Flights to Serengeti National Park

Flights to Serengeti National Park from Arusha or Dar es Salaam and even Nairobi are the quickest way to get to Serengeti, a quicker alternative to driving to the park by road, saving about 3 to 6 hours of journey time, even taking into account the transfer and waiting time at the airport.

Booking a flight to Serengeti National Park is an easy process, though one ought to note that some of the flights take off and land from the Arusha Airport—a domestic flight, though certain limited connections may be booked from Kilimanjaro International Airport, which is about an hour’s drive outside of Arusha Town.

Also, charter flights can be booked upon request. There are 3 major airlines offering domestic flights to Serengeti National Park and other Tanzanian tourist attractions to Arusha, namely Regional, Auric Air Tanzania and Coastal Aviation. Currently there are additional airlines, which include Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Air Excel and Flightlink, among others.

Schedule & Costs of Flights to Serengeti National Park

Most airlines offer a morning and afternoon flight, with the same plane returning back to Arusha after every set of flights. Usually the flying time is an hour, though actual time depends on how many interim stops the flight will make (known as “hops”) as they land to drop off or pick up passengers from various airstrips in Serengeti. Most flights limit stops to the fewest possible so the timing of an hour to the Serengeti is practically fairly accurate.

Below is a schedule for flights to Serengeti National Park.

The prices for a one-way flight to Serengeti National Park from Arusha range from US $200 to $250 per person, while a return (two-way) flight costs about US $300 to $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 October
  • Low Season: 1 April – 30 June & 1 November – 15 December

Additional Flights to Serengeti During Peak Season

Due to the high numbers of passengers flying to the Serengeti during the peak 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 your flights 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

Flights from Serengeti to Zanzibar

For tourists who want to fly direct from Serengeti National Park to beautiful beaches along Tanzania’s coast, there are flights available that fly to Zanzibar, specifically to Zanzibar Airport – Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.

Airlines Offering Flights to Serengeti

Flights to Serengeti National Park are offered by the following airlines.

  • Auric Air
  • Coastal Aviation
  • Regional Air
  • Tropical Air
  • Flightlink
  • Precision Air

These airlines are generally secure with an excellent safety record and operate to high standards with professional staff.

Tropical Air

Arusha Airport – (IATA: ARK, ICAO: HTAR) 

Flights to the Serengeti are handled by Arusha Airport – a domestic airport located in the city of Arusha, the capital of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. Transfer time from the city center is 10 minutes traffic free but in normal traffic, it is about 20 to 30 minutes, and most local flights require that you be at the airport at least an hour before the flight.

Airstrips in Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is served by a dozen airstrips, 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 costly. Airstrips in Serengeti include

  • Kogatende Airstrip
  • Seronera Airstrip
  • Sasakwa Grumeti Airstrip
  • Lobo Airstrip
  • Serengeti Kusini Airstrip
  • Fort Ikoma Airstrip
  • Kirawira airstrips

Serengeti Safari Flight Packages

Fly-in safaris to the Serengeti are popular among travelers due to the convenience of the short one-hour flight compared to the 5- to 6-hour road journey from Arusha. With flights to the Serengeti being readily available, a flying Tanzania safari package is possible to book from most safari lodges and camps in the reserve.

Flying to Serengeti National Park is also suggested for those who want to enjoy game drives in an open-sided safari vehicle.

Why Fly to Serengeti – Advantages and Disadvantages of Flying to Serengeti

The main advantage of flying to the Serengeti from Arusha or Dar es Salaam is to save time; this is important for shorter safaris such as an overnight or two-night trip. Since it is a one-hour flight vs. a 5- to 6-hour road trip, though you need to cater to a 45-minute reporting time and the time taken to get you to Arusha Airport (20 – 30 minutes), the difference in time is really more like 3 hours.

Secondly, with the roads to Serengeti being bumpy and dusty in places, passengers with medical or back conditions that can become worse with the road travel should only consider flying.

The disadvantage of flying to Serengeti includes the cost, especially so if there are more than two passengers in a group. The baggage is limited to only 15 kilos per passenger and this includes carry-on and check-in. Lastly, though the road trip is long, it gives one the real feel for Tanzania and offers a more adventurous journey to your destination, further increasing the occasion of being in the wilderness.

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