How Do I Get To The Serengeti National Park? : Serengeti National Park is easily reachable despite being situated in a relatively remote area of our planet. Most safaris to the Serengeti depart from Arusha town. Flying into Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), which is located about 46 kilometers (29 miles) from Arusha, is the best way to get there. Another option is to fly into the nearby Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) and then take a domestic flight to Arusha Airport (ARK).
You have the choice of taking a less expensive flight that lands in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and one of the continent’s major transportation hubs, and then taking a shuttle bus to the town of Arusha. Typically, your tour guide will pick you up from the airport in Tanzania and arrange for all of your ground transportation needs.
Taking a small charter plane to one of the many airstrips in the park is the most practical way to travel from Arusha to the Serengeti. It will take 7 hours to drive the 325 kilometers (202 miles) from the Serengeti to Arusha. Although the majority of the trip is on bumpy dirt roads, the scenery is stunning. On your game drives to the park, you’ll be rewarded with views of wildlife. Additionally, it’s uncommon to complete a car trip in a single day. Your safari tour will typically include a day or two in another park along the way, cutting the travel time in half.
- GETTING TO THE SERENGETI BY AIR TRANSPORT
International air travel
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is situated between the cities of Moshi and Arusha, is the suggested point of entry. The distance between the airport and the southern entrance to the park is about 200 miles (320 kilometers). There are a few options for international travel, including KLM, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Royal Dutch Airlines all fly frequently. Additionally, Kilimanjaro International Airport has daily connections with Nairobi (NBO), which provides more options for international travel. British Airways, Emirates, and other airlines also fly into Tanzania’s capital city, Dar es Salaam (DAR). Please be aware that getting to Dar es Salaam might necessitate an additional overnight stay and a domestic flight on a small regional airline with luggage limitations.
Regional air travel
Arusha Airport (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) are the preferred airports for Serengeti fly-in safaris. From here, a flight to one of the seven airstrips located inside Serengeti National Park will take between one and three hours. Local airlines like Grumeti Air or Coastal Aviation run all of the flights. Please allow another 45 minutes to 2 hours for the road transfer, depending on the lodge you have chosen, as the lodge staff will pick you up and take you to your final destination once you have landed at the airstrip, and a cold drink will be waiting for you there.
Another option is to take a flight from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport (WIL) or Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO) to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). The preferred airport for travelers coming from the Lake Victoria region is Mwanza Airport (MWZ). Additionally, there are direct flights from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and other Tanzanian national parks like Tarangire and Lake Manyara.
Serengeti fly-in safaris (private airstrips)
Want to travel to the Serengeti quicker and more conveniently? The best option is a scheduled or private charter flight. Some of the more upscale lodges have their own airstrips, and direct scheduled flights as well as private charter flights can be arranged from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) to their airstrip.
Domestic flights to Serengeti National Park
Tour companies typically reserve charter flights around parks as part of your overall trip package. On the other hand, a variety of domestic airlines accept reservations, including:
- Air Tanzania
- Precision Air
- Regional Air
- ZanAir
- Safari Air Link
- Coastal Aviation
- GETTING TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK BY ROAD TRANSPORT
Serengeti drive-in safaris
Drive-in safaris are the most common way to get to Serengeti National Park by road. The drive-in safaris typically begin in the town of Arusha. The journey from Arusha to the Serengeti National Park will take approximately seven hours, so an overnight stay at one or more wildlife sites en route is typically included in your safari itinerary.
Serengeti self-drive safaris
The Serengeti National Park is reachable by rental vehicle, though it is not advised. Please be aware that driving alone through Serengeti National Park requires careful planning. To be able to access all roads all year, a 4×4 vehicle is necessary. In the southern Serengeti, Seronera is where gasoline is sold.

Serengeti National Park access gates
The Serengeti has four main entry and exit points:
Naabi Hill Gate: The main gate, and consequently the busiest, of the Serengeti Seronera is located about 45 kilometers from Naabi Hills Gate. The gate is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Ndabaka Gate: Main entrance for the Western Corridor region, 145 kilometers from Seronera and 1.5 hours’ drive from Mwanza. Please be aware that last entry is at 16h00, despite the gate being open daily from 06h00 to 18h00.
Klein’s Gate: Klein’s Gate is situated in the Serengeti’s far northeast. Please be aware that last entry is at 16h00, despite the gate being open daily from 06h00 to 18h00.
Bologonja Gate: the Bologonja Gate is located on the way to or from Kenya.
TO CONCLUDE:
The Serengeti ecosystem, one of the oldest still in existence on the planet, is proud of its diverse, unique climatic conditions and unparalleled plant and animal species that have not changed over millions of years. The discovery of Early Man’s fossils in the Olduvai Gorge, which date back up to 2 million years, makes his presence here incredibly clear. Some of the migrations, life and death patterns, and adaptations are actually as old as some of these hills.
During the brief rains in the months of October and November, more than a million wildebeests and 200,000 zebras migrate south from the northern slopes to the plains. From there, they travel west until they reach a river teeming with ravenous crocodiles, where they finally cross and come out the other side with lush, green pastures to graze on. They even experience the calving stage, which results in the rebirth of thousands of wildebeests.