5 Days Luxury Masai Mara Flying Safari | Mara North Conservancy

Karibu, welcome to Kenya. After clearing immigration at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you are met by your Afrikan Accent Adventures representative and escorted to a private vehicle for the short drive to Emara Ole-Sereni. The hotel stands on the edge of Nairobi National Park, roughly 12 kilometres from the airport, and is one of the few places in the world where you can enjoy a five-star city hotel with a wildlife park as its backdrop.

Check in, settle into your room and unwind. Enjoy dinner and the views over the park and the Nairobi skyline, and prepare for an early start tomorrow. The hotel’s facilities include a rooftop lounge and a spa.

After breakfast at the hotel, your private transfer takes you to Wilson Airport, Nairobi’s gateway for domestic safari flights. Your scheduled bush flight to the Mara North airstrip takes around an hour. Seen from the window, the landscape changes from the city and its surrounding highlands to the open savannah of the Mara, and the flight becomes the first chapter of the safari rather than simply a way to get there.

On landing, your guide meets you at the airstrip and your first game viewing begins on the way to Neptune Mara Rianta Luxury Camp. The camp has 20 luxury tents on raised platforms with private decks overlooking the Mara River, a main building with lounge and library, a restaurant, a bar, a swimming pool and a spa.

Enjoy lunch and time to settle in, depending on your arrival time, followed by an afternoon game drive. Return to camp for dinner and a night of listening to the sounds of the Mara.

Rise early as the Mara wakes. Your morning game drive explores the conservancy in search of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) as well as giraffe, zebra, hippo and the many predators and plains game that make the Mara one of Africa’s richest wildlife areas. Early light is the best time for big cats, and your guide reads tracks, calls and behaviour to find them. As always, no sighting can be guaranteed.

Return to camp for breakfast and a relaxed midday, whether by the pool, at the spa or on your private deck above the river. Later, head out again for further game viewing, finishing with a bush sundowner on the open plains as the sky turns amber. Return to camp for dinner and a night of rest.

Optional experiences (additional cost):

1. Sunrise hot air balloon safari: A pre-dawn pick-up leads to a balloon launch site, with a flight of around one hour over the Mara and a bush breakfast after landing. The launch site depends on the operator and the camp’s location, so transfer time and availability are confirmed at booking.
2. Rhino sanctuary visit: The Ol Chorro Rhino Sanctuary lies in the Ol Choro Oiroua Conservancy in the north-west of the wider Mara area, which is a separate conservancy from Mara North and requires a road transfer. It is a small sanctuary protecting southern white rhino under ranger guard, and visits typically involve a ranger-led encounter on foot. Advance booking and extra fees apply and are confirmed at booking. If confirmed, it would usually replace the afternoon game drive. It is not a Big Five wild sighting, and black rhino sightings in the wild cannot be guaranteed.

Optional activities are available at an additional cost and are subject to availability, weather conditions, operational requirements and advance reservation. All arrangements and inclusions will be confirmed at the time of booking.

Another early start takes you into wildlife-rich areas of Mara North. After a morning of tracking, your guide chooses a scenic spot for a private bush breakfast. Tables set in the open, hot food and the sounds of the savannah make it one of the most memorable meals of the safari. The experience is subject to confirmation of the camp’s arrangements.

The rest of the morning is yours for further game viewing or for leisure at camp. In the afternoon you may choose an optional guided walking safari, where the Mara reveals its smaller details: animal tracks and signs, plants and their traditional uses, birdlife and the behaviour of animals seen at close hand. Walking safaris are led by trained guides and are available only when confirmed by the camp and conservancy.

Spend the evening relaxing at camp, perhaps with an optional spa treatment, before dinner and your final night under the Mara stars.

Optional experiences (additional cost):

1. Guided walking safari: Subject to camp and conservancy confirmation, with fees confirmed at booking.
2. Spa and wellness treatments: Treatments are offered at the camp’s spa and payable separately. Treatment menus and availability are confirmed with the camp.

Optional activities are available at an additional cost and are subject to availability, weather conditions, operational requirements and advance reservation. All arrangements and inclusions will be confirmed at the time of booking.

After breakfast at camp, which depends on your flight time, you are transferred to the Mara North airstrip for the scheduled bush flight back to Nairobi. Aerial views of the Mara fade into the highlands, and on landing at Wilson Airport you are met by your representative.

Your private transfer then takes you to Carnivore Restaurant on Lang’ata Road, a Nairobi institution since 1980 known for its charcoal-roasted meats carved at the table. It is a distinctly Kenyan way to end a safari, and the restaurant is only a short drive from Wilson Airport. Vegetarian options are available. A private transfer then takes you on to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your international departure.

Flight timing: The return flight typically leaves the Mara in the late morning and lands at Wilson Airport around midday. Allowing for the lunch and the transfer to JKIA, we recommend an international departure from about 19:00 onwards. If your flight leaves earlier, we will recommend an alternative such as lunch at a closer venue or an additional night in Nairobi. We do not promise same-day connections without adequate time.

Extension Opportunity: Tanzania Safari Extension

Many guests continue their journey with a luxury safari in Tanzania, which is a natural next chapter after Kenya. Destinations such as the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater offer a different landscape and a different rhythm. An extension can be customized around your travel dates, available flights and preferred destinations. Ask us for a tailored proposal.