Bush & Beach Safari Package by Air: 9 Days in the Mara & Diani

About the Bush and Beach Safari Package by Air

The Bush and Beach Safari Package by Air combines Kenya’s two classic holidays in one trip:

• Four nights in the Maasai Mara, with game drives
• Four nights on Diani Beach on the Indian Ocean coast

You fly between them on scheduled light aircraft, so you spend your time on safari and on the beach rather than on long road transfers.

In the bush, you stay at Karen Blixen Camp, a luxury tented camp on the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy. You have day and night game drives, a visit to the well-known Leopard Gorge and the option of a sunrise hot air balloon flight. You then fly to Diani Beach, rated one of Africa’s best beaches, for four nights of white sand, warm water and the relaxed pace of the Swahili coast.

This Kenya bush and beach safari works well for honeymoons, couples and anyone who wants to relax after a safari. The Out Of Africa Experience is a Nairobi-based safari operator that has run private safaris since 2005, and we can adjust the number of nights in the bush and on the beach to suit you.

Bush and Beach Safari Itinerary: Day by Day

Day 1: Fly from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara and Take an Afternoon Game Drive

Our representative meets you at Wilson Airport for your morning flight to the Maasai Mara. At the airstrip, your professional guide picks you up and you game drive on the way to camp, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon, go on a game drive to look for lions, cheetahs and other predators until late in the evening.
Dinner and overnight: Karen Blixen Camp (all inclusive)

About Karen Blixen Camp: Karen Blixen Camp is a permanent luxury tented camp in the Mara North Conservancy, a private conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Its 22 en-suite tents sit along the banks of the Mara River, looking out over open plains where wildlife often passes. The camp is furnished in the style of the 1920s with modern comforts. The conservancy limits the number of vehicles, so game viewing is uncrowded and of excellent quality.

Day 2: Visit Leopard Gorge and Take a Night Game Drive

After breakfast, take a morning game drive to the well-known Leopard Gorge, made famous by the BBC’s Big Cat Diary. Before or after lunch, you can choose a camp eco-walk, a swim, watching game from the deck with a drink, a spa treatment or a visit to a nearby Maasai manyatta. In the evening, go on a night game drive, which the Mara North Conservancy allows.
All meals and overnight: Karen Blixen Camp (all inclusive)

Days 3–4: Explore the Maasai Mara with Game Drives or an Optional Balloon Flight

On each day, go out on an early-morning game drive to catch predators returning to cover after a night of hunting. Return to camp to rest and use the pool, then take a late-afternoon game drive to look for the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and, rarely, rhino.

Optional (extra cost): On either morning, take a sunrise hot air balloon flight over the Mara plains followed by a champagne bush breakfast.
All meals and overnight: Karen Blixen Camp (all inclusive)

Day 5: Fly from the Maasai Mara to Diani Beach

If time allows, take an early game drive before breakfast. Then check out and transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight to Diani on Kenya’s south coast. Our representative meets you on arrival and takes you to The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel. Spend the afternoon relaxing. Lunch is at your own cost today.
Dinner and overnight: The Maji (half board)

About The Maji: The Maji is a boutique beach hotel with 15 bedrooms on its own stretch of Diani Beach. A large swimming pool surrounds the hotel on three sides. Facilities include:

• An oceanfront jacuzzi and a yoga platform by the beach
• An ocean-view gym, massage and beauty treatments
• The Maji Moto bar and Kahawa Tamu coffee lounge
• The Africana Gallery boutique and a book and DVD library
• An open-air shisha lounge and free Wi-Fi throughout

Days 6–8: Relax on Diani Beach

Spend three days on the Swahili coast. Relax by the pool, on the white sand or in the hotel’s quiet corners, or try the water sports, tennis and squash on offer. Popular excursions include snorkelling at Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park, a dhow trip to Wasini Island and visits to the Colobus Conservation centre. You can book and pay for these locally through our representative.
Breakfast, dinner and overnight: The Maji (half board)

Day 9: Depart from Diani Beach

After breakfast, enjoy the hotel until it’s time to leave. We then take you to Ukunda Airstrip for a flight to Nairobi, or by road to Moi International Airport in Mombasa, to connect with your international flight. International flights are not included.

What’s Included in the Bush and Beach Safari Package by Air

• Meet-and-greet at Wilson Airport
• Scheduled flights: Nairobi to the Maasai Mara, and the Maasai Mara to Diani
• 4 nights at Karen Blixen Camp, all inclusive
• Game drives with a professional guide, including a night game drive
• 4 nights at The Maji, Diani Beach, on a half-board basis (breakfast and dinner)
• Airstrip and airport transfers on the coast

Not included: International flights · lunches at Diani · optional extras, including the hot air balloon flight, spa treatments and beach excursions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Bush and Beach Safari Package by Air?
It is a 9-day Kenya holiday that combines 4 nights on safari in the Maasai Mara with 4 nights on Diani Beach. You fly between the two on scheduled flights.

How do you get from the Maasai Mara to Diani Beach?
On a scheduled light-aircraft flight from a Mara airstrip to Ukunda Airstrip in Diani. Some flights stop in Nairobi on the way.

Why choose a bush and beach safari in Kenya?
It lets you see the Big Five and then relax on a white-sand beach on the same trip. Kenya is one of the few countries where you can do both easily, with flights linking the Maasai Mara and the coast.

When is the best time for a Kenya bush and beach holiday?
July to October is the best time in the Maasai Mara, during the wildebeest migration. The coast is also dry and pleasant then. January to March is excellent for both safari and beach. April and May are the main rainy season.

Is this package suitable for a honeymoon?
Yes. A luxury tented camp on the Mara River, an optional sunrise balloon flight and a 15-room boutique beach hotel make this one of our most popular honeymoon safaris.

Book Your Bush and Beach Safari Package by Air

Contact our Nairobi team or use the Plan My Trip form. We reply within 24 hours, and we can change the number of nights, hotels and dates to suit you.