Cut Nairobi-to-Mara Travel from 6 Hours to 45 Minutes

Travellers still lose a full safari day crawling along the Narok B3 asphalt. The drive to Maasai Mara routinely tops 6 hours – longer if you hit rain-cut gullies en-route . A helicopter from Wilson Airport touches down near your lodge in under 45 mins depending on the lodge. That reclaimed time is the point of difference Mayfair Aviation leans into.

1 | Why choose a helicopter charter?

1. Time dividend– Arrive 15 min before departure, land at a conservancy airstrip metres from your tent.
2. Scenic bonus– Rift Valley escarpments, Mount Suswa’s collapsed caldera, migrating wildebeest herds – all visible at 1 500 ft.
3. Zero-traffic transfers– No Narok bottleneck, no speed bumps, no tyre blow-outs.
4. Safety built in– Bell 407 fleet undergoes 100-hour inspections and CAA-Kenya oversight (com).
5. Flex itineraries– Early-morning lift-offs for sunrise drives or dusk departures after your final sundowner.

2 | Road vs. rotor: the hard numbers

3 | Who gains most?

Honeymooners chasing exclusivity, family groups avoiding toddler meltdowns, and photographers craving aerial shots.

4 | Cost myths vs. reality

Mainstream view: “Helicopters are only for billionaires.”

Reality: Fill five seats and cost per head rivals a scheduled flight in peak season. Carbon footprint is higher per passenger-km, but Mayfair’s SAF-blend option trims emissions by ~15 %. Evidence base is emerging; independent Kenya-specific LCA data remain limited.

5 | Sustainability & the future

Kenya’s first eVTOL corridor is tentatively slated for 2027. Until battery density improves, SAF remains the actionable pathway. Mayfair is trial-coupling Bell 407s with Neste MY SAF blends at 30 % – modest but measurable.

6 | Booking checklist (downloadable PDF on request)