2-Day Masai Mara Escape
A weekend-length dash to the Mara for guests short on time: one afternoon and one full morning of game drives either side of a single night in camp.
8-Day Masai Mara & Diani
Overview
This is the longest of our coast pairings, and the one built for guests who want a full Mara safari rather than a shortened taste of it before moving on. Three days give us a proper introduction to the reserve, an arrival drive plus a full day inside it, before the trip changes pace entirely for five days on Diani's sand. There is no sensible road between the Mara and the coast, so unlike our Tsavo & Diani route, we link the two halves by air rather than by driving.
The flight itself is straightforward: a light aircraft from the Mara back to Wilson Airport, the same transfer our Mara-to-Amboseli itineraries use, connecting onward to a scheduled flight to Ukunda airstrip on the edge of Diani. It adds up to most of a travel day, but it beats the alternative of a two-day drive back through Nairobi, and it means the beach half of the trip starts the same afternoon you leave the bush.
Day by day
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01
Nairobi to the Mara
We leave Nairobi in the early morning and drive southwest through Narok to the reserve, arriving by early afternoon and checking into camp for lunch, then head straight out for an afternoon game drive.
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02
Full day in the Mara
An early morning drive, a midday break at camp through the heat, and an afternoon session running until the light goes, with the route depending on where sightings have concentrated over the preceding days.
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03
Second full day in the Mara
A second complete day inside the reserve, giving us room to move to a different part of the Mara if the first day's game viewing was concentrated in one area, near the river for cats or out on the open plains if migration herds are moving through.
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04
Mara to Diani by air
An early game drive before breakfast, then a transfer to the nearest airstrip for a light-aircraft flight back to Wilson Airport, connecting onward to a scheduled flight to Ukunda, landing on the edge of Diani in the afternoon. We have you met and transferred straight to your beachfront room; the rest of the day is free.
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05
Reef and lagoon
A full day built around the water: a snorkelling trip out to the reef, with equipment provided, or a scuba introduction with a PADI-affiliated operator on the beach for anyone certified or wanting to try diving for the first time.
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06
Dhow sailing and free time
A morning dhow sail along the coastline, often with a stop for fishing or a swim off the boat, followed by an afternoon with nothing scheduled beyond the pool and the sand.
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07
Free day at the coast
A day with nothing built in, for guests who'd rather choose their own pace by this point in the trip: a second dive, a massage, a walk into Diani town, or simply staying by the water.
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08
Departure
A final relaxed morning before checkout, then a transfer to Ukunda airstrip or, via the Likoni ferry, on to Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
What's included
Included
- Ground transport in a 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof for the Mara leg
- One light-aircraft flight from the Mara to Wilson Airport, connecting to a scheduled flight to Ukunda
- Two nights full-board accommodation in or bordering the Mara
- Five nights full-board accommodation at a beachfront hotel in Diani
- Six game drives, led by an English-speaking driver-guide
- One snorkelling trip and one dhow sailing trip at the coast (arranged on your behalf through our coast agent)
- Masai Mara reserve entry fees
- Marine park fees for the reef snorkelling trip
- All meals throughout: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Bottled water in the vehicle and at your accommodation
- Soft drinks, juices, tea and coffee throughout
- Beer, wine and spirits throughout
Not included
- International flights
- Kenya e-Visa or entry permit fees
- Scuba diving beyond a beginner introduction, and PADI certification courses
- Tips and gratuities, and travel insurance
Best time to visit
Late June through October carries the best odds on the Mara migration; January through March gives quieter camps and clear skies. For the coast half, December through March and July through September are driest, with the calmest seas for the reef and dhow days.
Common questions
Why fly between the Mara and Diani rather than driving?
There's no practical direct road between the two; a drive would mean backtracking most of the way to Nairobi before continuing to the coast, costing the better part of two days. The flight, by contrast, gets you from a game drive in the Mara to a beachfront room in Diani the same afternoon.
Is luggage limited on the flight from the Mara?
Yes, the light-aircraft leg into Wilson Airport typically limits checked luggage to around 15 kg per person in a soft-sided bag, with no rigid suitcases. We flag this at booking so you can pack for both halves of the trip accordingly.
Will we see the wildebeest migration during the Mara days?
Only if it's in the reserve during your dates, since it follows rainfall and grazing rather than a fixed calendar. Three days gives strong odds on resident lion, cheetah and general plains game regardless, with a river crossing as a bonus if the timing lines up.
Is a full week enough to feel unrushed doing both halves of this trip?
That's exactly what eight days is built for. Three days in the Mara is enough for a proper safari without feeling clipped, and five days at the coast, one of them left entirely open, gives real time to unwind rather than a token beach stop before flying home.
05Add-on experience
Hot air balloon safari
Over the Masai Mara
The Mara is where balloon safaris in Kenya started and it remains the classic flight: open plains, the river courses picked out by their tree lines, and game visible below in a way no vehicle can show you. Between roughly July and October, when the migration herds are in the reserve, the view from the basket takes in a scale of movement that is genuinely hard to grasp from the ground.
You are collected from camp in the dark and driven to the launch site, arriving while the crew are still inflating the envelope. Take-off is at first light, which is the whole point: the air is calmest then, and the low sun puts long shadows behind everything below you.
The flight runs roughly an hour, drifting with whatever wind there is rather than steering, so no two flights follow the same line. Height varies through the flight, from just above the treetops to a few hundred metres up.
Where the balloon lands, the ground crew are already setting up breakfast, cooked in the open and eaten at the landing site before you are driven back to camp. Most guests are back in time for the rest of the morning.
Worth knowing
- Flights go at dawn and are weather dependent. Wind or low cloud cancels them, and that call belongs to the pilot on the morning, not to us.
- Baskets are small and fill early in high season, so this is worth adding when you book the safari rather than deciding once you have arrived.
- It is a genuinely early start, normally a pre-dawn pickup from camp.
Who flies it
The flight itself is run by a licensed balloon operator with its own pilots and civil aviation approval, not by us. What we do is book your seats, make sure the pickup lines up with where you are staying and what your itinerary is doing the rest of that day, and sort it out with the operator if the weather moves your flight.
Add a balloon flightReady to book this safari?
Send us your travel dates and group size and we'll confirm availability for the 8-Day Masai Mara & Diani within a day.
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