Kenya · Kenya
November
Short Rains peak — shoulder season prices at good camps, but game viewing requires flexibility.
Best match
#9 of 12 months
There are better months for Kenya — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
25.8°C
Low
13.5°C
Rain
110mm
Sun
6.8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How November scores in Kenya
Weather
Above average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in November
- ↑November is Kenya's second shoulder season, and for travellers who can tolerate some rain and are willing to work with the mornings-only good-light strategy, the price difference is substantial. Premium camps that ran at $1,000pppn in August are at $400–$550; mid-range camps at $200–$280pppn.
- ↑The Short Rains bring the landscape back to vivid green while maintaining more reliable daily sunshine windows than the Long Rains of March–May. Afternoons are typically the wet period; mornings are generally clear, and a 6am game drive in November can be excellent across Laikipia, Samburu, and Amboseli.
- ↑Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya — home to species not found in the south (reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk) — is at its least crowded in November. The Ewaso Ng'iro River, which runs through Samburu, concentrates wildlife even during the rains and supports healthy crocodile and hippo populations.
What you sacrifice
- ↓The Short Rains (November peak) mean reliable afternoon and evening rainfall — typically 2–4 hours of significant rain between noon and 4pm. Planning any visit around morning game drives (6am–11am) is the essential strategy, but this limits the flexibility of the itinerary.
- ↓Some camp properties at lower altitude (coast-adjacent, lowland Mara) experience genuine mud and road challenges in November. Checking current road conditions with camps 2 weeks before arrival is advisable.
How November compares to July (best month)
| Factor | November | July ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 5 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 3 |
| Crowds | 8 | 3 |
November in other destinations
Lisbon (16.8°C)Barcelona (16.5°C)Tokyo (16.6°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (17.5°C)Paris (10.5°C)New York (11°C)Marrakech (21.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (15.5°C)Bangkok (30.2°C)Istanbul (13.8°C)Vienna (7.8°C)Seoul (10.4°C)Dubrovnik (15.4°C)Rio de Janeiro (28.8°C)Kyoto (16.9°C)Phuket (31.7°C)Cape Town (23.7°C)Prague (7°C)Amalfi Coast (16°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (29°C)London (11°C)Sydney (24°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (27°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (27.2°C)Florence (13.6°C)Queenstown (18.5°C)Madrid (13°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (8°C)Budapest (9°C)Kraków (6°C)Tbilisi (11°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (25°C)Osaka (16°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (21°C)Buenos Aires (26°C)Mykonos (17°C)Zanzibar (30°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (18°C)Seville (18°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (27°C)Split (15°C)Taipei (23°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (20°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (28°C)Cappadocia (12°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (26°C)Seychelles (29°C)Nepal (21°C)Jordan (19°C)Azores (19°C)Bora Bora (29°C)Los Angeles (22.1°C)Cairo (25.3°C)Jaipur (27.8°C)Las Vegas (20.5°C)San Francisco (16.5°C)Madeira (21.5°C)Vancouver (9.2°C)Muscat (31.2°C)Lima (21.5°C)Cinque Terre (15°C)Kotor (15°C)Tel Aviv (22°C)Santiago (26°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (9.4°C)Penang (30.8°C)Lombok (31.2°C)Cape Verde (27.5°C)Fez (19.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (23°C)Oslo (5°C)Auckland (20°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Kenya, not across destinations. Methodology →