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For other destinations and types of holiday, visit Kuoni
For other destinations and types of holiday, visit Kuoni 

Things to do in Kenya

The scenic flight to Amboseli

As we swoop in to land, you’ll spot Amboseli’s famous elephants and on a clear day, get views of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro …

By Captain Peter Wachira
SkySafari Pilot

Take in views of Mount Kilimanjaro on this scenic flight to Amboseli. It’s a 40-minute journey from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Elewana Tortilis Camp and we always serve some champagne to kick-off that first leg of the SkySafari. One of the best things about the whole experience is that the plane is there just for you – there’s no rushing to make the flight and you have your own private pilot to fly you in a luxury Cessna aircraft.

For the first few minutes after take-off, we fly over Nairobi National Park, then it’s bushland most of the way to Amboseli. As we swoop in to land, you’ll start spotting animals below, including Amboseli’s famous elephants. A couple of weeks ago, a wildebeest wanted to cross the airstrip so we had wait for the safari guides to chase it away before we could land. On a clear day, you also get exceptional views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Seeing Africa’s highest mountain and its 5,895-metre, snow-capped peak from the sky is unforgettable.

I fly a Cessna Grand Caravan, which is the most popular aircraft in Africa, it’s very safe and well-suited to bush airstrips. We’ve gone a notch higher though by fitting the plane with an oasis interior, so it has just 10 reclining seats, a toilet and coffee maker. Guests can also take it in turns to sit in the co-pilot seat next to me, and wear a headset so I can talk them through the controls and views as we fly. It’s a coveted seat and you’ll often find family members flipping a coin for it!

I love working as a pilot because I meet people from all over the world and get to know them over the course of the SkySafari; I pick the passengers up as strangers and drop them off as friends. Often, we get repeat guests coming back for a second trip, which says a lot about how great the SkySafari experience is. As a pilot in Kenya, it really is a dream job, I’ve been doing it for seven years now and couldn’t imagine anything better.

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Alfred & Captain Peter Wachira

Like an eagle born to soar, Captain Peter Wachira is the son of a pilot who always dreamed of taking to the skies. After graduating high school, he went straight into flight training and got his commercial licence just two years later. Peter worked for an aerial survey company and local airline before landing his dream job as a bush pilot for SkySafari, which involves flying passengers around Kenya in a luxury Cessna Grand Caravan.
Captain Peter Wachira, Skysafari Kenya pilot

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Becky, who's travelled extensively in Kenya. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember - the safari rangers, local village chiefs and camp managers you'll be talking about for years to come. Start planning today, call us, email an enquiry or arrange a phone or video appointment for ideas and advice.

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