Getting around
An hour in a light aircraft can replace most of a day on the road — and the view from the window, over crater walls, rivers and open plains, is a game drive of its own.
Tanzania is big, and its greatest parks lie far apart. Flying between them turns long road transfers into short hops, so your days go to game viewing rather than transit. The difference is sharpest in the Serengeti: the road from Seronera to Kogatende in the north takes roughly 4–5 hours, while the flight takes about one. In the south and west — Ruaha, Nyerere, Mahale — flying is often the only practical way in.
Scheduled light-aircraft services link most airstrips, and private charters add flexibility. When you land, you pair with a guide and vehicle: either the camp’s own guides, or your private guide, who has driven ahead to meet you. Many of the routes in our itineraries mix the two, driving the shorter northern legs and flying the long ones.
Fly-In Safari
We design the route and book seats on scheduled services or a private charter.
You are driven to the airstrip, where luggage and passengers are weighed.
The aircraft may stop at other airstrips to drop off or collect passengers.
You land, meet your guide and vehicle, and often start game viewing on the drive to camp.
At the end, you fly back to Arusha, Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam — or on to Zanzibar.
Fly-In Safari
Parks
Tanzania’s great plains: the stage for the Great Migration and outstanding big-cat country in every season.
Explore
Tanzania’s wild south at its most dramatic: baobab hills, sand rivers, big lion prides and space to yourself.
Explore
Boat safaris on the Rufiji, walks with an armed ranger and some of Africa’s wildest country, a short flight from the coast.
Explore
Wild chimpanzees, forest-clad mountains and white-sand beaches on Lake Tanganyika, reached only by plane and boat.
ExploreSafaris
Arusha · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti · Northern Serengeti
Travelers who want the migration at the center of the trip, whatever month they can travel
Arusha · Western Serengeti · Central Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater
Travelers who value space, privacy and expert guiding over a long list of parks
Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti · Northern Serengeti
Travelers set on seeing a river crossing, with the patience to wait for one
Dar es Salaam · Nyerere · Ruaha
Second-time safari travelers and anyone who wants wilderness without crowds
Nairobi · Masai Mara · Kilimanjaro Airport · Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti
Travelers who want the Mara and the Serengeti in one well-connected trip
Good to know
If time is short or your parks are far apart, usually yes, because it trades long road days for more time in the field. On compact northern routes, a mix of driving and flying often gives the best balance of scenery and ease.
Not necessarily. You can use the camps’ guides in each area, or have your private guide and vehicle drive ahead to meet you. We explain the trade-offs when we plan your route.
Some operators can carry excess weight at extra cost or if you book an additional seat, depending on the flight load. It is usually simpler to store extra bags and travel light.
Aircraft are small, usually single- or twin-engine planes flown by pilots experienced in bush conditions, with seats close to the windows. Expect a few bumps on warm afternoons and occasional weather delays, which are part of sound safety practice.
Experiences
In the air
Drift over the Serengeti at first light as the plains wake beneath you, then land for a champagne breakfast in the bush.
After dark
Head out after dark with a red-filtered spotlight to find the bush’s nocturnal cast — genets, bushbabies, hunting predators and, with luck, an aardvark.
On foot
Leave the vehicle behind and read the bush up close with an armed ranger — tracks, birdcalls and the thrill of being on foot in big-game country.
Share when you want to travel, who is coming and what you hope to see. A safari specialist will design a private Tanzania journey around you — no obligation, and nothing booked until you approve it.
Start Designing My Safari