Kenya vs South Africa

Large resort pool with blue loungers, thatched-roof structures, and palm trees lining the Baobab Beach Resort & Spa grounds.

Kenya and South Africa, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

Kenya guide · South Africa guide · How we score

By the numbers

Kenya compared with South Africa
Kenya	Measure	South Africa
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
14	Resorts in our catalog	0
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	–
$75–$274/night pp	Nightly rates	–
0 of 14	Adults-only resorts	0 of 0
No hurricane season	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season
Long rains April–May, short rains October–November	Rainy season	November–March (southern-hemisphere summer thunderstorms)
December–March and July–September (the latter pairs with Masai Mara migration season)	Sweet spot	April–September for dry, mild weather; also prime safari season inland
Swahili & English (both official)	Language	11 official languages – English widely spoken
Kenyan shilling (KES); cards and mobile money common	Currency	South African rand (ZAR)
240V, Type G (UK-style) plugs – bring an adapter	Power	230V, large Type M/N plugs (special adapter needed)
On the left	Driving	On the left
Nairobi (NBO); coast via Mombasa (MBA) or Ukunda (UKA)	Main airport	Durban (DUR) or Johannesburg (JNB)
~15–18h+ from the US, with a connection	Flight time	~15–17h from the US East Coast (often via Europe or the Gulf)

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

On the map

Kenya

No mapped resorts yet

South Africa

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Kenya and South Africa
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Kenya · high °F	90	91	91	88	84	83	82	82	84	86	88	89
South Africa · high °F	82	83	82	79	77	74	73	74	75	77	79	81
Kenya · rain (in)	1.0	0.7	2.5	6.1	9.3	3.4	2.8	2.5	2.6	3.4	3.8	2.4
South Africa · rain (in)	5.3	4.8	4.8	2.9	2.2	1.1	1.5	1.9	2.9	4.3	4.8	4.0

Approximate climate normals for Diani / Mombasa coast and KwaZulu-Natal coast (Durban): planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Kenya

Full Kenya guide

Chains here: Neptune Hotels · The Sands Kenya · Sarova Hotels

Best of South Africa

No South Africa resorts in our catalog yet.

Full South Africa guide