Forty-five minutes in the air instead of six hours on the road. A Masai Mara flying safari gives you as much time in the reserve over three days as a five-day road trip does.
A Masai Mara flying safari trades six hours of road for forty-five minutes in the air. You take off from Wilson Airport after breakfast and are on a game drive before lunch, which is what makes three days in the Mara worth doing rather than a drive with a park in the middle.
Why take a Masai Mara flying safari
Two full days of game viewing instead of two travel days. The aircraft are light, high-wing and low enough to see the country the whole way, and they land on airstrips inside the reserve and the conservancies around it.
A safari vehicle pauses beside a pair of zebras as they graze peacefully across the sunlit savanna.
A Masai Mara flying safari also lands you somewhere different. This trip stays on conservancy land, the community-owned areas that border the reserve, where vehicle numbers at a sighting are capped and night drives and guided walks are permitted. The Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association publishes how those community leases work. It is the same wildlife and a quieter way to watch it.
What you see
Lion, leopard and cheetah, at the densities the Mara ecosystem is famous for.
Elephant, buffalo and hippo along the watercourses, with black rhino present but rarely seen.
The Great Migration, usually from July to October, when well over a million wildebeest and zebra cross from the Serengeti. Read our guide to the migration before you pick dates.
Resident plains game all year, which is why the low season is better value than people assume.
How the three days run
Day one. A morning flight from Wilson, met at the airstrip by your camp's guide, lunch, and an afternoon drive.
A leopard rests gracefully on a rocky outcrop, watching the golden grasslands stretching across the horizon.
Day two. The full day, and the reason to come. Out at first light with a packed breakfast, working the conservancy in the early hours and dropping into the reserve when there is something worth driving for. Night drive or a guided walk in the evening, where the conservancy allows it.
Day three. A last morning drive, brunch, and the midday flight back to Nairobi.
Where you stay
Lions wrestle in the lush green savanna of the Maasai Mara.
A tented camp on conservancy land, full board, with house drinks included and Flying Doctors evacuation cover for the duration. Tents have proper beds and private bathrooms; this is canvas, not camping.
When to go
July to October for the migration and the highest chance of a river crossing. January and February are dry, green and quieter. April and May are wet and cheapest, and the resident cats do not leave. Our Masai Mara safari cost guide explains how the season moves the price.
What it costs
Open grassland running to the Oloololo escarpment
From $2,450 per person sharing, including return flights, conservancy fees, all game drives, full board and house drinks. The same three days by road start at $780, which is the honest comparison to make: you are buying back two days and a quieter piece of the ecosystem.
Send a booking request with your dates and we will come back with availability, a firm price and an honest view of the month you have picked. Nothing is charged on this website.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the flight to the Masai Mara?
About 45 minutes from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, plus a short hop between airstrips on some schedules.
What is the luggage limit on a flying safari?
A guest photographing the pride from the vehicle, out at first light
Usually 15 kg per person including hand luggage, in a soft bag. Hotels in Nairobi will store the rest. Our packing list covers what to bring.
Is a conservancy better than the reserve?
For quiet, yes: vehicle numbers are limited and walking and night drives are allowed. The reserve has the river crossings. This trip uses both.
Is a flying safari worth the extra cost?
The herds crossing the Mara river, unscheduled and rain-driven
If you have three days, usually yes. You swap two long road days for two short flights and spend that time watching animals instead.
A mid-morning departure from Wilson gets you onto an airstrip in the conservancies about forty-five minutes later, and into camp in time for lunch. Baggage on the light aircraft is limited to around fifteen kilogrammes in soft bags, which is the one real constraint of flying. An afternoon game drive follows, and because you are on conservancy land rather than inside the reserve, a night drive is usually possible after dinner.
午餐, 晚餐
Conservancy tented camp
2
Day 2 · Masai Mara National Reserve
Full day in the conservancies and the reserve
A full day with your resident guide, crossing into the national reserve for the middle of it. Conservancies cap the number of vehicles at a sighting, which is the whole argument for staying on one, you will not arrive at a leopard to find eleven other cars already there. Guided walking is permitted on conservancy land and is worth a morning.
早餐, 午餐, 晚餐
Conservancy tented camp
3
Day 3 · Nairobi
The Mara to Wilson Airport
A dawn game drive and breakfast in camp, then the short transfer to the airstrip for a late-morning flight. You are back at Wilson before lunch, which leaves the whole afternoon free and makes an evening international departure comfortable rather than tight.
