Life & Work

Fly to the Mara or get there by road

mara road

Wildebeest cross a section of the Maasai Mara road, which is part of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Not only is travelling by road budget-friendly, it is also preferred by adventure lovers. PHOTO | FILE

For holiday travel, you weigh your options before paying for air tickets or hiring a tour van. And going to the Mara is no different. Most tour companies have packages to meet your preferences and that fit your budget.

Some of the lodges are located near airstrips within the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and charter flights bring the tourists close to the hotels. Tour and travel companies have holiday packages for air and road travel.

Going to Maasai Mara by road from Nairobi takes between four and six hours, depending on the location of your hotel. Not only is travelling by road budget-friendly, it is also preferred by adventure lovers.

Once you book a road package with your travel agent, you are given a tour van or a 4×4 vehicle to use throughout your holiday. The travel agent caters for all the fuelling costs taking into consideration the number of game drives you will have while on holiday, plus the park fees charges.

Cost of travel is computed on length of stay making it expensive for small groups of people. For a tour operator that charges Sh20,000 per day for a van, a couple on holiday has to foot the whole bill while a group of five or eight can share the costs.

Another option for road users would be to hire a vehicle to use while on stay at the Mara. Tourists can request for a map from the national reserve officials.

There are also petrol stations to refuel your vehicle when need arises.

Airstrips

Travelling to the national reserve by air from Wilson Airport will take between 45 minutes to one hour. Mara has eight major airstrips that serve a number of hotels. The Serena airstrip connect tourists to Mara Serena Safari Lodge, Mara Eden Bush Camp,Mara Ngenche Luxury Tented Camp and Little Naibor.

You can go to Enchoro Wildlife Camp, Sarova Mara Game Camp, Keekorok Lodge and Elewana Sand River using the Keekorok airstrip.
Mara Bush Camp, Mara Intrepids Camp, Mara Explorer Camp are closer to the Ol Kiombo airstrip.

The airstrip at Olare Orok can be used to access Sir Richard Branson’s Mahali Mzuri Safari Camp, Olare Mara Kempinski and Amani Mara Lodge.

Vincent Mutunga of Safarilink, one of the airlines that flies to the Mara, says that both local and international tourists prefer air travel to road due to its convenience. “Unlike going by road, air is faster and saves tourists the lethargy associated with long travel.”

Safarilink has a fleet of different sizes of aeroplanes to suit the demands of its customers. It has a 13-seat Caravan aircraft, an 18-seat Otter and the 35-seat Dash 8 which is preferred by those travelling in large groups.

The airline operates two flights from Nairobi to the Mara at 10am and at 3pm every day. It also has two daily flights from the Mara to Wilson.

“While you could book today for tomorrow’s travel, it is always important to avoid the last-minute rush where you risk getting all the flights full,” he said.

Safarilink charges adults Sh37,270, depending on the dollar exchange rate, for a return ticket to the Mara while children pay Sh26,670.

Air Kenya also has three daily flights to the Mara, one at 8am, the other at 10.30am and the last at 3.15pm. It also flies to all the airstrips within the Mara depending on demand from tourists. A return ticket will cost adults Sh38,500 while children pay Sh28,000.