MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE WEATHER & CLIMATE
Maasai Mara national reserve weather & Climate: Maasai Mara national reserve is undoubtedly one of the top visited savanna destination in Kenya. However, the reserve is sometimes affected by changes in climate and weather which affects tourists and the Kenya wildlife viewing. This is why this article is important as it includes the crucial information about the weather and climate changes in Maasai Mara national reserve.
TEMPERATURES IN MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
The temperatures in Maasai Mara national reserve vary from time to time depending on the altitude, time of the day, month and season. Sometimes it’s hot and sometimes it’s cold. It might be hot during the day and cold at night. This however doesn’t affect your travel plan in any way. All you need to do is to plan appropriately and pack the best attire for your Masai Mara safari. You should include light attire for day hours and warm attire for early morning and late in the evening/ night. The altitude of Masai Mara national reserve range from 4,708ft to 7,031ft above the sea level and keeping in mind that the higher you go, the cooler it becomes. The temperatures during the day range between 20 to 27 degrees Celsius and it night temperatures fall to between 11 to 14 degrees Celsius.
SEASONS IN MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
Maasai Mara national reserve experiences both dry season and the rainy season/ wet season throughout the year.
DRY SEASON
The dry season in Maasai mara national reserve take the months of June, July, August, September and October which are always the best months to take on your wildlife safari to Maasai Mara national reserve or any other destination in Kenya and the surrounding countries like Uganda and Tanzania. Being dry season doesn’t mean that the reserve is fully dry and probably experiencing drought, nope. This is the perfect time in tourism sector as the vegetation cover is minimal thus offering great sightings of the wildlife as they gather along waterholes. Surprisingly even during these dry months, the reserve sometimes receives rains especially in the afternoon so always be prepared for whatever cover. Pack your warm attire and the rain jacket always. The months of June, July and August cover the peak season in tourism. This is the time when the reserve receives the highest number of tourists and it is as well the best time for those who wish to spot the great wildebeest migration. This proceed to September and October which are under the high season still in the dry season though it can rain any day during these 2 months.
RAINY SEASON
Rainy season in Maasai mara national reserve is experienced during the months of November, December, January, February, March, April and May. This can however be divided into 3 rainy seasons where the reserve receives little or no rainfall, low rainfalls and heavy rainfalls. For instance during months of November and December, Maasai mara national reserve receives low rainfall. November is the beginning of dry season after a long dry season that ends in October thus the reserve start to recover from the dry season as it receives some rains going on up to December. At this point, the wildlife is still easily seen as the vegetation starts to grow and recover and flourish thus animals have plenty to feed on.
On the other hand, the months of January and February Maasai mara national reserve may experience little or no rainfall. This is why sometimes it is termed as dry season but it’s always better to categorize it as rainy/ wet season.
And finally the months of March, April and May are known as the long rainy season with the peak of rain rainy season seen in April. The long rains end in May as we welcome the start of dry season in June. However, during the rainy season, you may sometimes receive some sunshine especially during the afternoon. Maasai mara national reserve receives few tourists during rainy season and sometimes, some of the lodges tend to close down due to floods especially in the month of April (Peak of rainy season), the roads in the reserve become slippery and impassable and the vegetation cover is very long making wildlife viewing difficult but since Africa thrills with the best climate, tourists can still visit the reserve and enjoy its stunning and green vegetation with less vehicles on the game drive.
Note: Ensure that you use a 4×4 safari vehicle (Van or Land cruiser) to get to season in Maasai mara national reserve during the rainy season otherwise you will be stuck.
