Kenya for a first safari: seasons, eTA, health, money and power

Most first-time safari planning starts with lodges and ends with a panic about paperwork. It works better the other way round. Pick your month first, because the season decides your price, your wildlife and how muddy the roads are. Then deal with the entry authorisation, then health, then the practical stuff. Our Kenya country page has the shilling rate, public holidays and plug data in one place.

When to go (by month)

Kenya sits on the equator, so there’s no summer and winter in the usual sense. The calendar runs on rain instead. The Kenya Meteorological Department plans its seasonal forecasts around two rainy seasons. The long rains fall in March, April and May (“MAM”), and the short rains in October, November and December (“OND”). Each gets its own seasonal outlook, published ahead of time. The timing and strength vary a lot from year to year and from region to region: the coast, the Rift Valley and the arid north each behave differently. So read the current outlook, not just the averages.

Here’s how the year breaks down for a first safari:

• January–February. Dry and warm, and a popular window. Good game viewing across most parks, with green landscapes left over from the short rains.
• March–May. The long rains. April is the wettest month in the Nairobi record above. Some camps close, roads in the reserves can turn to mud, and prices drop. You trade reliability for space and value. It’s a fine choice if you’re flexible and the lodge is open.
• June–October. The long dry season and the classic safari window. The vegetation thins, and animals gather around water, so they’re easier to find.
• July–October in the Maasai Mara. The wildebeest migration crosses in from Tanzania’s Serengeti. According to the Maasai Mara article, the herds typically arrive between July and October, “though timing varies with climate and seasonal rainfall.” River crossings are never guaranteed on a given day. This is also peak season for both prices and vehicles.
• November–December. The short rains. They usually come as afternoon showers rather than all-day downpours, with lower prices and fewer people before the Christmas peak.

If the migration is the point of the trip, book the Mara between late July and September, and accept that you’ll share sightings. If it isn’t, January–February or the shoulder months often give you better value and emptier tracks. Nairobi to the Mara is about 214 km great-circle. Many visitors take a light aircraft from Wilson Airport to a Mara airstrip instead of the long road transfer.

Getting in: eTA

Since January 2024, Kenya has used an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) in place of the old visa-on-arrival system for most visitors (visa policy overview). Apply only on the official portal, etakenya.go.ke. The portal’s FAQs cover the details:

• Cost. From $30 for standard processing, which usually takes up to three business days (72 hours), or $100 for expedited processing.
• Who needs one. The portal says an eTA is required for each passenger, unless your nationality or passport type is exempt. Rules for children have been reported differently in different places, so check the portal for them too.
• What you’ll need. A passport with at least six months’ validity, a photo, contact details, a travel itinerary and an accommodation confirmation. Your safari operator’s booking confirmation usually covers the last one.
• What happens if you skip it. The portal warns that failing to comply “may lead to you being denied boarding or penalty fee on arrival.”

Exemptions have changed recently. East African Community citizens have long been exempt. In 2025 Kenya extended the exemption to most African nationalities, with some exceptions (VisasNews). Check the portal for your own passport rather than relying on a blog, including this one.

Watch out for copycat “Kenya eTA” websites that charge a service fee on top of the government fee. The domain should end in .go.ke.

Health: vaccines and malaria

This section is orientation, not medical advice. See a travel-health clinic four to eight weeks before you fly, because some vaccines need time.

Yellow fever. According to the WHO’s country list, Kenya requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers aged one year or over who arrive from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. If your route connects through one of those countries, ask your clinic whether the transit counts. Separately, the WHO recommends vaccination for most travellers aged nine months or over, with exceptions for itineraries limited to certain areas, such as Nairobi and Mombasa cities. Most safari itineraries fall outside those exceptions. The CDC’s Kenya yellow fever and malaria page gives the US view. Carry your certificate (the “yellow card”) in your hand luggage.

Malaria. The WHO says malaria risk, mainly from P. falciparum, exists year-round across the country, with little risk in Nairobi city and the highlands above 2,500 m. In practice, a safari in the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu or Tsavo, or a stay on the coast, means antimalarial tablets and mosquito-bite prevention. Which tablet is right for you is a conversation with a clinician. Dusk-to-dawn precautions matter whatever you take: long sleeves, repellent and nets.

Other vaccines. Routine vaccines should be up to date. Clinics commonly discuss hepatitis A and typhoid for East Africa as well. Kenya’s Ministry of Health keeps an incoming travellers page for official entry health measures, which can change during outbreaks.

Insurance matters more here than on a city break. Medical evacuation from a remote camp is expensive. Make sure your policy (for example World Nomads Partner) explicitly covers emergency evacuation, and check any activity exclusions, such as balloon flights and walking safaris.

Money: M-Pesa, cash, cards

Kenya runs on M-Pesa, Safaricom’s mobile money service, launched commercially in 2007 (M-Pesa). Kenyans use it for everything from matatu fares to school fees. Market stalls, taxis and small shops will often ask for M-Pesa before they ask for cash.

As a short-term visitor, you have three realistic options:

1. Register for M-Pesa. Buy a local Safaricom SIM and register it. Kenyan law requires every SIM to be registered to an identity document, which for visitors means your passport (SIM registration regulations). Then load M-Pesa with cash at an agent. This is worth doing on longer trips or if you’ll spend time in towns.
2. Carry Kenyan shillings (KES) for tips, park-side purchases and anywhere without signal. ATMs are easy to find in Nairobi and Mombasa and scarce in the bush. Take out what you need before you leave the city.
3. Use cards where they work. That means lodges, hotels, larger restaurants and safari operators, many of which invoice in US dollars. Ask your operator in advance which park and conservancy fees are already in your package and how anything extra is paid.

If you want data from the moment you land, before you’ve found a Safaricom shop, a travel eSIM such as Airalo Partner covers the gap. Lodge Wi-Fi in reserves is often slow and shared, and signal in the bush comes and goes.

Also note: Kenya banned plastic carrier bags in 2017 (overview). Pack clothes in something else, and don’t bring duty-free home in a plastic bag through Kenyan arrivals.

Power: Type G 240 V

Kenya uses the British-style Type G plug, with three rectangular pins. Mains power is 240 V at 50 Hz (IEC World Plugs; country table). UK and Irish visitors can plug straight in. Everyone else needs a Type G adapter, and North Americans should check that anything single-voltage stays at home. Our UK adapter guide applies here too: buy a properly made adapter, and let dual-voltage USB-C chargers do the work.

Safari camps often run on solar or generators, with charging limited to certain hours or to a charging point in the main tent. Bring:

• A power bank for camera batteries and phones on game drives.
• A car charger (USB-C or USB-A) that works in the vehicle’s socket, if your operator’s vehicles have one. Ask ahead.
• One multi-port USB charger, so you only need one adapter.