Kenya · Kenya
May
Long Rains tapering — Diani Coast starts to look attractive and Mara is still difficult.
Strong option
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for Kenya — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
26.1°C
Low
14.2°C
Rain
155mm
Sun
6.1hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Kenya
Weather
Average
Value
Outstanding
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Average
Atmosphere
Above average
What you gain in May
- ↑May sees the Long Rains begin to taper from their April peak. By mid-to-late May, sunny windows become longer and more frequent. This is an excellent time to visit the Kenyan coast — Diani Beach and Watamu are transitioning from the hot, calm season toward the arrival of the SE trade winds. The sea is warm (27°C), reefs are visible, and accommodation prices are at their annual coast lows.
- ↑Kenya's tea country around Kericho (the largest tea estate region in Africa) is at its most lush and intensely green in May, with the rolling hills of the Rift Valley escarpment looking implausibly photogenic. A drive from Nairobi to Kericho and back via the Rift Valley viewpoint is one of the country's great scenic routes.
What you sacrifice
- ↓The Masai Mara remains difficult in May. Rains persist through most of the month, road conditions are poor, and several premium camps are either closed or operating on restricted programming. The great wildebeest herds are still south of the border in Tanzania's Serengeti and will not begin arriving in the Mara in numbers until late June.
- ↓May's combination of warmth and humidity (70%) makes Nairobi feel more tropical than its altitude suggests. Some travellers find the overcast, damp conditions in May less energising than the crisp winter dry season that follows.
How May compares to July (best month)
| Factor | May | July ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 9 | 3 |
| Crowds | 9 | 3 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Zanzibar (28°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (25°C)Seville (27°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (34°C)Havana (30°C)Split (22°C)Taipei (30°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (24°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (29°C)Cappadocia (22°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (31°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (28°C)Jordan (28°C)Azores (21°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (22.8°C)Cairo (34.8°C)Jaipur (40.2°C)Las Vegas (33.8°C)San Francisco (17.5°C)Madeira (23°C)Vancouver (17.8°C)Muscat (40.1°C)Lima (20.5°C)Cinque Terre (21°C)Kotor (22°C)Tel Aviv (27°C)Santiago (17°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (17.8°C)Penang (33.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (27.8°C)Fez (27.8°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (28°C)Oslo (17°C)Auckland (17°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Kenya, not across destinations. Methodology →