Climate and average weather in Naivasha

In Naivasha, the weather is warm, wet, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near warm levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around April.

Best: early January to late March

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Naivasha typically varies from 10°C to 24°C, and is rarely below 8°C or above 26°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Naivasha for warm-weather activities are from early January to late March and mid September to mid October.

Hottest
Feb
24°
Coldest
Jul
10°
Wettest
Apr
181 mm
Driest
Jul
36 mm
Rain / yr
1150 mm
161 wet days
Daylight
12.0–12.0 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,902 m
0.7°S
Clearest
Feb
56% cloud

Naivasha is city in Kenya.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Naivasha weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late March.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Naivasha, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

Temperatures in Naivasha stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 24°C and low of 11°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 10°C and high of 18°C.

Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in February.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2311
Feb2411
Mar2312
Apr2113
May2012
Jun1911
Jul1810
Aug1910
Sep2010
Oct2111
Nov2112
Dec2111

Average hourly temperature in Naivasha

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 24°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 10°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Naivasha weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 11°829126.9
Feb24° / 11°616.4127.3
Mar23° / 12°12111.8126.7
Apr21° / 13°18120.4124.8
May20° / 12°13019.1124.9
Jun19° / 11°7013.9125.2
Jul18° / 10°3610.2125.6
Aug19° / 10°5011.1125.6
Sep20° / 10°5311.1126.0
Oct21° / 11°8614.7125.6
Nov21° / 12°16120.7124.7
Dec21° / 11°11912.9126.1

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Naivasha gets about 1150 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 3.0 months, from around Mar 24 to Jun 22, peaking in April at about 76% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Feb 2.

April is the wettest month by volume, with 181 mm over about 20 wet days; July is the driest, with 36 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 30 · 76%Feb 2 · 22%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan289
Feb256
Mar3712
Apr6820
May6219
Jun4614
Jul3310
Aug3711
Sep3711
Oct4915
Nov6721
Dec4213

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Naivasha collects about 1150 mm of rain across 161 wet days — roughly 96 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 181 mm, while July is the driest at just 36 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 41% of the year’s total.

050100150200JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec82611211811307036505386161119
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan829
Feb616
Mar12112
Apr18120
May13019
Jun7014
Jul3610
Aug5011
Sep5311
Oct8615
Nov16121
Dec11913

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Naivasha, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around November 28 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around April 8. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 9 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around September 7. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 85% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMar 2 · 59%Jul 27 · 13%mostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan5446
Feb5644
Mar5347
Apr3268
May3169
Jun2179
Jul1585
Aug2179
Sep4159
Oct3664
Nov3070
Dec4852

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. Close to the equator, Naivasha barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 hours of light in every season.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan12.06:426:45
Feb12.06:486:50
Mar12.06:446:44
Apr12.06:356:34
May12.06:316:30
Jun12.06:366:33
Jul12.06:416:39
Aug12.06:396:38
Sep12.06:296:28
Oct12.06:196:20
Nov12.06:196:21
Dec12.06:296:32

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Naivasha averages about 4 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 1 and 10 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.1 months, from around Dec 4 to Apr 8. The sunniest month is March, with roughly 9 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is June, down near 1 sunny days — about 84% fewer than the March peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedMar 210 daysJun 261 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan8Gloomy
Feb8Mixed
Mar9Mixed
Apr3Gloomy
May2Gloomy
Jun1Gloomy
Jul1Gloomy
Aug2Gloomy
Sep5Gloomy
Oct4Gloomy
Nov3Gloomy
Dec6Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Naivasha, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in June, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccomfortabledry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
Jan919
Feb937
Mar8416
Apr5545
May5941
Jun8812
Jul991
Aug991
Sep991
Oct9010
Nov8119
Dec8812

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Naivasha is steady company: average speeds sit near 6 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeOct 9 · 7 km/hDec 19 · 5 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan5calm
Feb6calm
Mar6calm
Apr6calm
May7calm
Jun6calm
Jul7calm
Aug7calm
Sep7calm
Oct7calm
Nov6calm
Dec5calm

Best time to visit Naivasha

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Naivasha throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid March, Naivasha is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Naivasha for general outdoor tourist activities run from mid September to mid October and again from mid December to late March, with a peak score in the first week of February.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationFeb 5 · 7.4

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan6.9good
Feb7.3good
Mar6.6good
Apr4.8fair
May4.9fair
Jun5.3fair
Jul5.5good
Aug5.6good
Sep6.0good
Oct5.6good
Nov4.8fair
Dec6.1good

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Naivasha for hot-weather activities is from mid January to late March, with a peak score in the last week of February.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationFeb 23 · 6.0

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Naivasha, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

Naivasha packs about the same all year — highs hold near 24°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, sun protection and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In February, Naivasha sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 6 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Naivasha by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Naivasha peaks around March 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 11 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 17Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Naivasha

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in March the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan8.57
Feb8.57
Mar8.57
Apr8.56.5
May86
Jun7.55.5
Jul7.55.5
Aug86
Sep8.56.5
Oct86.5
Nov86.5
Dec86.5

Air quality in Naivasha by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Naivasha is worst in June — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJun 1864 µg/m³Sep 2348 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan62Unhealthy
Feb59Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr56Unhealthy
May57Unhealthy
Jun65Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug51Poor
Sep48Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov60Unhealthy
Dec64Unhealthy
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Naivasha is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Naivasha banks about 2,126 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around March.

05001,0001,5002,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan204
Feb199
Mar228
Apr208
May187
Jun145
Jul123
Aug130
Sep147
Oct181
Nov182
Dec193

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Naivasha receives about 5.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.3 and 6.9 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.3 months, from around Dec 5 to Apr 14. The brightest month is February, averaging about 6.8 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is July, down near 4.4 kWh/m² — roughly 35% less than the February peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseFeb 276.9 kWhJul 224.3 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.3Intense
Feb6.8Intense
Mar6.6Intense
Apr5.6Bright
May5.1Bright
Jun4.7Bright
Jul4.3Bright
Aug4.8Bright
Sep5.8Bright
Oct5.9Bright
Nov5.4Bright
Dec5.8Bright

Where is Naivasha?

Naivasha sits at 0.7°S, 36.4°E, 1,902 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Gilgil, 27 km away.

Topography around Naivasha

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Naivasha.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Naivasha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 196 m around an average of 1,930 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 756 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,900 m.

The land around Naivasha is covered by grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (32%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (30%), grassland (27%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
196 m
16 km
756 m
80 km
2,900 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Nearby: Gilgil 27 km · Mai 34 km · Maai Mahiu 35 km · Ol Kalou 50 km · Limuru 50 km · Githunguri 54 km · Upper Gilgil 59 km · Nakuru 60 km

Kenya travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,363
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
28.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 593
Religion
Christian 86%Muslim 11%other 2%none 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Naivasha (-0.7138°, 36.4326°, elevation 1,902 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).