Nairobi to Masai Mara
Private Charter
Nairobi to the Masai Mara is about 45 minutes in the air, 95 nautical miles from Wilson to the airstrip nearest your camp, on a Caravan or Pilatus PC-12. The Mara has no airport, only a set of 5,200 foot strips with no fuel and no customs, so the aircraft is chosen for the strip and the fuel is planned out of Nairobi. Same time zone at both ends.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 11 September 2026
Route overview
Airport and airspace facts checked against the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority publications and Icarus Jet operations data.
Get your number
Get a number for your dates
Tell us the dates, the passengers and the camp. The desk picks the airstrip for the camp, quotes the Caravan or PC-12 that fits the group, files the Kenya permit, and plans the fuel out of Nairobi before you book.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203. The desk is staffed 24/7.
The route
Why fly private from Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
Nairobi to the Masai Mara is the safari sector on our desk: 95 nautical miles, about 45 minutes in the air, and a landing on a dirt strip minutes from the camp instead of five or six hours on the road. The migration from July to October, the private conservancies where the wildlife density is highest in East Africa, and the balloon-at-dawn week all fly it, and almost all of it leaves from Wilson.
Why private works here
Leave Wilson, two and a half miles from central Nairobi, on an aircraft that flies to your camp's strip rather than the scheduled circuit that stops at four others first. The camp vehicle meets the aircraft, the game drive starts on the way to the tent, and the return leaves when you say. For a family or a group the private aircraft costs little more per seat than the scheduled turboprops and saves half a day at each end.
Aircraft fit
The strips decide the aircraft. At about 5,200 feet of dirt with no fuel, the Mara is turboprop territory: a Caravan 208B carries up to twelve with safari luggage and is the workhorse of the reserve, and a Pilatus PC-12 carries eight faster in a pressurised cabin. Nothing with a jet engine is quoted to a Mara strip. Fuel is planned out of Nairobi for the round trip, or on the return leg, because there is none in the reserve.
Advisor note
The Mara is a set of strips, not an airport, and the right one is the one nearest your camp: Keekorok for the reserve itself, and the conservancy strips for Mara North, Olare Motorogi, Naboisho and the rest. No slots, no customs, no fuel, and a surface that rewards a turboprop and its pilot. We plan the fuel out of Wilson, we confirm the strip with the camp, and the Kenya permit at 72 business hours covers the trip.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Masai Mara private charter?
A 45 minute safari sector is priced on the aircraft, the trip shape, the fuel plan and the dates. These are the things that move the number on Nairobi to the Masai Mara.
Aircraft
A Caravan 208B is the lowest cost per seat for a group of up to twelve with safari luggage. A Pilatus PC-12 carries eight faster and pressurised. The aircraft you choose is the biggest single swing in the quote.
Round trip or two one-ways
A safari of three or four nights is usually two one-way flights rather than an aircraft waiting on a strip with no fuel. A day trip keeps it with you. The desk prices both.
The Kenya permit
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit is planned at 72 business hours for a private or charter flight and covers the domestic legs. An international leg adds the destination country's permit and any overflights. The desk files all of it with the trip.
Fuel and the strip
There is no fuel in the Mara, so the aircraft carries enough from Wilson for the round trip or refuels on the return. The strip is confirmed with the camp, and park and conservancy fees are handled by the lodge or the desk.
The season
July to October is the migration and the peak, with the August weeks the tightest of the year for aircraft out of Wilson and beds in the conservancies. Those dates need firm bookings weeks ahead.
What the number covers
We tell you what the quote covers before you book and we hold the operator to the number we gave you. No surprises on the invoice is the point of using the desk.
Aircraft
Which aircraft flies Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
The strips limit the sector to turboprops. These are the two quoted on Nairobi to the Masai Mara.
Cessna Caravan 208B
Up to twelve passengers with safari luggage, about 45 minutes in the air, and the aircraft the Mara strips were built for.
Pilatus PC-12
Eight passengers in a pressurised cabin, quicker and quieter than the Caravan, and at home on a 5,200 foot dirt strip.
Twin-engine helicopter
Four to six passengers direct to the camp when there is no strip nearby, or for a scenic transfer over the Rift Valley. Quoted on request.
The full Kenya list, with the strips and the aircraft that fit them, is in our guide to private routes from Nairobi.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
It is a domestic flight, so there is no customs at either end. Bring a passport or Kenyan ID; the crew checks it at the aircraft. You can arrive at the terminal fifteen to twenty minutes before departure, and park fees for the reserves are handled by the lodge or the desk.
The Mara is airstrips, not an airport. Keekorok serves the reserve and the conservancies each have their own strip, all of about 5,200 feet of dirt with no fuel, no slots and no customs. The camp vehicle meets the aircraft and the drive to the tent is a game drive. Safari luggage travels in soft bags, and the desk tells you the weight allowance for the aircraft when it quotes.
On the Nairobi side, the aircraft picks the airport. Wilson, two and a half miles from the centre at 5,546 feet, is where the safari flying leaves from: the turboprops and light aircraft that serve the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu and the coast are based here, on runways of 5,052 and 4,798 feet. Jomo Kenyatta, eleven miles out at 5,330 feet with a 13,507 foot runway, full customs and mandatory handling, is the field for jets and for any international departure. Both are high and warm, so a full-weight departure is calculated rather than assumed, and the desk plans it for the morning.
No time change and no customs. A 7 am departure from Wilson has you at the camp for breakfast, and an afternoon departure from the Mara has you back in Nairobi in time for an evening international connection from Jomo Kenyatta.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
July to October is the migration and the peak, when the herds cross the Mara River and the conservancies are at their fullest. The August weeks are the tightest of the year for aircraft out of Wilson and beds in the camps. For those dates, give the desk firm dates weeks ahead on top of the 72 business hours for the permit.
January to March is the dry season with the wildlife concentrated at water and far fewer visitors, and it is the easiest time to book. April and May are the long rains, when some strips soften and the desk checks the surface with the camp before it confirms.
Related
Nairobi airport guides
Wilson and Jomo Kenyatta each have a guide with the runways, the elevation and the permit file. The Mara strips have no guide of their own; they are described above and confirmed with the camp, and the Kenya safari jet charter page puts the conservancies, the strips and the turboprops side by side.
Questions
Nairobi to Masai Mara private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
About 40 to 55 minutes in the air. The sector is 95 nautical miles from Wilson to Keekorok, and the conservancy strips are a few minutes either side. By road it is five or six hours each way, which is the day the flight gives back.
Which airstrip do I fly into in the Masai Mara?
The one nearest your camp. Keekorok serves the reserve itself, and Mara North, Olare Motorogi, Naboisho and the other conservancies each have their own strip. The desk confirms the strip with the camp when it quotes, so tell us the camp name rather than the reserve and the aircraft lands minutes from your tent.
Can a jet land in the Masai Mara?
No. The strips are about 5,200 feet of dirt with no fuel, no slots and no customs, so the sector is flown on turboprops: a Caravan 208B for up to twelve or a Pilatus PC-12 for eight. A jet arriving from abroad lands at Nairobi and the turboprop takes you on.
Which Nairobi airport do flights to the Mara use?
Wilson, two and a half miles from the centre, where the safari turboprops are based. A jet arriving into Jomo Kenyatta transfers to Wilson, about 40 minutes by road, or the desk positions the turboprop to Jomo Kenyatta for a direct connection.
Which aircraft is best for Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
A Caravan 208B for a group of up to twelve with safari luggage at the lowest cost per seat. A Pilatus PC-12 for eight in a pressurised cabin, quicker and quieter. A helicopter for a camp with no strip nearby or a scenic transfer, on request.
Is there fuel in the Masai Mara?
No. None of the Mara strips has fuel, so the aircraft leaves Wilson with enough for the round trip or refuels on the return leg. The desk plans it into the quote, and it is one reason a longer safari is usually flown as two one-way flights rather than an aircraft waiting on the strip.
Do I need a permit to fly privately within Kenya?
The operator does, and the desk files it. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit is planned at 72 business hours, and a complete file is what keeps it to that. A Mara trip is domestic, so the one permit covers Wilson, the camp strip and the return. Passengers bring ID; the camp or the desk settles the park fees.
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Masai Mara charter?
The aircraft, whether the trip is two one-way flights or a return with the aircraft waiting, the fuel plan out of Wilson, the Kenya permit, and the dates against the migration. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly the Masai Mara to Nairobi on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions. Put the camp strip as the departure in the form and the desk handles it the same way, landing at Wilson or Jomo Kenyatta as the onward trip needs. An afternoon departure from the strip connects to an evening international flight from Jomo Kenyatta.
Can I combine the Mara with the coast or Amboseli on one trip?
Yes, and most Kenya itineraries do. The desk plans Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo and the coast on one turboprop as a single trip with one permit file, with fuel planned at each stop that has it. A common shape is Wilson to the Mara, on to Amboseli under Kilimanjaro, then the coast at Mombasa or Malindi and home.
When is the best time to fly to the Masai Mara?
July to October for the migration and the river crossings, which is also the busiest period. January to March is dry, quieter and the easiest to book. April and May are the long rains, when some strips soften and the desk checks the surface with the camp before it confirms.
How much luggage can I take to the Mara?
Soft bags, by weight, because they stow in a turboprop hold. The Caravan and the PC-12 each have a per-passenger allowance that the desk tells you when it quotes, and it sizes the aircraft for the load as well as the headcount, so say if the group is carrying camera gear. The camps are used to receiving it.
How much notice do I need to book Nairobi to the Masai Mara?
The Kenya permit takes 72 business hours from a complete file; outside the migration a few days beyond that is normal. In August the turboprops out of Wilson and the beds in the conservancies are both at their tightest, so give the desk firm dates weeks ahead and it confirms the aircraft and the camp strip together.
Other routes
Other routes from the Nairobi desk
Sectors the same desk quotes every week, each with its own guide to the airports, the aircraft and the timing.
Get your number
Nairobi to the Masai Mara, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and the camp. You will get the turboprop that fits the strip, the fuel planned, the permit filed and a number you can hold us to.
Get a number for your datesPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com, or send the trip online. The desk is staffed 24/7.