In East Africa, distance is measured in hours of track rather than kilometres. Between Nairobi and the Masai Mara the road takes five to six hours of jolting; a bush plane covers the same ground in under an hour, and you reach camp in time for the afternoon game drive. That is the whole logic of a fly-in safari: you buy time in the field instead of time in a vehicle.
What a bush flight is like
These are not commercial flights. You board a small propeller aircraft seating about a dozen people, on a dirt or gravel strip, often with no terminal and no baggage belt. The pilot gives the safety briefing standing in the aisle, you fly low, and it is not unusual to spot herds through the window. The aircraft serves several camps in sequence: your flight may land once or twice before your stop, like a bus.
Luggage is the real constraint
This is what surprises travellers most. Bush aircraft impose a strict weight limit, generally around fifteen kilos per person including hand luggage, and require a soft bag rather than a hard case, because the hold takes the shape of the bags. Passenger weights are sometimes requested at booking, for aircraft balance. The good news: nearly every camp does laundry, so you leave with far less than you think. Exact limits vary by carrier and are confirmed on your file.
What you gain
- Genuinely remote camps that would otherwise take a full day by road
- Two or three parks in one trip without spending the holiday in a vehicle
- Full game-drive days on both arrival and departure days
- An aerial view of the Serengeti or the Mara that is worth the trip on its own
What you accept in exchange
Schedules move. A bush flight depends on weather, passenger numbers and the camps to be served, and a departure time announced the evening before can shift on the morning itself. So you never plan an international connection on the day of a bush flight: allow a buffer night in Nairobi, Arusha or Kilimanjaro. Small aircraft also move more in hot midday air. Travellers prone to motion sickness choose morning flights.
Flying and driving go together
A fly-in itinerary does not remove the 4x4, it moves it. You fly from park to park, then the camp meets you at the airstrip and its vehicle and guide take over on the ground. That is often the best formula, because the guide knows their sector metre by metre.
Planning your safari
Our advisors build the itinerary with East Africa Camps and check connections, baggage limits and seasons. See also exclusive safaris. Voyages AquaTerra holds Quebec permit 702703.
