Kenya travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Maasai Mara. Photo: Danijel Mihajlovic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

8h 45mflight from London

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Apply onlinefor UK passports

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The Great Migration on the Maasai Mara

Don't miss

Maasai Mara safari
Amboseli and Kilimanjaro
Diani Beach

Good forWildlife & safariBeachesAdventure

Best time to visit Kenya from the UK

Best value: Mar, Oct. Jul–Oct for the Great Migration; Jan–Feb also dry. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Feb, Jun–Sep.

Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Nairobi, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Nairobi for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

Our pick: March and OctoberThe warmest of the best-value months (21–22°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
Peak season: Dec–Feb, Jun–SepUsually 19–21°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
Quiet season: Apr–May, NovAround 19–20°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
Warmest: March (22°C) · coolest: June (19°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.

Temperatures as a table

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
20.5	21.4	21.6	20.5	19.3	18.7	18.7	19.2	20.3	20.8	20.2	20

Festivals and events

Great Migration Jul–Oct · Maasai Mara
Lamu Cultural Festival Nov · Lamu
Rusinga Festival Dec · Rusinga Island

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time: About 8h 45m
Distance: 6,831 km
Main airport: NBO

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Kenya to your bucket list Search flights to NBO

Practical info and travel guidance

Kenyan shillingCapital: Nairobi

Type G · 240VUK plugs fit

Drive on the leftSame as the UK

999

EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance

Drink bottledOr treated water

FCDO adviceAdvises against travel to parts of KenyaCheck which areas before you book.
VisaApply online before you goElectronic travel authorisation (eTA) before you travel
HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Kenya, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 16 October 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Kenya before you book and again before you go.

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