Getting to Serengeti National Park

Getting to Serengeti National park

Serengeti National Park covers 14,750 square kilometers (5,700 sq mi) of grassland plains, savanna, riverine forest, and woodlands. The park lies in northwestern Tanzania, bordered to the north by the Kenyan border, where it is continuous with the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Seeking new pasture, the herds move north from their breeding grounds in the grassy southern plains. Many cross the marshy western corridor’s crocodile-infested Grumeti River. Others veer northeast to the Lobo Hills, home to black eagles. Black rhinos inhabit the granite outcrops of the Moru Kopjes. This one of the most visited African parks, because of its beauty and a large concentration of wildlife and bird species. Wild beast migration, is always the highlight of this park, including the great opportunity to spot the Big Five, in the game drive. There are many several ways to reach the park, both by road and by air. Regional air travel The favored route for a Serengeti fly-in safari is by flying from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK). From here it will take approximately 1 to 5 hours to fly to one of seven airstrips within the Serengeti National Park. All flights are operated by local airlines such as Air Excel, Coastal Aviation or Regional Air. It is also possible to fly from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO) or Wilson Airport (WIL) directly to one of Serengeti’s airstrips. When traveling from the Lake Victoria area, the favored airport is Mwanza Airport (MWZ). There are also direct flights from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and other national parks in Tanzania such as Lake Manyara and Tarangire. Serengeti fly in safaris (private airstrips) Looking for a faster and even more convenient options to get to the Serengeti? A scheduled or private charter flight is the way to go. Some of the more exclusive lodges have their own airstrip and are able to arrange direct scheduled and/or private charter flights from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) to their airstrip. Getting to Serengeti by road The most popular way to travel to Serengeti National Park by road is by booking a drive-in safari. In general, the drive-in safaris start from the town of Arusha. As it will take approximately 8 hours to travel from Arusha to the Serengeti National Park, an overnight stay at one or more wildlife sites en route is usually part of your safari itinerary. It is a bumpy ride but it’s scenic and you’ll see some wildlife on the way. As the trip takes you through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a popular option is to fly one way and drive the other way taking in an overnight stop to visit the Ngorongoro Crater. Coming from the crater, the distance to the Seronera area in the Serengeti is about 140km/90mi, and the driving time is about three hours.