Kenya's game parks are malaria country. Start your safari planning there.
Below 8,200 feet, game parks included, the CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine, and most safari routes also fall under its yellow fever vaccine advice. Settle both at a travel clinic. After that, the bugs are a routine, with dusk-to-dawn cover in the parks and daytime repellent on the dengue coast.
The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for all of Kenya below 8,200 feet (2,500 m), game parks included. Only the highly urbanized center of Nairobi is excepted. Yellow fever vaccine is recommended for most safaris too, though generally not for trips limited to Nairobi and the coast from Diani to Lamu. Take both questions to a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before you fly. After that, the routine is repellent and long sleeves from dusk to dawn, plus daytime repellent on the dengue coast.
A first trip to Kenya usually means game drives in the Maasai Mara or Amboseli, a night in Nairobi at either end and, for many, a beach week at Diani or a few days on Lamu. The CDC's advice for that trip is unusually clear, and it puts the clinic appointment ahead of the packing. The biting itself tends to be lighter on a dry-season safari than on the coast.
Malaria: the parks are inside the line
The CDC's Kenya page says malaria occurs in all areas below 8,200 feet (2,500 m), including game parks, with rare cases in the highly urbanized central part of Nairobi. The parasite is mainly Plasmodium falciparum, resistant to chloroquine. For the transmission areas the CDC lists four prevention medicines: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. For central Nairobi it recommends none, only insect bite precautions and mosquito avoidance.
That exception covers very little of a safari. The Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Samburu, Mombasa, Diani and Lamu all fall under the recommendation. Nairobi also has a separate CDC Level 1 notice, posted October 19, 2026, about Ebola cases in the city; Ebola is not spread by insects, so read the notice for its precautions and check its level before you fly.
What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure and bring the full route: which parks, how many nights in each, and whether the coast is included. The right medicine depends on your health and itinerary, and the clinic will tell you how long to keep taking it after you get home. The same visit settles the yellow fever question. Our malaria-zone checklist covers everything around the prescription.
Whatever the clinic decides, malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, which covers the sundowner, dinner and the walk back to your tent. Repellent at sunset, long sleeves after dark, and a net or a screened, air-conditioned room overnight handle most of that exposure.
Yellow fever: most safaris are covered
The CDC recommends yellow fever vaccine for travelers 9 months or older, with exceptions. It is generally not recommended for travel limited to the city of Nairobi; Mandera, Wajir and Garissa in the former North Eastern Province; or the former Coast Province counties except Taita-Taveta, meaning Kilifi (including Malindi), Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa and Tana River. Diani is in Kwale, so a Nairobi-and-Diani beach trip is on the exception list. The Mara, Amboseli and Samburu are not, and neither is Tsavo, which lies in Taita-Taveta.
Kenya does not require the vaccine for travelers arriving directly from the US. It does require proof from travelers 1 year or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk. Continuing into Tanzania? It has a similar entry rule, and our Tanzania briefing explains what that means for a combined safari.
Nairobi · Mombasa · Diani · Malindi · Lamu
Malaria medicine applies everywhere here except central Nairobi. Dengue is the daytime concern on the coast.
- Yellow fever vaccine generally not recommended
- Repellent in the morning, after swimming and at sunset
- Screens, a net or air-conditioning at night
Maasai Mara · Amboseli · Samburu · Tsavo
Both CDC recommendations apply, for malaria medicine and for yellow fever vaccine.
- Travel clinic 4–6 weeks out for both
- Dusk-to-dawn repellent and long sleeves
- Neutral colors on game drives for tsetse
Dengue on the coast
Kenya is on the CDC's Global Dengue list, a Level 1 notice last reviewed October 2, 2026, for countries reporting higher-than-usual case numbers or more cases than expected in returning US travelers. Kenya's health ministry, as reported in the Kenyan press in 2026, called the coast a major transmission zone, especially Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale, with cases peaking April to June. The World Health Organization's late-July 2026 situation report tracked an active outbreak only in the northeast, in Garissa and Wajir, and its Africa bulletin for October 5–11, 2026 lists no dengue event for Kenya. A 2025 chikungunya outbreak in Mombasa saw no further cases after early July 2025, according to WHO.
Both viruses travel with the Aedes mosquito, which bites in daylight with peaks after sunrise and before sunset. On the coast that means repellent over sunscreen in the morning, again after swimming and again before sunset, when the malaria hours begin. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule. The CDC also lists Kenya among places with current or past Zika transmission and no current outbreak; if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy, raise that at the clinic.
Room mosquitoes and beach sand flies are the coast's most common complaints. The beach biters leave delayed, itchy welts on ankles and calves, and our sand fly guide explains their dawn-and-dusk schedule.
Tsetse flies and the other park biters
On game drives, the insect people talk about is the tsetse fly. It bites by day, can bite through thin clothing and turns up in bushy pockets of some parks, the Maasai Mara among them, where by most accounts it is an occasional nuisance. Dark blue and black have a reputation for drawing them in. The CDC's Kenya page does not list African sleeping sickness, the disease tsetse can carry. Its Tanzania page does, which matters if your safari crosses the border.
A few more items on the CDC's Kenya list fit the same routine. Leishmaniasis comes from tiny sand flies that bite from dusk to dawn, which the night-time cover handles. African tick-bite fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever come from ticks, so bush walks in long grass call for long trousers and a tick check afterward. Rift Valley fever, also listed, spreads through contact with infected livestock and through mosquito bites.
Malaria mosquitoes bite until dawn, so exposed skin gets a coat before the early game drive.
Tsetse bite by day and through thin fabric. Neutral tones beat dark blue and black.
The dusk-to-dawn shift starts with the drinks. Repellent on ankles, wrists and neck, then long sleeves for dinner.
Where you're going
The disease score reflects CDC's malaria advice; the bite score changes more between park and coast.
Nairobi
The one stop on most itineraries where CDC recommends no malaria medicine, and only for the highly urbanized center. Yellow fever vaccine is generally not recommended for a stay limited to the city, and the altitude tends to keep mosquitoes down.
Maasai Mara
Inside CDC's malaria area, and Narok county is not on the yellow fever exception list, so both clinic questions apply. Tsetse turn up in bushy pockets, and by most accounts they are an occasional nuisance here.
Amboseli
CDC's malaria and yellow fever advice both apply. Dry, open country that tends to be light on mosquitoes in the dry months, with dusk to dawn still the hours to cover.
Samburu
Hot, low and dry, with both CDC recommendations in force. Like Amboseli, it tends to be lighter on bugs in the dry season, so the evening routine does most of the work.
Mombasa & Diani
Malaria medicine applies, and Kenya's health ministry calls the coast a major dengue zone, with cases peaking April to June. A coast-only trip sits on the yellow fever exception list; room mosquitoes and beach sand flies are the usual complaints.
Lamu
Malaria medicine applies as on the rest of the coast, and Lamu is one of the coast counties where CDC generally does not recommend yellow fever vaccine for a trip limited to it. The health ministry reported dengue here in early 2026 as well.
When to go
Americans go to Kenya in every month, and the bugs follow the rain. The dry seasons, roughly January–February and June–October, are usually peak safari season and tend to be the lighter months for mosquitoes. The long rains, roughly March to May, and the short rains, roughly October to December, tend to bring more. April and May tend to be the hardest stretch on the coast, when the long rains overlap the April–June dengue peak. Malaria transmits year-round below 8,200 feet, and the CDC's malaria and yellow fever advice does not change by season.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from forum threads and reviews and linked so you can read them in full. None carries a date, and individual trips vary with the season, the rain and where you stay.
- Maasai Mara
In a thread on tsetse flies and sleeping sickness, posters said sleeping sickness in Kenya is confined to the Nyanza area in the far west, well away from the tourist parks, and treated tsetse as a minor issue for Mara visitors. TripAdvisor ↗
- Amboseli and Maasai Mara · January
A January visitor reported seeing no mosquitoes in Amboseli or the Mara. TripAdvisor ↗
- Lamu
Posters disagreed on malaria pills for Lamu: one called the risk high because of the hot, humid coast and advised antimalarials, another thought the risk low. Both agreed repellent and a mosquito net are needed on the coast. TripAdvisor ↗
- Diani Beach (Pinewood)
A traveler asked for help with sand fly bites at Pinewood that showed up delayed and itchy and did not respond to DEET. TripAdvisor ↗
- Brightstar Apartments, Diani
A guest asked for the room to be sprayed for mosquitoes, was told no repellent was available, and was bitten during the night. TripAdvisor ↗
The Kenya kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the heat and layers over sunscreen. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- Permethrin 0.5% for safari clothes: treat neutral-colored long sleeves, trousers and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. Treated fabric repels and kills mosquitoes on contact through several washes. It goes on clothing, never on skin.
- A full-size backup in the checked bag for a longer trip.
- A travel bed net if your coast rental has no screens or nets.
One more rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Kenya, including which parks and which stretch of coast. With malaria in the picture, the rule holds for a full year after you get home. That one sentence is what gets you the right test quickly.
Traveler questions
Do I need malaria pills for a Kenya safari?
The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for all areas of Kenya below 8,200 feet (2,500 m) and names the game parks explicitly, so the Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Samburu are covered, as are Mombasa, Diani and Lamu. The only exception is the highly urbanized central part of Nairobi. Which medicine fits you is a call for a travel clinic, made 4–6 weeks before departure with your full route. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest of the preparation.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Kenya?
The CDC recommends it for travelers 9 months and older, except for trips limited to Nairobi, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa or the former Coast Province counties other than Taita-Taveta (Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa and Tana River). A safari in the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu or Tsavo falls under the recommendation. A Nairobi-and-Diani beach trip does not. Kenya does not require the vaccine for direct arrivals from the US. It does require proof from travelers 1 year or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk. Settle it at the same clinic visit as the malaria question.
Is there malaria in Nairobi?
The CDC reports rare cases in the highly urbanized central part of the city and recommends no prevention medicine there, only bite precautions and mosquito avoidance. The city's altitude tends to keep mosquitoes down. The exception covers central Nairobi only. Once you head out to a park or the coast, the CDC's recommendation applies.
Is dengue a risk in Mombasa and Diani?
Yes. Kenya's health ministry, as reported in the Kenyan press in 2026, named the coast, especially Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale, as a major dengue transmission zone, with cases peaking April to June. Kenya is also on the CDC's Global Dengue list. The mosquito that spreads it bites in daylight, so repellent goes on in the morning over sunscreen, again after swimming and again before sunset.
Do tsetse flies carry sleeping sickness in Kenya?
The CDC's Kenya page does not list African sleeping sickness among the diseases spread by bugs there. Its Tanzania page does, which matters if your safari crosses the border. Tsetse are still worth avoiding for the bite alone, which comes by day and can get through thin fabric. Wear neutral-colored long sleeves on game drives and leave dark blue and black at home, since those colors have a reputation for drawing them.
Are the safari parks buggy?
Dry-season safaris are usually light on mosquitoes, and tsetse keep to bushy pockets of some parks. Everything bites more after rain, and the malaria mosquitoes come out from dusk to dawn in every month, so the evening routine stays the same all year. The coast is the buggier half of most Kenya trips.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- CDC destination page for travelers
- World Health Organization
- World Health Organization
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- standardmedia.co.ke
- World Health Organization
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- CDC Travelers' Health
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- World Health Organization
- CDC destination page for travelers