At Original Travel, we’re not afraid to go against the grain. In fact, we actively seek it, which is why we’re championing low season in Kenya (which falls from April to June). We know it’s the country’s rainy period and are well aware that its wildlife watching opportunities aren’t quite as good as say January or February, but what wet season offers that no other season does is simply unparalleled. Forget queues into national parks and time limits on sightings, during this crowd-free season you get savannah solitude at its finest. Couple that with lower rates on luxury camps and prime photography spots, both of which should come with pretty good chances of guest appearances from wandering impalas and waterbucks. And the weather, you ask? Well, if you’re not afraid of a few short and sharp early evening showers, you should be right as rain.
The weather
If you Google low season in Kenya, the majority of results will probably tell you to avoid it – but not us. Because if you do a Met Office style overview of Kenya’s weather from early April to early June, you’ll find that rainfall is usually contained to late afternoons and evenings (which shouldn’t be an issue for us well weathered Brits). When it does fall, it’s usually in the form of short sharp showers – hardly enough to dampen days out on game drives or relaxing in luxury bush camps – and temperatures rarely drop below 26-28°C during the day. Come nightfall they do fall to 13-15°C, but if you’re not quite ready to bid farewell to your new season winter coat, then you couldn’t have picked a better time.
The wildlife
We won’t beat around the bush; wildlife spotting isn’t as good during low season. It can’t be. The increased rainfall means grassland becomes denser, forests get thicker and baobab trees turn greener than green can be. But what low season in Kenya lacks in wildlife it more than makes up for in photography opportunities. Imagine scenes of pea green shrubbery pockmarked by the head of a peeping hippo or zebra, cast against the backdrop of striking stratus clouds that become increasingly so after the sun slips beneath the horizon. Your camera lens won’t know what’s hit it. Low season in Kenya isn’t totally devoid of wildlife though. Thanks to their predatorial nature, lions, leopards and spotted hyenas can pretty much always be spotted in the Masai Mara; while for the country’s resident herbivores, it’s all about birthing season, so expect lots of shots of wobbly legged zebras and giraffes in your camera roll.
The absence of crowds
You’ll never have heard silence quite so loud on a low season Kenya holiday. Thanks to the internet’s apathy towards the season, you’ll have the place pretty much to yourself. Instead of having just 20 or 30 minutes per sighting on safari in its private conservancies, plus dozens of other 4x4s trying to muscle in on the action, you’ll be treated to a private show of Kenya’s sweeping savannahs and national parks with no time limit. Fewer people also mean more opportunity to get the very best treatment. Think: a private vehicle with your name on it, at no extra charge .
The lower prices
Kenyan safaris incite images of sundowners on sun drenched decks and once in a lifetime sightings of some of the most magnificent animals on earth; but they come at a price. And usually quite a high one. But in low season, it’s the opposite. International flights are lower (even during the Easter holidays), luxury camps drop their prices (some up to 40%) and day trips and activities come significantly reduced. That being said, you will find you have less choice of camps (as many choose to close in low and shoulder seasons). But luckily we have the very best safari experts on our team who know low season Kenya like the back of their hands, so we’re thinking you won’t notice too much.
Written by Naomi Pike | Image by Olivier Romano
