Nairobi Wilson (WIL) → Maasai Mara

The flight from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara is the classic Kenyan safari hop — and the strongest argument for flying private in East Africa. By road, the Mara is five to six hours from Nairobi, the last stretch on rough corrugated track. By air, it is about 45 minutes from Wilson Airport, and the views along the way are part of the experience.

The flight

Departures leave Wilson Airport on Nairobi's south side, climb out over the Ngong Hills and cross the Great Rift Valley — the escarpment falling away beneath you — before descending over the open plains of the Mara ecosystem. Most guests fly in the morning, landing in time for lunch at camp and an afternoon game drive, but as a private charter the timing is entirely yours: early light for photographers, or a late departure after a full workday in Nairobi.

Where you land

The Maasai Mara has no single airport. Instead, a network of all-weather bush airstrips serves the reserve and the surrounding conservancies — Keekorok, Musiara, Ol Kiombo and Mara Serena inside the reserve, and strips such as Olare Orok, Mara North and Kichwa Tembo serving the private conservancies. We land you at the strip closest to your camp or lodge, and nearly all camps meet guests at the airstrip with a game-drive vehicle — so the safari effectively begins the moment you step off the aircraft.

The right aircraft

• Cessna Grand Caravan — the definitive Mara aircraft. Built for short, unpaved strips, with big windows for game viewing and generous cabin space for safari luggage.
• Turboprops such as the King Air — faster and pressurised, well suited to combining the Mara with longer legs in the same itinerary.
• Helicopters — for doorstep arrivals at private conservancies and lodges, or a low-level scenic crossing of the Rift Valley on the way in.

Good to know

• Luggage: bush airstrips favour soft-sided bags; around 15 kg per person is a sensible planning figure, though private charter gives more flexibility than scheduled safari flights.
• When to go: the Great Migration typically crosses the Mara between July and October; January and February offer excellent resident game with fewer visitors; the green season is beautiful, quiet and dramatic for photography.
• Fees: park and conservancy entry fees are separate from the charter and are usually arranged through your camp.
• Multi-stop days: the Mara pairs naturally with Amboseli, Naivasha or the coast — a private aircraft can link two parks in a single day, which no scheduled service can do.

Tell us your camp and your dates, and we will match the aircraft to the airstrip, confirm timings with the lodge, and have you over the Rift Valley within days — sometimes hours — of asking.