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| Cessna Caravan on Seronera Airstrip in Serengeti National Park. |
Most fly-in safaris in northern Tanzania (to Serengeti,
Ngorongoro, Lake
Manyara and Tarangire) start from Arusha
Airport (ARK/HTAR) just outside Arusha. Some start from Kilimanjaro International Airport
(JRO/HTKJ) a 45-minute drive east of Arusha.
Fly-in safaris in southern Tanzania (to Selous,
Ruaha and Saadani)
start from Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam (DAR/HTDA). Some flights
operate the bush from Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ/HTZA) via Dar es Salaam.
These main airports have good connections with for exampel Europe, Zanzibar and Nairobi,
allowing for convenient itineraries.
More about safaris by air
Flying or travelling by road?
Flying is a comfortable means of transport compared to safari vehicles on bush roads.
It's also much faster – Arusha to central Serengeti is an hour by air, and some
7 hours by road. In southern Tanzania, travelling to Selous and Ruaha by road takes
even longer, and flying is the option preferred by most.
What you don't get when flying is the experience of travelling the Tanzanian countryside
and bush, passing through towns and villages, stopping to bargain for a bunch of local
bananas, and smelling the soil. The aerial views cannot fully match the scenery along
the road – especially northern Tanzania offers many stunning views. Some safari-goers
mix travelling by road and air, to get the benefits of both.
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| Taking off from Selous Game Reserve. |
Arriving in the parks
Safari-goers arriving by air are met on the airstrip and driven to the lodge or camp
for checking in. Should your flight be rerouted to a different airstrip, the staff meeting
you goes there, too.
Game viewing
The game viewing on fly-in safaris may be organized in two different ways. You may either
join the game drives organized by the lodge or camp that you are staying in, or do game
drives with a vehicle and guide from Anderson's. The latter comes at a higher cost,
and at the advantage of having a vehicle at your disposal for exclusive use, for outings,
full-day game drives etc.
Sheduled safari flights
Most scheduled safari flights operate a number of airstrips en route, but land only
where passangers are to be picked up or dropped.
Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire in northern Tanzania have good flight services.
Ngorongoro Airstrip is unreliable, as clouds and mist on the Ngorongoro Crater rim may
prevent landing and take-off. If the strip is closed, the flights are rerouted to Lake
Manyara Airstrip.
Southern Tanzania has scheduled flights to Selous, Ruaha and Saadani.
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| Chartered light aircraft in Mikumi National Park. |
Chartered safari flights
Chartering an aircraft is mainly of interest if you prefer to travel independently or
to visit parks that are not serviced by scheduled flights, for example Mikumi
or Katavi.
Some select lodges and tented camps have their own nearby airstrip for clients arriving
by chartered flights.
The aircraft
The safari flights are operated by light aircraft. Most are single propeller, such as
the common Cessna Caravan, but dual propeller and turboprop aircraft are also seen.
Small 4 to 6-seaters may be used for some chartered flights.
The airstrips
The bush airstrips in the parks are unpaved grass or dirt strips. Large parks, such
as Serengeti and Selous, have several airstrips.
The bush airstrips don't have customs or immigrations facilities, so direct safari flights
from neighbouring countries such as Kenya or Uganda into the Tanzanian parks are not
possible.
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| The active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai seen from the air. |
Our itineraries
Anderson's offers fly-in safaris to all parks that have a dependable airstrip and accommodation
facilities. Besides our set fly-in intineraries to the main parks, we can tailor an
itinerary for you that includes those parks that you want to visit, the lodges or camps
of your choice, chartered flights, etc.
The lodges and camps
Lodges and tented camps offer hotel-like accommodation in the bush. The rooms in lodges
are in buildings, for example bungalows, while the rooms in tented camps are in tents.
Most rooms are doubles or twins, but singles, triples and family rooms are also often
available.
The level of comfort starts from a tourist standard that includes private rooms/tents
with normal beds, private bathrooms with hot showers, and meals served in restaurants.
Other lodges and camps offer a high level of luxury.
Common facilities in lodges and tented camps are restaurants, bars, receptions and souvenir
shops. Some have swimming pools, and some have observation decks or platforms for viewing
game in the surrounding bush.
More about lodges and camps
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| Safari-goers on a bush airstrip. |
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