Kenya · Kenya
March
Long Rains begin — green landscapes but game viewing becomes harder as vegetation thickens.
Strong option
#10 of 12 months
There are better months for Kenya — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
28.5°C
Low
14.4°C
Rain
120mm
Sun
6.8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How March scores in Kenya
Weather
Above average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Good
What you gain in March
- ↑March marks the beginning of Kenya's Long Rains, but also a significant shoulder-season price reduction. Mid-range Mara camps drop to $200–$350pppn; some premium camps offer 20–30% reductions for advance bookings during this period. For budget-conscious safari travellers, March and April represent the best access window for camps that are otherwise financially inaccessible.
- ↑The landscape transforms in March. The arrival of rain turns the golden savanna vivid green, and the annual migration of lesser flamingos to Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria intensifies as the soda lakes fill. Lake Nakuru's flamingo concentrations — occasionally numbering over a million birds — are best visited during and after rains.
- ↑Nairobi itself is largely unaffected by the Long Rains in terms of practicality. The city's restaurant and cultural scene is fully operational, and the Nairobi National Park — uniquely positioned within the city boundary — has excellent game viewing with no impact from tourist crowds.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Game drives in the Masai Mara become more challenging in March as the rains arrive. Tall grass makes predators harder to spot and road conditions on the laterite tracks in the Mara can deteriorate rapidly — 4WD vehicles are essential and some roads to remote camps become impassable after heavy rain events.
- ↓The Long Rains (March–May) bring daily rainfall, typically as afternoon thunderstorms. Mornings are often clear and game drives are productive in the early hours, but afternoon activities are regularly disrupted. Photography conditions — all-important for wildlife trips — are more difficult under overcast skies.
How March compares to July (best month)
| Factor | March | July ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 5 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 3 |
| Crowds | 8 | 3 |
March in other destinations
Lisbon (16.6°C)Barcelona (15.8°C)Tokyo (13.8°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (14.6°C)Paris (11.5°C)New York (9.7°C)Marrakech (22.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30.8°C)Rome (15°C)Bangkok (34.3°C)Istanbul (11.6°C)Vienna (10.3°C)Seoul (9.6°C)Dubrovnik (13.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.7°C)Kyoto (14.3°C)Phuket (33°C)Cape Town (25.4°C)Prague (10°C)Amalfi Coast (15°C)Mexico City (26°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (12°C)Sydney (25°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (30°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (28°C)Chiang Mai (34.5°C)Miami (26.7°C)Florence (14.8°C)Queenstown (19.5°C)Madrid (15°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (7°C)Budapest (11°C)Kraków (9°C)Tbilisi (13°C)Palawan (31°C)Hanoi (22°C)Osaka (14°C)Goa (34°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (27°C)Mykonos (15°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (32°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (30°C)Krabi (34°C)Athens (16°C)Seville (21°C)Cartagena (32°C)Siem Reap (33°C)Havana (28°C)Split (14°C)Taipei (22°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (17°C)Ho Chi Minh City (35°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (11°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (24°C)Jordan (17°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (21.5°C)Cairo (25.1°C)Jaipur (30.8°C)Las Vegas (22.5°C)San Francisco (15.1°C)Madeira (20.5°C)Vancouver (10.5°C)Muscat (31.5°C)Lima (26.4°C)Cinque Terre (14°C)Kotor (14°C)Tel Aviv (21°C)Santiago (27°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (10.1°C)Penang (33.1°C)Lombok (31.4°C)Cape Verde (26.5°C)Fez (19.5°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (21°C)Oslo (5°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 →