Kenya · Kenya
December
Short Rains ending, dry season resuming — calving season approaches and Christmas premium arrives.
Best match
#8 of 12 months
There are better months for Kenya — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
26°C
Low
13°C
Rain
55mm
Sun
7.8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Kenya
Weather
Very good
Value
Above average
Crowds
Above average
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in December
- ↑December's Short Rains taper off through the month, and by mid-to-late December the dry season is effectively resuming. The landscape is still lush and green from the rains but the daily sunshine windows are long and reliable. This combination — green beauty plus clear light — is particularly attractive for photography.
- ↑Wildebeest calving season begins in the Serengeti in December, and the knock-on predator activity north of the border in the Mara ecosystem is already intensifying. December at the Mara is excellent for lion and hyena activity as predator opportunities multiply.
- ↑The Kenyan coast — Diani Beach and Watamu — is at its most pleasant in December. The Short Rains have ended, the SE trade winds are dissipating to a gentle coastal breeze, and water temperatures (26–27°C) and reef visibility are ideal. Christmas week on the Kenyan coast is a well-established tradition among Nairobi's expatriate community.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Christmas week (December 22–January 2) drives significant price spikes across all categories. Premium Mara camps charge Christmas premiums of 20–40% above their standard December rate. The coast — Diani, Watamu, Malindi — is at its annual most expensive during the Christmas–New Year window and books out 4–6 months in advance.
- ↓Early December still sees the tail end of the Short Rains — typically light daily showers that ease through the month. Travellers arriving in the first week of December should pack for occasional rain even if the overall trend is toward dry.
How December compares to July (best month)
| Factor | December | July ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 5 | 3 |
| Crowds | 5 | 3 |
December in other destinations
Lisbon (14.4°C)Barcelona (13.8°C)Tokyo (12°C)Bali (30.3°C)Santorini (14.5°C)Paris (6.9°C)New York (5.1°C)Marrakech (18.1°C)Amsterdam (6.4°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (11.7°C)Bangkok (30.4°C)Istanbul (9.4°C)Vienna (3°C)Seoul (3.7°C)Dubrovnik (11.6°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.5°C)Kyoto (11.3°C)Phuket (31.8°C)Cape Town (25.6°C)Prague (3°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (25°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (27.5°C)Miami (25.6°C)Florence (9.8°C)Queenstown (21°C)Madrid (9.5°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (5°C)Budapest (5°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (7°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (20°C)Osaka (11°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (14°C)Zanzibar (31°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (28°C)Havana (26°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (20°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (16°C)Ho Chi Minh City (31°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (17°C)Jordan (14°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.4°C)Cairo (20.8°C)Jaipur (22.8°C)Las Vegas (14.7°C)San Francisco (13.8°C)Madeira (20°C)Vancouver (7.1°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (24.2°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (19°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (6.8°C)Penang (30.9°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (26.8°C)Fez (15.2°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (19°C)Oslo (2°C)Auckland (22°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Kenya, not across destinations. Methodology →