Fly-In or Road Safari in Kenya? A Guide for Swiss Travellers

A fly-in safari in Kenya saves long road days and gives you more time in the parks, but it costs more and limits your luggage. A road safari costs less and lets you stop whenever you see something. For a week or less, flying is often worth it. For longer trips, many people drive and add one flight where it saves the most time.

Here is how the two compare, using our own trips. You will find them all on our Kenya safaris from Switzerland page.

What flying saves

Nairobi to the Masai Mara takes 5 to 6 hours by road and about an hour by air. On a short trip, that difference is most of a day each way. The flights leave from Wilson Airport, Nairobi’s domestic airport, and land at airstrips close to the camps, where your guide meets you.

What it costs

Compare two seven-day trips. The 7-day luxury road safari through the Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli starts at $2,500 per person. The 7-day flying safari, with two nights at Ol Tukai in Amboseli and four at Mara Serena, starts at $4,400 and includes domestic flights, house wines and laundry.

Over nine days, the 9-day classic luxury safari by road starts at $3,300, while the 9-day fly-in safari starts at $7,400. All of these are six-person, January to June prices, so a couple pays more. Our guide to what a 5-star safari costs breaks this down further.

What you give up

Light aircraft limit luggage, usually to about 15kg in a soft bag, so pack carefully. You travel on scheduled services, so timings are fixed. And you miss the road between parks, which on some routes, such as the drive north to Samburu, is part of the experience.

A good middle ground

Drive the circuit and fly the longest leg. Some of our longer trips drive between parks and fly to Diani Beach at the end. If you are short of time, the 4-day fly-in Mara safari, from $2,020, gives you three nights in the reserve without a long drive.

Choosing your camps

On a fly-in trip, where you sleep matters even more, because you spend all your time in one area. Our park-by-park camp guide and our 5-star and VIP safaris page show the camps we would choose.

Whichever you choose, apply for your eTA early on the official Kenya eTA portal. For flights to Nairobi, read flights from Switzerland to Kenya, and check Kenya travel requirements for Swiss citizens before you book.

Last updated: 7 November 2026