Business & First Class Flights to Nairobi

Kenya Airways, a SkyTeam member, flies New York JFK–Nairobi nonstop on the 787-8 with a lie-flat business cabin in a 2-2-2 layout — window seats step over a neighbor — and the flight is around fourteen and a half hours. It is the only nonstop, and it is often the fastest routing by three hours or more. The one-stops offer better seats: Qatar Airways in Qsuite via Doha (five hours on) from twelve US cities, Emirates via Dubai with First Class on some Nairobi frequencies, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, British Airways via London with First on the London–Nairobi sector, KLM via Amsterdam, Air France via Paris, Lufthansa via Frankfurt, SWISS via Zurich, and Ethiopian via Addis Ababa from Washington, Newark, Chicago and Atlanta. Delta codeshares with Kenya Airways as a SkyTeam partner.

Jomo Kenyatta is south-east of the city, next to Nairobi National Park — giraffes visible from the approach — and 25 to 45 minutes from the hotels depending on traffic; the Nairobi Expressway has helped. Safari transfers mostly leave from Wilson Airport, 30 minutes away, on Safarilink and AirKenya bush flights to the Masai Mara (45 minutes), Amboseli, Laikipia, Samburu and the coast at Diani; the top camps arrange the bush flights, and we coordinate arrival times so that a morning international landing connects to an afternoon Mara flight. Kenya Airways also flies Mombasa (an hour) and Zanzibar (90 minutes) for beach add-ons.

The Great Migration's river crossings in the Mara run roughly July through October, which is the peak for lodge rates and premium fares; January and February are dry, quieter and excellent for game. The long rains, March through May, bring green landscapes, fewer visitors and the lowest fares of the year — well below our $3,600 starting fare from New York — and many camps discount heavily. December holidays are a second peak. US citizens need an electronic travel authorization for Kenya, obtained online before travel; we remind you at booking.