Flying Vs. Driving To Masai Mara
Flying Vs. Driving To Masai Mara : Which One Is The Best Option? You will need to decide whether to drive or take a flight when organizing your trip to the Maasai Mara. The quickest and most comfortable way to travel to the Masai Mara Game Reserve is by air. Taking a flight takes 45 minutes as opposed to driving for 6 hours. In addition, a significant portion of the road leading to the Masai Mara is made of gravel, making the journey extremely difficult and uncomfortable. To assist you in choosing between driving and flying, let’s make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of flying to the Masai Mara.
PROS AND CONS OF FLYING TO THE MASAI MARA
Pros: Flying to the Masai Mara has the following advantages:
Short Travel Time: As opposed to the 6 hours it would take to travel by road, it will take you only about 45 minutes to reach the Maasai Mara. If your main objective is simply to see the animals, the time you save can be really beneficial.
More comfortable conditions: The three-hour drive from Narok to the Masai Mara Game Reserve is on a very rough and uneven road. Since the roads are in poor condition, the car will be moving very slowly to avoid slamming into the potholes. Due to the short distance, you won’t have to deal with the heat, unpleasant roads, and other inconveniences that come with driving.
Beautiful aerial views: Aerial views of the Rift Valley are breathtaking, and you can see some isolated villages that are inaccessible by road.
A valuable quick tour of the Mara: You probably stop at a few different airstrips en route to your camp or hotel to pick up additional passengers. You’ll get a lovely quick tour of the Maasai Mara and be able to get a good sense of most of the park as a result.
Fly to the coast: You can choose to fly directly to the coast from the Maasai Mara, and this will also be a quick trip—about an hour long. Compare this to the 6 hours it will take you to return to Nairobi and the additional 6 hours it will take you to travel by bus to the coast.
Cons: Flying to the Masai Mara has the following dis advantages:
It’s expensive to fly to the Masai Mara: Obviously, flying to the Mara is more expensive than driving there. A one-way ticket to the Maasai Mara typically costs $217 USD, while a one-way drive will cost about $100 USD.
You don’t interact with the locals: This is, in my opinion, air travel’s biggest drawback. A good driver or tour guide enriches and enhances the entire safari experience by sharing a wealth of anecdotes and pointing out interesting side attractions that you might not have found on your own.
Ignore the escarpment’s view: You will miss the breathtaking view of the vast Rift Valley and the lovely escarpment. The majority of tour companies make brief stops for tourists to take photos along the road that winds its way down to the bottom of the valley.
You will not be able to view the Kenyan countryside: You will get to see the stunning Kenyan countryside that visitors who fly to the Maasai Mara don’t get to see, particularly if you have a good driver who is enthusiastic and willing to show you around. Sometimes the driver will take you on a detour so you can see more of Kenya than you would if you were driving or flying.
A little spooky: Due to the small size of the aircraft and the turbulence, flying on the small planes that frequently travel the Masai Mara route can be a little frightening.
PROS AND CONS OF DRIVING TO THE MAASAI MARA
Pros: Driving to the Masai Mara has the following advantages:
Experience Kenya’s beautiful countryside: Amazing views can be found in Kenya. You will pass through rolling hills that are beautifully covered in tea plantations on your way to the Maasai Mara. After that, you will have the opportunity to view the magnificent Great Rift Valley from an escarpment. This is undoubtedly one of Kenya’s best views, and whenever I think of it, it brings back wonderful memories for me. Following this, the drive will feature picturesque views of Savannah and the open countryside. Even though there aren’t many animals on this drive, the scenery is enough to make it worthwhile.
Interact with Kenyan People: Driving to the Mara will give you the opportunity to interact with Kenyans in addition to enjoying the views. In the curio shops along the escarpment, you can get a sense of their friendliness, warmth, and artistic beauty. The majority of Kenyans are friendly, so you can count on them to start a conversation with you. Even though you won’t really interact with them very much, I think you’ll still enjoy it.
Conversations with the tour guide: Interacting with the tour guide, who doubles as the driver, is one of the highlights of the trip to the Mara. The majority of tour guides that I personally know are gregarious and enjoy sharing tales of the locations you will be driving through. They are more than happy to share the fascinating and beautiful tales that.
More cost-effective: As was already mentioned, the cost of traveling by road to the Maasai Mara National Reserve is almost half that of traveling by air.
Conversations with other passengers: The lengthy trip to the Mara will give you and the other passengers plenty of chances to converse and get to know one another. This might not seem like a big benefit if you’re driving alone or don’t want to talk to anyone.
Cons: Driving to the Masai Mara has the following dis advantages:
Very bumpy roads: The first half of the trip will be on a rough road. Tour buses frequently sustain punctures or even have the suspension fail. Depending on how you look at it, this can either be really exciting or intimidating. In either case, get ready for a big adventure and some unusually beautiful roads.
Long journey: The six-hour journey from Nairobi to the Mara is not for the faint of heart. If you frequently get car sick or don’t enjoy long car rides, you should stay away from this trip.
Potential delays brought on by road closures: Protesters who may be riotous frequently block the road from Mai Mahiu to Narok, which can occasionally result in delays of up to six hours.
WHY DRIVING THERE AND THEN FLYING BACK IS THE BEST OPTION
In my opinion, you should drive to the Mara and then take a flight to Nairobi. These are my motivations:
To get to the Maasai Mara, you can choose to drive or fly: The difficult journey will only be endured once. This is a significant one for anyone who dislikes spending a lot of time in a car.
If you don’t want to go back to Nairobi, you can take a flight to another city: It is more enjoyable to travel into the Rift Valley than to return from it. This is due to the fact that the views are better when traveling down the left side of the road than up the right side. If you’re lucky, it might be less expensive than flying both ways. However, this is not typically the case.
THE NEXT-BEST OPTION
Flying in both directions is the next best option. Although you won’t get to see the escarpment, you will travel more quickly and in greater comfort.
