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14 Days Scenic Flying Kenya Tanzania and Zanzibar

14 Days Scenic Flying Kenya Tanzania and Zanzibar

Fourteen days by light aircraft from Amboseli and Samburu to the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, then a direct flight to the white sand of Zanzibar, privately guided across two countries and an island.

14 DaysDuration Kenya & TanzaniaCountries PrivateGroup type
Overview Highlights Daily itinerary Accommodation Inclusions
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Overview

A Luxury 2-week Kenya Tanzania Safari

There is a particular grandeur in seeing East Africa from above, and this scenic flying safari is built around it.

Fourteen days by light aircraft carry you from the elephant swamps of Amboseli beneath Kilimanjaro to the arid river country of Samburu, the golden plains of the Masai Mara and the endless grassland of the Serengeti, with the road reduced to short transfers and the landscape unrolling below.

One crossing, almost entirely by air, brings you from Kenya into Tanzania. Three nights in the Mara and three in the Serengeti give the two halves of the great ecosystem room to be savoured, and a direct flight from the Serengeti then carries you to Zanzibar, for three nights of white sand, warm water and the old streets of Stone Town.

Five stays, one border crossing and a closing flight to the Indian Ocean make this a complete 14 day Kenya Tanzania Zanzibar safari, privately guided and paced to the traveller rather than the timetable, for those who would rather arrive by air than endure the road.

At a glance

  • Duration14 Days
  • CountriesKenya & Tanzania
  • Group typePrivate

Activities

A few additions past travellers have asked for on this route, tell us which interest you.

A dawn hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara or the Serengeti
A visit to a Maasai or Samburu community near the Mara, Amboseli or Samburu
A sunset dhow cruise off the Zanzibar coast
A guided half-day in Stone Town, with its spice markets and historic waterfront
Moments to note

Standout moments

The parts of this particular route past travellers mention most

I

Amboseli's Elephants Beneath Kilimanjaro

Amboseli's herds have been studied since 1972, the longest-running study of wild elephants anywhere, with Africa's highest mountain behind them on a clear morning.

II

Samburu's Arid River Country

The Ewaso Nyiro draws elephant and big cats to its banks through the driest months, and Samburu is the research base of Save the Elephants, founded here in 1993.

III

Three Nights in the Masai Mara

Three nights at Enkakenya Camp on the Olare Orok River, with two full days on the plains and the migration's river crossings possible from roughly July to October.

IV

Three Nights in the Serengeti

Seronera's lion prides have been studied continuously since the 1960s, and leopard are regularly found resting in the riverine forest along the Seronera River.

V

A Journey Told From the Air

Light aircraft in place of the road across most of the route, so the contrast between the elephant swamps, the northern desert, the Mara and the Serengeti is something you see, not merely hear described.

VI

A Direct Flight to Zanzibar's White Sand

A non-stop flight of under two hours trades the Serengeti's grassland for the Indian Ocean, with Stone Town's UNESCO-listed old town and a north-coast beach that stays swimmable at any tide.

Day by day

How the days break down

A starting shape: pace, order and length of each stage are all adjustable.

Day
01
Amboseli
Nairobi to Amboseli, by air

Arrival, and a First Evening Beneath Kilimanjaro

Your journey opens at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where your guide awaits and a private transfer leads to Wilson Airport, a separate airfield some 30 to 45 minutes away, for a direct scheduled flight to Amboseli of around 40 to 45 minutes. The land below dries and opens as the aircraft flies south, and on a clear day Kilimanjaro stands on the horizon long before the airstrip comes into view.
Amboseli is a park of around 392 square kilometres, gazetted in 1974, whose swamps are fed by underground water from Kilimanjaro. Arrival is timed for luncheon at camp and an afternoon game drive, with elephant the first and most dependable of its inhabitants, and an evening spent watching the light leave the mountain.

Where you rest

A lodge or tented camp in or beside Amboseli National Park · Two nights here, positioned for a full day exploring the park.

Day
02
Amboseli
Full day exploring Amboseli National Park

A Full Day Among Amboseli's Elephants

Morning and afternoon game drives cover Amboseli's swamps and open plains, with the best light, and the clearest views of the mountain, at dawn. The elephants here have been studied since 1972 by the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, founded by Cynthia Moss and now continued by the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, the longest-running study of wild elephants anywhere in the world.
A visit to Observation Hill offers the park's best panoramic view, the herds moving across the plains below with Kilimanjaro behind them. Amboseli is open, short-grass country, rich in elephant, buffalo, lion, giraffe and zebra, with leopard an uncommon sighting and no resident rhino.

Where you rest

Second night in or beside Amboseli National Park · Second night here.

Day
03
Samburu
Amboseli to Samburu, via Wilson Airport

North by Air, to Samburu's Arid River Country

There is no direct flight between Amboseli and Samburu, and so the morning is spent in the air by way of Wilson Airport in Nairobi, a first scheduled flight from Amboseli and a second northward, arriving in Samburu before midday. The country below turns steadily drier and more open, until the Ewaso Nyiro River appears as a ribbon of green doum palms and riverine forest through the thorn-scrub.
Samburu is home to the Special Five, the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich, animals found together almost nowhere else on a safari itinerary. The first afternoon game drive follows the river, timed for the softer light.

Where you rest

A lodge or tented camp on the Ewaso Nyiro River, inside Samburu National Reserve · Two nights here, positioned for a full day exploring the reserve.

Day
04
Samburu
Full day exploring Samburu National Reserve

A Full Day on the River Where Elephants Are Known by Name

Morning and afternoon game drives follow the Ewaso Nyiro, the only permanent water for miles, which draws elephant, big cats and the Special Five to its banks even in the driest months, with leopard sightings better here than on most open-plains parks thanks to the riverine forest cover.
Samburu is also the main research base of Save the Elephants, founded here in 1993 by Iain Douglas-Hamilton, which has followed the life histories of close to a thousand individual elephants and pioneered the GPS collar tracking now used across the continent, a depth of knowledge that shapes how guides here read the herds.

Where you rest

Second night on the Ewaso Nyiro River · Second night here.

Day
05
Masai Mara
Samburu to the Masai Mara, by direct flight

Across Kenya by Air, From the North to the Mara

A direct scheduled flight carries you from Samburu to the Masai Mara in around two hours, with no stop at Wilson Airport, though the aircraft may call at other airstrips on the way, a journey of a morning that by road would occupy a day and more. The desert gives way to the highlands and the Rift Valley, and then to the open grassland of the Mara, an extension of Tanzania's Serengeti ecosystem and Kenya's most celebrated reserve.
Arrival is in the early afternoon, with luncheon at camp and a first game drive across the reserve's golden plains, home to resident lion prides, elephant and buffalo and, according to the season, the migrating wildebeest that cross from the Serengeti. The evening is spent beside the Olare Orok River, with nothing fencing the wilderness out.

Where you rest

Enkakenya Camp, an unfenced tented camp on the Olare Orok River, inside the Masai Mara reserve · Three nights here, positioned for two full days exploring the reserve.

Day
06-07
Masai Mara
Two full days exploring the Masai Mara

Two Full Days on the Mara's Golden Plains

The Masai Mara National Reserve covers about 1,510 square kilometres, small enough to be traversed in a day and rich enough to demand two. Full days of game drives cross open grassland and the riverine forest along the Mara River, home to the Big Five and, from roughly July to October, the Great Migration's river crossings, with luncheon taken in the bush or at camp and the afternoons following the river itself, where hippo and crocodile keep their stretch of water throughout the year.
A dawn hot air balloon safari is available as an add-on, drifting over the same grassland as the sun rises, followed by a breakfast laid in the bush, and a visit to a Maasai community can be arranged for a change of pace. Two days allow the Mara to be seen in different light and in different sectors, rather than hurried through in one.

Where you rest

Second and third nights at Enkakenya Camp · Two full days here.

Day
08
Serengeti
Masai Mara to Serengeti, crossing the border

Across the Frontier, From the Mara to the Serengeti

The Mara and the Serengeti are one continuous ecosystem, yet the frontier between them is a real one, with no direct scheduled flight across it, and so today is a cross-border transfer almost entirely by air: a flight from the Mara to Migori, a short road transfer over the Isebania border with immigration formalities, then a flight from Tarime into the Serengeti. Vehicles and guides change at the border, as Kenyan and Tanzanian safari vehicles do not cross.
The air connection runs only in the high seasons, mid-December to the end of March and July to the end of October, so your specialist confirms the routing for your dates. Arrival in the Serengeti is in the afternoon, in time for a first game drive across ground that holds resident lion and leopard in numbers to rival anywhere on the continent.

Where you rest

A lodge or tented camp in central Serengeti, near Seronera · Three nights here, positioned for two full days exploring the park.

Day
09-10
Serengeti
Two full days exploring central Serengeti

Two Full Days Among Seronera's Lion, Leopard and Granite Kopjes

The days begin early, whilst Seronera's resident prides are at their most active, the morning drives passing through open grass and amongst the granite kopjes, ancient rock rising from plains that run unbroken to every horizon. The Serengeti covers close to 15,000 square kilometres, roughly ten times the size of the Masai Mara, and according to the month its plains may intersect the Great Migration's herds, which your specialist will advise on for your dates.
After a midday rest at camp, the afternoons follow the Seronera River's riverine forest, prime leopard habitat and one of the most dependable places in Africa to find a leopard resting in a tree. A dawn hot air balloon safari is available as an add-on for those who would see the same plains from above, with breakfast served in the bush.

Where you rest

Second and third nights in central Serengeti · Two full days here.

Day
11
Zanzibar
Serengeti to Zanzibar, by direct flight

Fly to Zanzibar Island

A direct scheduled flight of about one hour and forty-five minutes carries you from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, one of the more striking transitions a single journey can offer, open grassland giving way below to farmland, then forest, then the sudden, unmistakable turquoise of the Indian Ocean as the aircraft descends.
A private transfer leads to a beachfront lodge on the island's north coast, where the water stays swimmable at any tide, unlike the island's east coast, where the sea recedes dramatically twice a day. The rest of the day is left deliberately empty, a walk along the sand and an early dinner as the light turns gold.

Where you rest

A beachfront lodge on Zanzibar's north coast · Three nights here, with nothing scheduled beyond what you choose.

Day
12-13
Zanzibar Island
Two full days on Zanzibar's beaches

Two Full Days on Zanzibar's White Sand

The two full days here are deliberately unstructured, the island's warm, calm water and white sand the main event, with a traditional dhow cruise at sunset on offer for travellers who want one organised outing rather than none at all, and snorkelling on the reef for those who prefer to be in the water.
For those who would like a change of pace, Stone Town's spice-scented alleys and historic waterfront are a short transfer away, a UNESCO-listed old town built on centuries of Swahili, Omani and colonial trade, and Jozani Forest, home to the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey, found nowhere else on Earth, makes a worthwhile half-day detour.

Where you rest

Second and third nights at the same beachfront lodge · Two full days here.

Day
14
Home
Departure

A Final Morning on the Beach Before Flying Home

There is time for one last swim or a slow breakfast looking out at the water, before the transfer to Zanzibar's international airport, a short drive from most of the island's beaches. Depending on your onward routing, the flight home may connect through Dar es Salaam, Nairobi or another regional hub, and your specialist confirms the routing once flights are booked.
Fourteen days after landing in Nairobi, the journey closes having seen Amboseli's elephants, Samburu's river country, the plains of the Mara and the Serengeti and the white sand of Zanzibar, five landscapes and two countries, and the best of East Africa from the air.

What you'll likely see

Key species on this route

Based on past travellers' experiences, here's what this route is really about.

· · · · · · ·
Elephant
Elephant
98% chance
Zebra
Zebra
96% chance
Giraffe
Giraffe
94% chance
Lion
Lion
92% chance
Buffalo
Buffalo
90% chance
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
85% chance
Hippo
Hippo
80% chance
Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
80% chance
Cheetah
Cheetah
72% chance
Leopard
Leopard
62% chance
The details

What's included

What's included

  • Entry fees at every park and reserve on the route
  • All domestic flights: Nairobi to Amboseli, Amboseli to Samburu via Wilson, Samburu to the Masai Mara, Masai Mara to the Serengeti, and Serengeti to Zanzibar
  • Masai Mara to Serengeti cross-border transfer by air and road, Day 8, with a vehicle and guide change at the border
  • Private road transfers to and from every airstrip
  • Airport transfers on arrival in Nairobi and departure from Zanzibar
  • All meals during the safari (full board)
  • Bottled water throughout
  • Game drives at every wildlife stop

What's not included

  • International flights to and from East Africa
  • Visa fees for Tanzania and Kenya's Electronic Travel Authorisation
  • Travel insurance
  • Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
  • Optional extras such as hot air balloon safaris, dhow cruises, Stone Town and Jozani tours, and community visits
  • Tips and gratuities for guides and lodge staff
  • Personal expenses (laundry, phone calls, curio purchases)

Notes about this trip

  • This itinerary crosses the Kenya and Tanzania border once, by air and road on Day 8, current entry requirements for your nationality should be confirmed well before travel
  • Day 1 requires a morning international arrival into Nairobi, with at least three hours between landing at Jomo Kenyatta and the Wilson Airport departure
  • Rhino sightings are not expected at Amboseli or Samburu and are rare in the Mara and Serengeti
Responsible travel

Responsible Travel

Park, reserve and marine fees across this route fund ranger operations, elephant research and reef protection in two countries and on an island.

I

Two of the Longest Elephant Studies Anywhere

The Amboseli Elephant Research Project has followed the park's herds since 1972, and Save the Elephants has worked from Samburu since 1993, funded in part by the visitors who pass through.

II

One Ecosystem, Two Sets of Fees

The Serengeti and the Masai Mara protect the same migration landscape from either side of the border, and the fees paid on this route support ranger patrols in both.

III

Reef Protection on Zanzibar

Activities such as snorkelling and boat trips around Zanzibar typically include marine conservation area fees that fund reef and coastal protection.

IV

Plain About What We Cannot Promise

Rhino are not claimed anywhere on this route, because Amboseli and Samburu have none and the Mara and Serengeti offer only rare sightings, so every wildlife claim here is one we can stand behind.

Make it mine

Fourteen days by air is arranged for travellers who would rather see East Africa from above than from a vehicle seat. Swap the order of the stages, add a night in the northern Serengeti for the migration, extend the beach with a further night, or add a day of snorkelling or a Stone Town stay, your specialist will work from here.

With the route as a starting point, your specialist will adjust the pace, camps and add-ons until the itinerary feels like yours, not a template.

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Common questions

Before you enquire

Almost. Four of the five legs between stays are flown. The exception is the Masai Mara to Serengeti crossing on Day 8, where there is no direct flight across the border, so a short road transfer over the Isebania border sits between two flights.

Most visitors need Kenya’s Electronic Travel Authorisation before arrival and a Tanzanian visa, which covers Zanzibar, and a yellow fever certificate is also required on entry to Tanzania from Kenya. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda but not Tanzania, so your specialist confirms the exact requirements for your nationality before you book.

No. The air and road connection runs only from mid-December to the end of March and from July to the end of October, and needs at least two passengers. Your specialist confirms the routing and dates, and arranges an alternative if you are travelling outside those windows.

Light aircraft limit luggage, typically to around 15 kg per person in soft-sided bags, and the Day 8 connection specifically allows 15 kg. Your specialist confirms each airline’s allowance, and can store larger luggage in Nairobi for the safari portion.

Not reliably. Amboseli and Samburu have no rhino to offer, and sightings in the Masai Mara and Serengeti are rare and never guaranteed. White rhino do not naturally occur on this route.

It depends on your dates. The Mara River crossings are possible from roughly July to October, and the herds’ position in the Serengeti shifts through the year, so your specialist will advise what the herds are doing on your specific dates.

The island’s north coast, where the water stays swimmable at any tide, unlike the east coast, where the sea recedes dramatically twice a day. Stone Town is a short transfer away for a half-day visit.

Ready when you are

Ask about 14 Days Scenic Flying Kenya Tanzania and Zanzibar

Tell us your dates and we'll confirm whether the timing works, then adjust the route from there.

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