Kenya Safari and Beach: How to Combine the Mara with Diani

Kenya is the only country in Africa where you can watch lions at dawn and be swimming in the Indian Ocean by mid-afternoon. No other safari destination combines world-class game viewing with a genuinely exceptional coastline so easily.

The connecting flight from the Maasai Mara to Diani Beach takes around ninety minutes. There is no long transfer, no wasted day, and no need to return to Nairobi in between.

Which order to do it in

Start on safari and finish on the beach. This is the structure we recommend in almost every case, for three reasons.

First, the early mornings and long game drives are energising at the start of a trip. By the end of a week on safari you will be ready to do nothing, and a beach is the perfect place to do it.

Second, the coast is at its best when you have nothing left to achieve. If you visit the beach first, you will spend much of it thinking about the safari to come.

Third, and most practically, the parks are the part of the trip most sensitive to weather. Better to encounter a wet day early than at the end.

How long to spend in each

We recommend a minimum of four nights on safari and four on the coast. The ideal is five and five, or five and seven.

Fewer than four safari nights and you will feel rushed, particularly if you are moving between two parks. Fewer than four beach nights and you will barely have unpacked.

A typical twelve-day structure looks like this:

• Two nights in the Maasai Mara, including a private conservancy
• Two nights in Amboseli, with Kilimanjaro on the horizon
• One night in Nairobi between flights, or a direct connection
• Six nights on Diani Beach

Where to go on the coast

Diani Beach is the most popular and the most complete. Seventeen kilometres of white sand, a reef that keeps the water calm and clear, excellent diving and snorkelling, and a good range of boutique hotels. Direct flights from the Mara make it the easiest choice.

Watamu sits north of Mombasa within a marine national park. The snorkelling and diving are arguably the best in Kenya, and the village is small and unhurried.

Lamu is the slowest and most historic option, a UNESCO World Heritage Swahili town, no high-rise development, and a pace of life entirely its own. Best for travellers who want somewhere quiet and genuinely different.

What it costs

Adding a beach stay to a Kenya safari is less expensive than most people expect. Flights from the Mara to the coast are typically £150 to £250 per person, and beach accommodation ranges from around £120 a night for a good boutique hotel to £600 or more for a private villa.

A twelve-day safari and beach holiday for two, including internal flights, full board on safari and bed and breakfast on the coast, typically costs between £5,000 and £7,500 per person. See our guide to what a Kenya safari costs for a full breakdown.

Practical points

Malaria. The coast is a malaria area, as are the safari parks. Speak to your GP or a travel clinic about prophylaxis at least six weeks before departure.

Packing. You will need two entirely different wardrobes. Keep safari luggage soft-sided and light for the small aircraft, and pack beach clothes in a separate bag that can be stored.

Luggage limits. Light aircraft flights between parks and the coast have a strict 15kg limit per person in soft bags. We arrange storage for anything extra.

Children. The combination is close to ideal for families. The flights are short, and children who have spent a week tracking lions are usually delighted to spend the next one in the water.

Our recommendation

For most travellers, five nights on safari in the Maasai Mara and Amboseli followed by six nights on Diani Beach is the ideal Kenya holiday. It gives you the two great experiences of East Africa in a single, unhurried trip, and it takes less than two hours to travel between them.