Nairobi to Amboseli
Private Charter
Nairobi to Amboseli is about 40 minutes in the air, 84 nautical miles from Wilson to a paved strip of about 4,300 feet under Kilimanjaro, on a Caravan or Pilatus PC-12. The elephants, the mountain and the short flight make it the easiest safari in Kenya to add to a week, and the strip decides the aircraft. 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 lodge. The desk quotes the Caravan or PC-12 that fits the group, files the Kenya permit, confirms the strip with the lodge 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 Amboseli?
Nairobi to Amboseli is the short safari on our desk: 84 nautical miles, about 40 minutes in the air, and a landing on a paved strip with Kilimanjaro filling the windscreen on the approach, instead of four hours on the Mombasa road. The elephant herds under the mountain, the two or three night add-on to a Kenya week, and the Amboseli, Tsavo and coast itinerary all fly it, and it is short enough that a day trip from Nairobi is realistic.
Why private works here
Amboseli is the safari you can add to a Nairobi week without losing a day to it. The alternative is about four hours each way on the Mombasa highway; by air it is 84 nautical miles from Wilson straight to a paved strip minutes from the lodges, with the mountain clear on the approach if you leave early enough to beat the afternoon cloud. The lodge vehicle meets the aircraft, the game drive starts on the way to breakfast, and the aircraft waits at the strip for an afternoon return if it is a day trip.
Aircraft fit
Amboseli's strip is about 4,300 feet of pavement at 3,750 feet elevation, and that combination writes the shortlist: a Caravan 208B for a lodge party of up to twelve with soft safari bags, or a Pilatus PC-12 for eight who want a pressurised cabin and ten minutes less in the air. The desk quotes the Caravan first on this pair because the flight is under an hour and the strip suits it; the PC-12 is the upgrade for a smaller group. No jet is quoted to the strip, and fuel is loaded at Wilson for the round trip because the desk confirms with the lodge what Amboseli has rather than assuming it.
Advisor note
Amboseli is the strip we recommend for a first safari flight: paved, short, and forty minutes from Wilson with the best mountain view in the country on the way in. The plan is the same as any Kenyan strip. The Kenya permit at 72 business hours, the strip confirmed with the lodge, the fuel planned out of Nairobi, and a morning departure so you see Kilimanjaro before the afternoon cloud.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Amboseli private charter?
A 40 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 Amboseli.
Aircraft
For a lodge party of up to twelve the Caravan 208B is the lowest cost per seat on a flight this short. The PC-12 carries eight pressurised and a little faster. Between them, the aircraft is the biggest single swing in the number.
Round trip, day trip or multi-leg
A two-night stay is usually two one-way flights. A day trip keeps the aircraft with you at the strip. An Amboseli, Tsavo and coast itinerary flies on one aircraft as a single trip. The desk prices the shape that fits.
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
The aircraft carries its fuel from Wilson for the round trip, the strip and its services are confirmed with the lodge, and park fees are handled by the lodge or the desk.
The season
June to October and January to February are the dry seasons and the peaks, when the elephants gather at the swamps and the mountain is clearest. The Christmas and New Year weeks are the tightest for aircraft out of Wilson, and the desk wants them booked firm a couple of weeks out.
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 Amboseli?
Under 4,300 feet of pavement the sector is turboprop only. These are the two quoted on Nairobi to Amboseli, and the helicopter for a lodge without a strip.
Cessna Caravan 208B
Up to twelve passengers with safari luggage, about 45 minutes in the air, and the aircraft the Kenyan strips were built for.
Pilatus PC-12
Eight passengers in a pressurised cabin, quicker and quieter than the Caravan, and at home on a 4,300 foot paved strip.
Twin-engine helicopter
Four to six passengers direct to the lodge, with the mountain and the Rift on the way. Quoted on request for a scenic transfer or a lodge with no strip nearby.
For the other parks and the strips that serve them, see our guide to private routes from Nairobi.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Nairobi to Amboseli?
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.
Amboseli is a strip, not an airport. About 4,300 feet of pavement at 3,750 feet elevation, minutes from the lodges on the edge of the park, with no customs and no slots. The lodge vehicle collects you at the aircraft and the first game drive is the transfer. Pack soft bags: the desk gives you the weight allowance for the Caravan or the PC-12 with the quote.
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.
The clock does not change and there is nothing to clear. Leave Wilson at 7 am and you are at the lodge for breakfast with Kilimanjaro still clear; leave Amboseli after lunch and you are back at Jomo Kenyatta for an evening international departure.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Nairobi to Amboseli?
June to October and January to February are the dry seasons and the peaks, when the elephant herds gather at the swamps and Kilimanjaro is clearest in the early morning. The Christmas and New Year weeks are the tightest for aircraft out of Wilson and beds at the lodges. For those dates the desk wants firm bookings a couple of weeks out, over and above the permit's 72 business hours.
March to May is the long rains, when the park is green, the strip is checked with the lodge before the desk confirms, and a few days of notice is normal from Nairobi.
Related
Nairobi airport guides
Wilson and Jomo Kenyatta have their own guides, with the runways and the permit file. Amboseli's strip has none; what we know of it is above and the rest is confirmed with the lodge. For the wider circuit, the Kenya safari jet charter page pairs each park with its strip and the turboprop that fits.
Questions
Nairobi to Amboseli private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Nairobi to Amboseli?
About 35 minutes on a Pilatus PC-12 and about 45 on a Caravan 208B. The sector is 84 nautical miles from Wilson to the Amboseli strip, the shortest safari flight in Kenya. By road it is about four hours on the Mombasa highway, so the aircraft turns a travel day into a morning game drive.
Can a jet land at Amboseli?
No. About 4,300 feet of pavement at 3,750 feet elevation, with no fuel service the desk relies on, keeps the strip to turboprops: a Caravan 208B seating up to twelve or a Pilatus PC-12 seating eight. A party arriving on a jet from abroad clears at Jomo Kenyatta and the turboprop leaves from there or from Wilson.
Which Nairobi airport do flights to Amboseli use?
Wilson for the turboprop leg; it is the base for the safari fleet and two and a half miles from the centre, against eleven for Jomo Kenyatta. If you are landing from abroad the desk can position the Caravan or PC-12 to Jomo Kenyatta for a direct connection, or you cross Nairobi by road to Wilson, allowing for the traffic.
Which aircraft is best for Nairobi to Amboseli?
The Caravan 208B is the first quote: up to twelve with soft bags, about 45 minutes, and the lowest cost per seat. The Pilatus PC-12 is the quieter, pressurised option for eight and lands about ten minutes sooner. A helicopter is quoted on request for a lodge without a strip nearby or a scenic run past the mountain.
Who arranges the Kenya permit for an Amboseli flight?
The desk, for the operator. Kenya landing permits come from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and we plan on 72 business hours. Because the flight is domestic the permit covers Wilson and the strip on one file; you carry a passport or Kenyan ID, and park fees are handled by the lodge or the desk.
Can I do Amboseli as a day trip from Nairobi?
Yes. A 7 am departure from Wilson has you at the lodge for breakfast and a morning game drive under the mountain, with the aircraft waiting at the strip for an afternoon return. It is the shortest safari flight in Kenya.
Can I combine Amboseli with Tsavo or the coast?
Yes. Amboseli, Tsavo and the coast at Mombasa or Malindi fly on one turboprop as a single itinerary with one permit file, with fuel planned at each stop that has it. Amboseli is usually the first stop out of Wilson because it is the shortest leg, and the coast closes the week. The desk plans it end to end.
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Amboseli charter?
The aircraft, whether the trip is a day trip, two one-way flights or part of a multi-leg itinerary, the fuel plan out of Wilson, the Kenya permit, and the dates against the dry seasons. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly Amboseli to Nairobi on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions. Put Amboseli as the departure in the form and the desk handles it the same way, landing at Wilson for a Nairobi stay or at Jomo Kenyatta if the group is connecting straight on to an international flight the same evening.
When is the best time to fly to Amboseli?
June to October and January to February, the dry seasons, when the elephants gather at the swamps and Kilimanjaro is clearest in the early morning. March to May is the long rains and the greenest, quietest time. The desk checks the strip with the lodge before confirming a landing in the rains.
How much luggage can I take to Amboseli?
Soft bags, and the desk gives you the per-passenger weight for the Caravan or the PC-12 with the quote. For a two-night add-on most guests bring a small bag and leave the rest at the Nairobi hotel, which also keeps the aircraft light for the strip at 3,750 feet. The lodges are used to receiving it.
How much notice do I need to book Nairobi to Amboseli?
The Kenya permit needs 72 business hours, and outside the peaks an Amboseli add-on books on a few days beyond that. The exceptions are the Christmas and New Year weeks and the dry-season peaks, when the desk wants firm dates a couple of weeks ahead so the turboprop out of Wilson and the strip with the lodge are confirmed 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 Amboseli, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and the lodge. You will get the Caravan or PC-12 that suits the group, the strip confirmed with the lodge, 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.