Maasai Mara in April: weather, wildlife, crowds and prices
Maasai Mara in April means the heart of the long rains, one of the quietest months of the year and the lowest rates at many camps, with the migratory herds still in Tanzania.
April is usually the wettest month in the Maasai Mara, the peak of the long rains: the Mara Triangle measured 370 mm of rain in April 2024 (the monthly report said 300 mm) and 205 mm in 2025, while in 2026 three unseasonally dry weeks ended in a week of heavy rain. The migratory wildebeest herds are still on their wet-season range in Tanzania, so the Mara’s resident wildlife is the draw. The park fee is in its low season, USD 100 per non-resident adult a day, many camps charge their lowest rates, and this is one of the quietest months of the year, though some camps close.
Park tickets for both the Main Reserve and the Mara Triangle are sold on the KAPS ticket portal.
The observations below come from the Mara Conservancy, which manages the Mara Triangle, and from Governors’ Camp at Musiara, in the north of the Reserve, for each year from 2024 to 2026.
Maasai Mara in April at a glance
Usually the wettest month
Mara Triangle: 370 mm in 2024 (the monthly report said 300 mm) and 205 mm in 2025.
Average 26 °C a day
Recorded at Governors' Camp, Musiara, in 2024; highs around 26 °C in 2025.
Herds in Tanzania
Still on their wet-season range in the southern Serengeti; they move west from May.
Low-season park fee
USD 100 per non-resident adult a day, from 1 January to 30 June.
One of the quietest months
In 2024 the Mara Triangle had fewer non-resident visitors this month than in any other.
Some camps close
Rekero Camp closes for April and May, and some camps close for part of the month.
What is the weather like in the Maasai Mara in April?
The long rains usually run from March to May, with the wettest spell in April: long-term Mara rain-gauge records show the year’s main rainfall peak in this month. The timing still varies. The Mara Triangle measured 370 mm in 2024 (the monthly report said 300 mm), with very heavy storms along the escarpment, and 205 mm in 2025, when heavy rain on the 10th caused extensive flooding; by the end of that month the Triangle had had 616 mm of rain for the year. In 2026 the first three weeks were unseasonally dry, then a week of heavy rain followed.
Governors’ Camp at Musiara recorded 227 mm in 2024, 183.5 mm in 2025 and around 140 mm in 2026, with 40 mm on the 28th alone. It recorded an average of 26 °C a day in 2024, and highs around 26 °C in 2025, slightly cooler than March.
Rain affects travel too. Light aircraft land on unsealed bush airstrips, and in the long rains flights may be briefly delayed or re-routed when visibility at an airstrip falls below safety minimums; strips sometimes close after heavy rain or for repairs, and flights then land at another strip. Pack a light waterproof. Our Maasai Mara weather guide compares every month.
How much rain fell in recent Aprils?
Measured totals for the month, in millimetres, at two gauges in different parts of the Mara.
| Year | Mara Triangle (Serena) | Governors' Camp, Musiara | What it meant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 370 (the monthly report said 300) | 227 | Rain all month; on the 30th the Talek River flooded over its new bridge and several camps |
| 2025 | 205 | 183.5 | A severe storm on the 10th caused extensive flooding and road damage |
| 2026 | No total: three dry weeks, then a week of heavy rain | Around 140, 40 of it on the 28th | The dry weeks allowed grass burning; the late rain turned the Reserve into wetlands and fresh grazing |
Where is the migration in April?
This month the migratory wildebeest herds are still on their wet-season range in the southern Serengeti, in Tanzania, not in the Mara. The calving there runs from late January into March, and the herds start moving west only with the dry season from May. They usually reach the Mara in July: see our month-by-month guide for when.
Plains game follows the fresh grass. In 2025 Governors’ Camp found topi, zebra and gazelle in large numbers on the Musiara plains, with burnt areas green and very long red oat grass by the marsh and river. In April 2026 the Mara Conservancy reported that grass burning drew many animals up from the Lemai Wedge, including topi, Thomson’s gazelle and zebra.
The resident wildlife stays all year. Resident lion prides hold the same territories for generations, the big cats breed all year round, and elephants breed all year with a peak in March and April. On 15 April 2025 Governors’ Camp saw the Marsh Pride kill a buffalo outside Il Moran camp.
What did observers see in the Mara in April?
April 2024. The Mara Conservancy had rain all month, and sections of the escarpment road to Ngiro-are were impassable. On the 30th the Talek River flooded over the new bridge and flooded several camps. Governors’ Camp recorded 227 mm and an average of 26 °C a day. The Mara River rose sharply late in the month, Little Governors’ camp suspended its boat crossing by the 26th, and in the Talek area many camps and lodges closed overnight because of flooding, though Governors’ own camps were not affected.
April 2025. The Conservancy recorded 205 mm, with a severe storm on the 10th that caused extensive flooding and road damage, and it expected a fairly significant fall in tourist numbers because of the trade war and the US stock market. Governors’ Camp recorded 183.5 mm and highs around 26 °C; burnt areas were green, the red oat grass by the marsh and river was very long, and the Marsh Pride killed a buffalo on the 15th.
April 2026. Three unseasonally dry weeks allowed grass burning, which drew many animals up from the Lemai Wedge, before heavy rain in the last week. Operators reported little or no interest in bookings because of the war in the Middle East, and fuel was short. After an exceptionally wet February and March, Governors’ Camp recorded around 140 mm; rain from the 25th to the 30th, with 40 mm on the 28th, turned the Reserve into wetlands and fresh grazing.
How busy is the Maasai Mara in April?
This is one of the quietest months. The Mara Conservancy calls April and May the quietest months of the year, and in 2024 the Mara Triangle had fewer non-resident visitors in April than in any other month. Numbers also move with world events: non-resident visitors to the Triangle from January to April fell from 19,785 in 2024 to 14,992 in 2025, and in April 2026 overseas visitors were close to the 2025 level while Kenyan citizens were well down.
Good Friday and Easter Monday, Kenyan public holidays, fall in March or April, so check the dates for your year.
How much does a Maasai Mara safari cost in April?
Park fee. April is in the low season, which runs from 1 January to 30 June. Non-resident adults pay USD 100 a day, half the July–December fee; children aged 9 to 17 pay USD 50, and children aged 8 and under enter free. Kenyan citizens pay KSh 1,500 and East African residents KSh 2,500 per adult a day.
Camps in the Reserve. April and May are the cheapest months at many camps. Published 2026 rates per person per night sharing include USD 300 at Basecamp Masai Mara (March–May, with meals and shared drives; the same as its mid-season rate), USD 453 at Governors’ Camp and USD 667 at Governors’ Il Moran Camp (both 1 April–31 May), against USD 500, USD 998 and USD 1,592 at the same camps in their 2026 peak seasons; Governors’ Camp charges USD 476 in April–May 2027. On top of the park fee, camps inside the Main Reserve may add a nightly Narok County bed-night or community charge of USD 40–80 per adult; the amount differs between camps, so ask yours.
Outside the Reserve. Kilima Camp, on the Oloololo Escarpment, charges from USD 305 full board in its 2026 low season (April–May) and from USD 475 in its high season. Kandili Camp, in the Leopard Gorge Conservancy, charges USD 240 full board in its 2026 green season (1 April–14 June), against USD 390 at peak, plus a conservancy fee of USD 50 per adult a day.
Conservancy camps. In 2026 Saruni Mara charges USD 500 and Offbeat Mara Camp USD 580 (both March–May), against USD 900 and USD 950 in their peak seasons; Offbeat’s rate for March–May 2027 is USD 600. These camps add a nightly conservancy fee of USD 130 or USD 150 per adult in 2026, depending on the camp; ask your camp.
Packages and extras. A shared three-day group safari by road from Nairobi is published from USD 795 per person (economy camp) for 1 April–31 May, park fees included. A balloon flight with Governors’ Balloon Safaris is USD 400 per adult in April–May 2026, plus a USD 80 landing fee and a USD 20 community levy. Our guide to what a Maasai Mara safari costs has worked budgets for every style.
Are the camps open in April?
The seasonal closures we found begin this month. Rekero Camp, on the Talek River, is closed in April and May and open from June to March; Encounter Mara, in the Naboisho Conservancy, is open from June to April and closed in May; and Porini Mara Camp and Porini Cheetah Camp close for one month, and Porini Lion Camp for four weeks, in the rainy season, without saying which month. Naboisho Camp is open all year.
Some camps publish dated closures for 2026: Kicheche Mara Camp and Kicheche Bush Camp closed from 1 April to 22 May, Kicheche Valley Camp from 10 April to 31 May and Ol Seki Hemingways Mara from 13 April to 22 May. Little Governors’ camp in the Triangle closed for a complete makeover by December 2025, with reopening planned for June 2026, and by July 2026 the Conservancy listed it as Mara Wilderness. Floods can also close camps at short notice, as in the Talek area in 2024. Ask your camp whether it is open for your dates.
Is April a good time to visit the Maasai Mara?
- Good for: one of the quietest months of the year, the low-season park fee and the lowest rates at many camps, fresh green grazing and the Mara’s resident big cats.
- Less good for: the wildebeest migration, which is in Tanzania; heavy rain, swollen rivers and damaged roads; and camps that close for the rains.
- Plan for: the wettest spell of the year, flights that may be delayed or re-routed by weather, and the Easter holidays if Easter falls this month.
Planning an April safari
- Check that your camp is open: some close for part of the month, others for April and May.
- Pack a light waterproof: this is usually the wettest month.
- Budget the low-season park fee: USD 100 per non-resident adult a day.
- Ask your camp how recent rain has affected the roads, bridges and river crossings.
- Allow spare time for light-aircraft flights, which may be delayed or re-routed in the long rains.
- Flying on to the Serengeti? In Airkenya's 2026 timetable, its daily connection from the Mara, via Migori and Tarime, does not run from 1 April to 20 May.
- If you want to see the migratory herds this month, they are in Tanzania's southern Serengeti.
More help choosing your month
- Best time to visit the Maasai Mara – all 12 months compared
- Maasai Mara in May – the next month
- Maasai Mara in March – the month before
- Maasai Mara weather – rain and temperature month by month
- Maasai Mara park fees – rates for every visitor and season
- How much a Maasai Mara safari costs – worked budgets
Thinking of an April safari?
Tell us your dates and what you want to see. MaasaiMara.ke quotes and books safaris through authorised, highly rated tour operator partners, and we will suggest camps that suit the season.
