Fly-In Safari: Luxury Safaris with Private Charter Flights
The fastest way between the great safari camps is not a road. A fly-in safari links them by light aircraft — on a shared scheduled flight or a private charter — and turns transfer days into game-drive days.
- A fly-in safari moves between camps by light aircraft instead of long road transfers.
- Scheduled light-aircraft flights are shared and run on fixed daily circuits; a private charter flies when and where your party chooses.
- Indicatively, a private charter starts from around US$2,000 per flight for a short hop in a light aircraft.
- Luggage is limited, commonly to 15–20 kg per person in soft bags.
- A luxury safari starts from around US$1,200 per person per night, and from around US$1,500 in the finest exclusive-use camps, with flights priced on top.
What is a fly-in safari?
A fly-in safari links its camps by light aircraft rather than by road. Small planes land on dirt airstrips close to the camps, so a transfer that would take most of a day by vehicle takes well under an hour, and the time saved goes back into the bush. In places such as Botswana's Okavango Delta, many camps are reached most practically by air.
Scheduled seat or private charter?
A scheduled flight is a seat on a shared light aircraft that runs a fixed daily circuit between airstrips, stopping where other guests join or leave. It is the efficient default and is often folded into the price of a safari; where it is not, it adds from around US$300 per person per sector. A private charter is the whole aircraft for your party: it leaves when you are ready, flies direct, and can link camps that no scheduled circuit connects, including across a border.
What does a private charter cost?
Charters are priced per aircraft, not per seat. Indicatively, a short hop in a light aircraft starts from around US$2,000 per flight, rising with the distance, the size of the aircraft and any positioning flight to collect you. For a family or a group of friends who fill the plane, the cost per person comes close to scheduled seats, with none of the waiting. The camps sit on top: a luxury safari starts from around US$1,200 per person per night, and from around US$1,500 in the finest exclusive-use camps — see what a luxury safari costs.
Where flying makes the most sense
Flying earns its place where the distances are long or the roads slow: the Okavango Delta, where water separates the camps; the Maasai Mara, about an hour by air from Nairobi; and the Serengeti, whose scale means more light-aircraft legs — one reason Tanzania can cost more than Kenya, as Kenya or Tanzania explains. A two-country safari is usually linked by a light-aircraft or charter hop across the border.
The luggage limit, and other small-plane realities
Light aircraft carry little: allowances are commonly 15 to 20 kg per person including hand luggage, in soft bags without wheels or frames, because hard cases do not fit the hold. A private charter can lift the limit by flying with fewer passengers. Weather can delay a departure, so the last flight of a trip should connect with a margin before an international flight.
How to plan it
Book the flights with the camps, not separately, so the times line up with the game drives. Charter where the time matters most — the first and last legs, or a long cross-country hop — and use scheduled seats where they fit. Your advisor sequences the whole route, and the safari programme shows where each country's camps sit.
Questions, answered.
A fly-in safari moves between camps by light aircraft instead of by road. Small planes land on dirt airstrips near the camps, so a transfer that would take most of a day by vehicle takes well under an hour, and the time saved goes back into game drives. It is the usual way to travel in places such as Botswana's Okavango Delta.
Charters are priced per aircraft, not per seat. Indicatively, a short hop in a light aircraft starts from around US$2,000 per flight, rising with the distance, the size of the aircraft and any positioning flight. A seat on a scheduled light-aircraft flight is often included in a safari or adds from around US$300 per person per sector. For a family that fills the plane, a charter costs close to scheduled seats per person.
It is worth it when time or privacy matters most. A private charter leaves when your party is ready, flies direct, and links camps that no scheduled circuit connects, including across a border, while scheduled flights stop at other airstrips on the way. Many travellers charter the first and last legs, or one long hop, and use scheduled seats elsewhere.
Commonly 15 to 20 kg per person including hand luggage, in soft bags without wheels or frames, because hard cases do not fit the hold of a light aircraft. A private charter can lift the limit by flying with fewer passengers. Your advisor confirms the exact allowance for each flight.
Wherever distances are long or roads are slow: Botswana's Okavango Delta, where water separates the camps; Kenya's Maasai Mara, about an hour by air from Nairobi; and Tanzania's Serengeti, whose scale means more light-aircraft legs. Two-country safaris are usually linked by a light-aircraft or charter hop across the border.
A luxury safari starts from around US$1,200 per person per night, all-inclusive, and from around US$1,500 in the finest exclusive-use camps. Flights are priced on top: scheduled seats are often included or add from around US$300 per person per sector, and a private charter starts from around US$2,000 per flight.
Safaris
See the collection →Tell a private advisor how you like to travel — no quotes, no obligation.
Begin Your Private Consultation
