Kenya

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

Late June to October is dry, and the wildebeest migration usually reaches the Masai Mara from July; January–February is a shorter dry spell. The long rains fall roughly March to May, the short rains in November.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

• For Nairobi–Mombasa, consider the Madaraka Express: the SGR train takes about four and a half hours, but its stations lie outside the cities (Syokimau about 20 km from Nairobi’s centre, Miritini about 11 km from Mombasa’s), so plan the onward transfer.
• On the coast, breakfast on mahamri, the Swahili doughnut enriched with coconut milk; families usually fry them in the morning, and they are best eaten warm with tea.
• For Mara River crossings, come between July and October, when the migration typically reaches the Masai Mara. Timing follows the rain, so give yourself several days in the reserve rather than a single drive.
• Lamu Old Town, founded around 1370 and listed by UNESCO as East Africa's oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement, runs without cars: some 3,000 donkeys still carry the loads through its lanes.