The rains
The cheapest months are not the worst months
They are also not for everybody. Here is the case for the green season, and the case against it, without the marketing.
For
What the green season gives you
The obvious thing is price. Green-season rates at good camps are often a long way below the same camp in August, and the saving is large enough to change what kind of camp you can afford.
The less obvious thing is space. In April, May and November you can spend an hour on a sighting with nobody else there, which in the Mara in August is close to impossible. For a lot of people that is the difference between a safari and a queue.
- The lowest rates of the year, by a wide margin
- Parks that are genuinely quiet
- A green, flowering landscape and dramatic storm light
- Excellent birding — migrants are present from November
- Many plains animals drop their young in the green months
Against
What it takes away
Long grass hides things. Small animals disappear into it and cats get harder to find, so the same three days produce fewer sightings than they would in September. If you are compressing a lot into a short trip, that matters.
And in April in particular, wet ground is a real constraint. Parts of the Mara run on black-cotton soil that turns to grease, some camps close for the month, and a genuinely wet week can cost you drives.
- Longer grass, harder game viewing
- April can lose you time to weather; November rarely does
- Some camps close for April and part of May
- Animals disperse when water is everywhere
- Malaria risk rises after rain — take proper advice
November is not April
They get lumped together as "the rains" and they are not remotely the same trip.
| November (short rains) | April (long rains) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rain pattern | Heavy afternoon storms, clear mornings | Can settle in for a day or more |
| Lost drives | Rare | Possible |
| Ground conditions | Usually fine | Genuinely difficult in places |
| Camps open | Nearly all | A number close |
| Who it suits | Almost anyone who wants value | Confident, flexible travellers |
If somebody tells you they went to Kenya in the green season and it was wonderful, they usually went in November. If somebody tells you it rained for three days, they usually went in April.
Who we would send in the green season
- Returning visitors who have already seen the headline animals
- Photographers, who want the light and the green rather than a list
- Birders, especially between November and March
- Couples who want a better camp than the peak-season budget allows
- Anyone who would rather have a leopard to themselves than a guaranteed queue
Who we would not
- First safari, one week, no flexibility. Take February or September instead.
- A trip built around river crossings. The herds are in Tanzania.
- Anyone who would find a wet afternoon a ruined day. That is a fair preference; plan around it.
If you do go in April, do not economise on the vehicle or the access. All-weather roads and a properly equipped car are what make the month work.
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