Best Time to Visit Kora National Park
You may be wondering when the best time to visit Kora National Park is.
Kora National Park is the former home of famed wildlife conservationist, George Adamson, or ‘baba ya Simba’ (Father of Lions). It was here that the lion Elsa, of Born Free fame, lived. The former reserve had serious problems with poachers in the 1980s and the 1990s – George Adamson was murdered by poachers here in 1989. There are plans for creating a lion sanctuary at Kora. Until then, the main appeal is its pristine, untouched wilderness, which can be explored by any self-sufficient adventurer.
Kora National Park can be visited throughout the year, but the roads can become very difficult to navigate in the Wet season. The grass is very long in the Wet season too, making animals more difficult to spot, as the grasses are long and some do hide in the shrubs, also water being in plenty, wildlife just disperse themselves. The wet season makes it hard to also camp around as there are no accommodation facilities. Driving routes is also affected by the heavy rain. A 4 x 4 safari vehicle is needed to easily go about the terrain. However, for those who love photography, great photos can be captured during this wet season as the grasses are green, giving a great output.
The best time for visiting is in the Dry season from June to September, when there is less grasses, making it easy to spot the wildlife from a distance as they also tend to collect themselves around the water points. The dry season also makes camping amazing and easy to drive to the area.
Tip: Kora is on the hotter side of Kenya, so ensure you are well stocked up with enough water as it is very hot/humid. Plan to be there for a day in advance, to explore all the places, such that you can enjoy the best of this park. A night in the park is wonderful. Note, there is no accommodation in the park yet. You will need to camp, or drive to Meru.
Talk to the Enclose Africa Safaris team before your trip to know how the roads to Kora National Park are (they get easily damaged by the rains) before you set off for your trip to the park.