Review: Air Kenya into the Safari

Forrest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,” well so are regional airlines. You truly never know what you are going to get. Leaving Nairobi, we flew Air Kenya into the Safari. I was curious what our experience was going to be like. 

Overall, from booking to checking in to flying, we had a pleasant experience, which is detailed in this review. 

This article is part of my Trip Report: Starting Summer in East Africa including:

• My Comically Bad Luck Flying to Africa
• No Compensation for an Involuntary Business Class Downgrade?!?
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa B747-8 Economy IAD-FRA 
• My First Flight on the Queen: My Thoughts
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge FRA
• Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge FRA 
• Review: Lufthansa A330 Business Class FRA-NBO
• Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Nairobi Hurlingham
• Review: Air Kenya into the Safari
• JW Marriott Masai Mara Review: Luxury in the Savannah, a Truly Unforgettable Safari
• Is the JW Marriott Masai Mara Worth $3k a Night?
• Review: Aspire Lounge Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO)
• Review: Kenya Airways NBO-ZNZ E190
• Exploring Tanzania: My Thoughts on Zanzibar
• When Flights Don’t Go as Planned: Delayed in Zanzibar
• Review: Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK
• Mt. Kilimanjaro Day Hike: My Thoughts
• Exploring Moshi, Tanzania: What Everyone Gets Wrong
• Review: Twiga Lounge by Aspire Lounge Kilimanjaro International Airport
• Weirdest Flight Delay I Have Ever Had… 
• Review: Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa Executive Regency Suite
• Exploring Addis Ababa: My Thoughts
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge Addis Ababa
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine B787-8 Business Class ADD-IAD
• My 18 Hour Odd Business Class Experience: A Stop in Lome, Togo?

Check-In

After taking a 20-minute Uber from the DoubleTree by Hilton Nairobi Hurlingham to Nairobi Wilson, we were dropped at the terminal for Air Kenya. Every airline has its own terminal building at Wilson, rather than one larger shared terminal at other major international airports. 

After getting our things, we went through security quite quickly and went to the check-in desk where we presented our passports and checked baggage. After weighing it and handing us baggage tags, we were directed toward a neighboring desk. 

Here we were checked in and handed our boarding passes. We were told to wait upstairs until our flight when we would be called down to board the plane. Thinking this process would have taken a longer time, we had just over an hour to kill before our flight so we headed upstairs. 

The terminal had a small gift shop downstairs. There was a cafe upstairs with a variety of snacks and meals for purchase if you were hungry.

The Flight

After being called to board the plane, we handed in our boarding passes. Then we walked onto the tarmac and out to the Cessna Caravan that would fly us to the Keekorok airstrip. It was a fun experience (I posted a video about it on Instagram).

We then got on the plane with 5 other passengers and two crew members. I have heard it’s possible to sit in the cockpit with the captain if there is only one crew. We were told to leave our bags in the back of the plane behind a folded-down cargo net. 

In no time, we were taxiing and in the air. We had great views of the city on the departure. 

After about 40 minutes we landed on an airstrip where we dropped and picked up some passengers. We were only on the ground for around 10 minutes before taking off again. 

A short flight (~5-10 minutes), at a low altitude, we arrived at Keekorok Air Strip. The flight was fun since we were able to see some wildlife from the window, including elephants.

After landing in Keekorok, we were let out of the back of the plane. We grabbed our bags and met our safari guide before watching the plane take off once again. 

Booking

After searching for the cheapest flights to Keekorok Air Strip from Nairobi, we picked Air Kenya. The flights were quite pricey, especially given the duration. It was still a better option than a 6+ hour drive from Nairobi, which would have, in total, cost about the same amount. 

To fly Air Kenya into the Safari cost us $390 a person. We could have flown for $320 a person, but we wanted to at least spend the morning in Nairobi. After a late arrival into the city, a 7 am flight out did not sound too appealing. 

We booked directly with Air Kenya via their website. If we had wanted to use points, we could have paid with the Capital One Venture card to effectively erase the purchase at a value of 1 cent per point.

Instead, we chose to book using the American Express Platinum Card to earn 5x points on all the money spent on flights, which should lead to about 10% back valuing the points at 2 cents per point. 

The Last Point 

It was an expensive flight to the safari, as I feel is usually the case with short flights to remote destinations. The flight was comfortable and the crew were incredibly nice.

From check-in to landing, and then flying back, taking Air Kenya into the Safari was a great choice and I would highly recommend them.