Best Time to Travel in Kenya

Birding: October to April

Kenya has some of the best bird viewing in the world. There are over 400 species of bird enthralling ornithologists and amateurs alike. Bird watching can be done in various national parks and game reserves, but there are some bird watching hot spots.

Kakagema Forest offers rare bird species such as brown-eared woodpecker, dusky tit, yellow-bellied wattle-eye and blue-headed bee-eater to name a few. Some of the other birding havens are Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara, Mount Kenya and Samburu.

Botany: March to October

Kenya is a country of vast bio-diversity including mountain rain forest, moor land, thick bamboo forests and sub alpine plants. Tall grass covers the moor lands, crossed by streams teeming with trout.

Aside from regions of Acacia forest, Amboseli only has scrub and delicate saline grass. Kenya's soil allows for many flowers to flourish, roses are one of the highlights. March through to June and September and October are the months when flowers come into bloom.

Wildlife Rhythms: June to February

Kenya is home to the safari. Endless wilderness and the big game of this region have attracted adventurers from all over the world for a very long time. Very few African countries have such a breathtaking range of landscapes, unique geographical features and a vast array of wildlife.

You can come to Kenya any time of the year for excellent game viewing and views of the wilderness you will never forget. The key highlight of Kenya is the annual Wildebeest Migration from Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya. The Wildebeest and Zebra come to the Masai Mara for the rich grazing land after the long rains.

Kenya offers its visitors a chance to experience a natural world unchanged by time. The Kenyan wilderness is home to an endless array of ecosystems, the staging ground for natural cycles of life. This great range of natural habitats means that there is plenty to explore, and plenty of species to encounter.

This is a land of endless potential for the wildlife enthusiast. From great migratory herds of the open savannah to an incredible abundance of birdlife, from the depths of tropical rainforest to the depths of the Indian Ocean, this is a place of wonders.

Aberdare National Park

Aberdare National Park is spread over a wide variety of terrains, covering altitudes from about 7,000 feet to 14,000 feet above sea level. Established in May 1950, the Aberdare National Park covers an area of 767 square kilometres (476.5 square miles) and forms part of the Aberdare Mountain Range.

Aberdare National Park offers a wide range of beautiful landscapes from the mountain peaks that rise well above sea level, to the v-shaped valleys marked by streams, rivers, waterfalls, and even moor land, bamboo forests and rainforests as one goes down to lower altitudes.

Aberdare also contains the second largest population of the Black Rhino. The wildlife to be seen during a safari include: Lion, Leopard, Baboon, Sykes monkey, black and white Colobus. Eland and Serval cats can be seen as well.

Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve covers an area of about 104 square kilometres (64.6 square miles). The terrain includes hills and plains with forests, swamps, grasslands and woodlands. The reserve was opened to visitors in 1985.

Visitors can enjoy some breathtaking scenery, including permanent springs, and view wildlife like Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Elephant, Oryx, Somali Ostrich, Hippo, Crocodile, Gerenuk, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Hyena. There are over 365 species of bird.

Masai Mara National Reserve

Opening in November 1974, the Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the most visited game reserves in Kenya. The park is open throughout the year offering an amazing variety of wildlife.

The reserve has breathtaking vistas across the plains and hills. The extraordinary migration of Wildebeest and Zebra starts from the Serengeti and crosses into the Mara grasslands every year. Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Hyena and Vultures follow, creating the ideal safari scene.

Wildlife includes: Elephant, Black Rhino, Buffalo, Zebra, Hartebeest, Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. Hippo and Crocodile can be found in the rivers. At the Masai Mara National Park you can also learn more about the Masaai culture.