The Masai Mara is cooler than Nairobi and the Kenyan coast. It sits at an altitude of 5,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level, so it is greener and more moderate in temperature than other regions of Kenya. Temperatures range from 30°C maximum during the day to a cooler 15°C at night. During the long rains season of March to May the conservancy and the surrounding areas are green and burgeoning. Seasonal rivers fill with water and the plains become marshlands in some areas. Cooler months of June and July follow when the rains end. The Great Migration happens sometime after the rains, it’s a spontaneous event governed by the ancient pulse of survival in the herds which is in tune with the rains. The herds usually begin arriving in the Mara in July (sometimes as early as June) and stay to graze the plains until November. When the grasses have diminished and the riverbeds are dry, they head back to the pastures of the Serengeti. The short rainy season follows in late November to December and the temperature climbs through January making this the hottest month.
