Flying to Serengeti from Arusha, Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam and even Nairobi is a much quicker alternative to driving to the park by road, saving anything from 3 to 6 hours journey time, even taking into account the transfer and waiting time at the airport. Booking a flight to Serengeti is an easy process though one ought to note that some the flights take off and land from the domestic Arusha airport, though certain limited connections may be booked from Kilimanjaro International Airport, which is about an hour's drive outside of Arusha. Charter flights can also be booke dupon request. There are 3 major airlines offering domestic flights connecting Serengeti and other tourist locations to Arusha, namely Regional, Auric Air Tanzania and Coastal Aviation. There are now additional airlines which include Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Air Excel and Flightlink among others.
Most airlines offer a morning and afternoon flight, with the same plane returning back to Arusha after every set of flights. The flying time is usually an hour though actual time depends on how many interim stops the flight will make, ( known as ''hops'') as they land to drop or pick up passengers from various airstrips. Most flights limit stops to the fewest possible so the timing of an hour to serengeti is practially fairly accurate. See the schedule below. The prices for a one way flight from Arusha to Serengeti range from US$ 200 - 250 per person while a return ( two way) flight would cost anything from US$ 300 - 450 per person including taxes, depending on the season and availability.
Daily Flights to Serengeti | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Flights | From | To | Dep | Arr |
Early Morning Flight | Arusha | Serengeti | 7:45 | 9:15 |
Mid- Morning Flight | Arusha | Serengeti | 10:00 | 12:05 |
Serengeti | Arusha | 11:00 | 12:30 | |
Afternoon Flight | Serengeti | Arusha | 14:45 | 17:30 |
High Season: 16 December - 31 March & 1 July - 31 Octomber Low Season: 1 April - 30 June & 1 November - 15 December |
Due to the sheer volume of passengers flying to Serengeti during the peask season months from July to October, both Auric Air and Coastal Aviation place an additional midday flight service to handle the passenger numbers. During these months we recommend booking early enough to secure seats.
Daily Flights to Serengeti | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Flights | From | To | Dep | Arr |
Morning Flight | Arusha | Serengeti | 10:00 | 11:00 |
Serengeti | Arusha | 11:00 | 12:15 | |
Afternoon Flight | Arusha | Serengeti | 14:45 | 15:45 |
Serengeti | Arusha | 15:45 | 17:00 | |
High Season: 16 December - 31 March & 1 July - 31 Octomber Low Season: 1 April - 30 June & 1 November - 15 December |
For those tourists who want to fly direct from Serengeti to the beaches along Tanzania's coast, there are flights available that fly to Zanzibar, specifically to Zanzibar airport ( Abeid Amani Karume International Airport).
As mentioned above these include Auric Air, Coastal Aviation, Flightlink and Regional Air. These airlines generally have an excellent safety record and operate to high standards with professional staff.
Arusha Airport (IATA: ARK, ICAO: HTAR) is a domestic airport located in the city of Arusha, the capital of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. The airport is currently undergoing an expansion, which includes a new apron and terminal building. Transfer time from city center is 10 minutes traffic free but more like an 20 to 30 minutes in normal traffic, and most local flights require that you be at the airport at least an hour before the flight.
There are close to a dozen airtsrips in Serengeti, including the community wildlife conservancies and game ranches surrounding the main park. It is imperative to book your flight to the airstrip nearest to your accommodation to avoid unnecessarily long transfers which also happen to be rather expensive. See more details on some of the airstrips in Serengeti including Kogatende,Seronera, Sasakwa Grumeti, Lobo, Serengeti Kusini, Fort Ikoma and Kirawira airstrips.
Fly-in Safaris to Serengeti are popular due to the convenience of the short one hour flight compared to the 5 to 6 hour road journey from Arusha. Flights to Serengeti being readily available, a flying package safari is possible to book for most safari lodges and camps in the reserve. Flying to Serengeti is also suggested for those who want to enjoy game drives in an Open sided safari vehicle.
See Fly-in PackagesThe main advantage of flying from Arusha / Zanzibar / Dar es Salaam to Serengeti is to save time especially useful for shorter safaris such as an overnight or two night trip, since it is a One hour flight versus a 5 to 6 hour road trip, though you need to cater for a 45 minute reporting time and the time taken to get you to Arusha airport ( 20- 30 mins), so the difference in time is really more like 3 hours. Secondly, with the road to Serengeti being bumpy and dusty in places, passengers with a medical or back conditions that can become worse with road travel should only consider flying.
The disadvantages of flying include the cost, especially so if there are more than two passengers in a group. Baggage is limited to only 15 kilos per passenger and this includes carry on and check-in. Lastly, the road trip, though long, does give one the real feel for the country you are visiting and offer a more adventurous journey to your destination, further increasing the occasion of being in the wilderness.