(5.0 )

$ 2,035

14% off

$1,745/person

7 Nights / 8 Days

Masai Mara and Beach Holiday Safari Package

Masai Mara National Reserve(3N) → Diani Beach(4N)

Sold By: Wild Portraits Sa...(5.0 )

$ 2,155

13% off

$1,870/person

View All Packages For Masai Mara

More about Best Time to Travel to Masai Mara

Peak Season in the Masai Mara: July to October

July to October is dry, cool and the best game viewing of the year. Days run about 20°C to 25°C, mornings are cold, and the grass is short enough to see through.

This is also the most expensive and most booked stretch in Kenya. For August and September, book close to a year ahead; the good camps inside the reserve go first.

When the Herds Are Here, and When They Are Not

Late July to October is the only window the wildebeest are in the Mara. The Mara River crossings, the ones in the photographs, are typically late July and August as the herds come in, and again in October and November as they go back.

The calving season is not here. Around half a million calves are born in two to three weeks in the southern Serengeti, in Tanzania, peaking in February. If that is what you want to see, you need a Tanzania itinerary, not a Kenyan one.

Short Dry Season and Lion Season: January to March

January to March is dry, warm and much quieter. Days reach about 25°C to 30°C and the short rains have finished, so the grass has thinned again.

Guides call it lion season: with less cover and fewer vehicles, the resident prides are easier to find and follow. No migration, considerably lower rates, and the best big-cat photography of the year.

Short Rains: November and December

November and December bring showers rather than sustained rain, about four weeks of it, and game drives keep running.

The last of the migration heads south through November, so you can still catch herds with far smaller crowds. Migratory birds arrive, and rates drop until the Christmas fortnight.

Long Rains: April and May

April and May are the wettest six to eight weeks of the year and the one stretch to avoid for a first safari. April is the wettest month across the region.

The Mara's black-cotton soil turns greasy, tracks are hard going and a number of camps close or discount steeply. Grass grows tall and hides the animals. Birding is superb and prices are the lowest of the year.

Balloon Safaris and Cold Mornings

Balloons launch before sunrise and fly year-round, wind permitting. Book yours for the first morning of your stay so you have a day spare if it is called off.

Dress for cold. At 1,500 to 2,180 metres a dawn game drive or balloon basket in June to August sits near 12°C in moving air, and it warms to 25°C by mid-morning. Layers, not a single jacket.