Kenya is one of the simplest places to combine a safari with a beach. Fly direct overnight from London to Nairobi, hop on a light aircraft to the Masai Mara and spend four nights on game drives across the grasslands, where lion, cheetah, elephant and, from July to October, the Great Migration are the main draws. Your lodge is in the reserve, so you are out among the animals soon after sunrise.
Then fly to the coast for a week on Diani Beach, south of Mombasa: a long stretch of white sand backed by palms, with a coral reef that keeps the water calm at low tide. Go snorkelling at Kisite marine park, look for colobus monkeys in the coastal forest, or simply rest after the early safari starts.
2 stops · 11 nights · flying Kenya Airways
Big cats, plains, the migration
White sand, reef, colobus monkeys
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The Masai Mara is Kenya's best-known reserve, with open grassland that makes big cats easy to spot. From July to October the wildebeest and zebra of the Great Migration cross the Mara River from the Serengeti.
Diani is a 17-kilometre beach on Kenya's south coast, sheltered by an offshore coral reef. Days here can include snorkelling and dhow trips to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and walks in the Colobus Conservation forest.
Guide prices per person, two sharing, with flights from London.
Prices checked October 2026. Prices change daily; your Travel Designer confirms today's live price before you book. Business class and regional airports on request.
Best time to go: July to October is the dry season and the time of the Great Migration in the Masai Mara, with good beach weather on the coast. January and February are also dry and warm. The long rains fall in April and May.
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Your overnight direct flight from London (about 8h 30m) lands in Nairobi in the morning. Transfer to Wilson Airport for the light-aircraft flight to the Masai Mara, about 45 minutes, in time for an afternoon game drive.
Head out on morning and afternoon game drives looking for lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant and the migration herds in season. A sunrise balloon flight can be added.
Fly from the Mara to Ukunda airstrip, usually via Nairobi Wilson, and transfer to your beach hotel, about ten minutes away.
Swim inside the reef, take a dhow to Kisite-Mpunguti for snorkelling and dolphins, or visit the Colobus Conservation centre.
Transfer to Mombasa airport and fly to Nairobi to connect with the overnight direct flight to London, arriving the next morning.
Safarilink and other small airlines fly from the Mara airstrips to Ukunda, the airstrip for Diani, usually connecting at Nairobi's Wilson Airport. Bags are limited to about 15kg in soft holdalls on these flights.
British passport holders need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), applied for online before travel. Check the current rules on GOV.UK before you book.
The herds usually arrive from the Serengeti in July and stay until about October, with the Mara River crossings most likely in August and September. Wildlife viewing is good all year, as the big cats are resident.
Kenya is quicker and simpler, with direct flights from London and a short hop to the Mara. Tanzania covers more parks and pairs with Zanzibar, but is a longer journey and usually costs more.
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