Helicopter Safaris from Ol Pejeta
Explore Laikipia from the air and experience Mt Kenya and the Aberdares on a scenic helicopter safari. Or, for the more adventurous of spirit, strap in and fly North to Baringo, Samburu or Turkana on a half day or full day trip.
We’ve partnered with Tropic Air — our neighbours, and one of Kenya’s most experienced aviation operators with over 28 years flying the country’s skies — to offer guests private helicopter safari experiences that depart directly from The Safari Cottages. These are small-group, early morning flights over some of the most dramatic landscapes in East Africa.
All helicopter safaris are prebooked and subject to weather conditions.
MOUNT KENYA HELICOPTER SAFARI
Within 40 kilometres of Ol Pejeta, the landscape rises 3,000 metres. This flight takes you through all of it.
You’ll climb toward Batian and Nelion; the twin summits of Mount Kenya, watching the vegetation shift beneath you from acacia woodland to moorland to the stark, glaciated world above the snowline. The scale is extraordinary and it’s something you just can’t quite grasp from below.
For groups of up to four, the flight includes a landing beside one of Mount Kenya’s high-altitude mountain tarns (either Lake Michelson or Lake Alice) where a picnic is laid out and rainbow trout can be fished from the clear, cold water. An entirely unexpected, unique and wonderful way to spend a morning in Kenya.
Price from $6,700 for a two hour flight with landing. Departure 7:00am from The Safari Cottages. Maximum 4 guests with mountain landing. Not operated July/August due to cloud cover.
ABERDARES HELICOPTER SAFARI
A two-hour scenic flight across a landscape that bears almost no resemblance to the plains below. The Aberdares sit at between 2,000 and 3,000 metres — high enough for giant heather, indigenous forest, wild banana and cedar trees that tower above you when you land.
The flight crosses the Salient, where wildlife concentrates around the lower swamps, before climbing to Dragons Teeth (an extraordinary rock formation above the treeline) for coffee or a picnic in the cool mountain air. The birdlife at altitude is entirely different from Ol Pejeta’s open plains, and equally extraordinary.
Price from $6,450 for a two-hour flight with landing. Departure 7:00am from The Safari Cottages. Maximum 4 guests with landing. Not operated July/August due to cloud cover.
FURTHER AFIELD: HALF-DAY AND FULL-DAY HELICOPTER EXPERIENCES
Tropic Air’s reach extends well beyond Mount Kenya and the Aberdares. For guests wanting to explore the wilder, less-visited corners of Kenya, a selection of half-day and full-day helicopter experiences are available on request, each offering different kind of adventure.
Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria, in Kenya’s spectacular Rift Valley, make for an extraordinary half-day flight: shimmering alkaline water, vast flocks of flamingos turning the shoreline pink, and landscapes that shift dramatically as you gain altitude. Further north, the Samburu region offers a chance to fly over the ancestral lands of one of Kenya’s most distinctive pastoralist cultures — camels, red ochre and the dry, beautiful terrain of the northern frontier. For the truly adventurous, Lake Turkana — the world’s largest desert lake, known as the Jade Sea for its extraordinary green colour — is a full-day expedition into some of the most remote and spectacular scenery in East Africa. Massive Nile crocodiles, volcanic crater islands designated as World Heritage Sites, ancient rock art and the winds of the northern desert make this one of the most memorable flights Tropic Air offers.
All extended excursions are tailored to your interests and can include picnic stops, fishing, tribal visits and on-ground activities. Prices and availability on enquiry.
To enquire about a helicopter safari, mention it when you get in touch and we’ll send you a quote and get it all sorted for you.