Kenya Safari in May: Why It's One of the Best Months to Visit (And Why Most People Don't Know It)
If you've Googled "Kenya safari in May" and come away convinced it's a mistake, you're not alone. The travel internet is full of warnings about the rainy season, closed camps, and muddy roads. Bu the truth is most of it is outdated, overstated, or simply doesn't apply to Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
We've lived and worked here through more than twenty Mays. We know what it actually looks like on the ground. And what it looks like is extraordinary. Here's the truth about a Kenya safari in May — and why it might be the best decision you make this year.
Is May a Good Time for a Kenya Safari?
The honest answer is yes — and in several important ways, it's better than the months everyone fights over. The "long rains" that traditionally defined April and May across Kenya are changing. Our own rainfall records over the past decade show that May — particularly the second half of the month — is now drier than many August days. Climate patterns have shifted, and the blanket advice to avoid East Africa in May simply hasn't caught up with the reality on the ground.
More practically: The Safari Cottages are open throughout May, and we game drive on all-weather roads across Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Whatever the sky decides to do, your game drives happen. The wildlife doesn't take a rain day, and neither do we.
A cheetah wandering the plains of Ol Pejeta in May
5 Reasons a Kenya Safari in May Is Worth Booking
1. The Wildlife Is Exceptional — and Often Unseen
May is one of the most rewarding months for wildlife at Ol Pejeta, and one of the least appreciated.
The recent rains bring an explosion of fresh vegetation across the conservancy — and with it, plains game including giraffe, rhinos, eland, zebra and more are out in enormous numbers. It's one of the most reliable windows of the year for extended, close rhino sightings, including encounters with Ol Pejeta's critically endangered northern white rhinos.
Big cats remain highly active. Lion prides patrol the open plains, cheetahs work the grasslands, and elephant family groups move through the conservancy in relaxed, unhurried herds. There's no shortage of sightings — just a shortage of other people trying to see them.
Which brings us to point two.
2. You'll Have the Conservancy Almost to Yourselves
This is the quiet secret of a May safari: most people aren't here.
Because the travel internet steers visitors away from Kenya in May, the conservancy is at its least crowded. For guests at The Safari Cottages — where every stay is entirely private by design — this means game drives with no other vehicles at sightings, the ability to sit quietly with a lion pride for as long as you like, and a stillness to the bush that peak-season visitors rarely experience.
If you've ever watched a safari video and thought "I wish it was that quiet," a May safari at Ol Pejeta is what you're looking for.
3. It's One of the Best Value Months of the Year
Most properties that remain open in May operate on low season rates, making it one of the most cost-effective times to experience a high-quality Kenya safari. At The Safari Cottages, our low season pricing runs from April through to mid-June — meaning May guests access a fully private, exclusive-use safari experience (private guide, private vehicle, private chef, flexible schedule) at a significantly lower rate than the same experience in July or August.
It's worth being clear about what that means in practice: you're not getting a lesser safari. You're getting the same private guide, the same vehicle, the same chef, the same wildlife — at a lower price, with more of the conservancy to yourself. What’s not to love?
For families, couples, or anyone balancing quality with budget, May is worth looking at seriously.
An elephants wanders up the river over lunch at The Safari Cottages
4. Ol Pejeta Is Breathtakingly Beautiful in the Green Season
There are two versions of Ol Pejeta. The dry-season version — golden, dramatic, stripped-back — is the one that fills most safari brochures. The green-season version is something else entirely.
After the April rains, the conservancy transforms. The plains turn a deep, vivid green. Rivers run full. Dams overflow. Wildflowers appear across the grassland. The light softens and so does the pace.
May is arguably the most photogenic month of the year at Ol Pejeta. The rich green backdrop makes wildlife portraits striking. Occassional overcast skies diffuse the harsh midday sun, creating a softbox effect that wildlife photographers love. And the night skies — cleared by the passing rains — are exceptional. Our team of askaris will show you the southern constellations on any clear evening whilst you sip your gin and tonic around the campfire, and there are a lot of them in May.
Stars over Ol Pejeta Safari Cottages
5. It's Baby Season
Few things make a game drive more joyful than newborns, and May delivers them in abundance.
The rainfall triggers a wave of births across the conservancy as animals take advantage of the food availability. Baby zebras, still unsteady, stay close to their mothers on the open plains. Hyena cubs tumble around den entrances in the early morning. Elephant calves wade cautiously through the full dams. Warthog piglets sprint behind their parents in single file at impressive speed.
This is the conservancy at its most alive — and for families travelling with children, or anyone who wants their safari to feel genuinely joyful rather than just spectacular, May is quietly one of the best months of the year.
What About the Rain?
It's a fair question, and one worth answering directly.
May can bring rain. Typically in concentrated bursts — often in the afternoon or evening — rather than all-day drizzle. Mornings are frequently clear and cool, which is when most game drives happen. When rain does arrive, it tends to be dramatic and brief, and it passes to leave the air clean, the light extraordinary, and the wildlife moving.
Because The Safari Cottages operate on all-weather roads throughout Ol Pejeta, rain doesn't limit where we can drive or what we can see. Other parts of Kenya are more affected by May weather — particularly areas reliant on dirt tracks or lower-lying terrain. Ol Pejeta's road network and our private vehicle mean the experience is consistent regardless of conditions.
In short: pack a light waterproof, embrace the drama of a Laikipia rainstorm, and don't let the forecast stop you.
Watching lions on an afternoon game drive - a rain storm building in the background
Why Most Camps Close in May — And Why We Don't
Here's the competitive context that's worth knowing: several of Kenya's well-known safari camps, including some on Ol Pejeta itself, close in May for maintenance or due to access challenges. We don't. The Safari Cottages are open twelve months of the year. Our all-weather road access means we've never had a reason to close, and we've never turned away a May guest due to conditions.
If May is your window — because of school calendars, work schedules, budget, or simply a preference for quieter, more atmospheric travel — there are fewer options than in peak season. We're one of the best ones. And we're open.
What a May Safari Looks Like at The Safari Cottages
Your days in May have a rhythm that feels completely unhurried.
Early morning game drives begin just before sunrise — the air cool, the light extraordinary, the wildlife at its most active. White rhinos graze on open plains. Cheetahs prowl through the long grass. Elephants meander the riverline whilst you sip your morning coffee and joke with your guide.
You return for a late breakfast — prepared by your private chef, served at your pace, on your verandah or in the garden. The mid-morning hours are for coffee, reading, birdwatching from the deck, or simply sitting and listening.
If an afternoon shower arrives, it does so while you're inside, comfortable, and watching the sky change from somewhere you'd want to be anyway. By the time the evening drive rolls around, the plains smell extraordinary and the light is exceptional.
Sundowners in the bush, or perhaps cozied up by your fire at home. Dinner served to your liking, cooked by your private chef.
May at Ol Pejeta is quietly one of the best versions of a Kenya safari. It just doesn't advertise itself loudly enough.
The Safari Cottages are open in May, operating on all-weather roads, with full private guiding, your own vehicle, and low season rates in effect.
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