Airstrips in serengeti National park

Serengeti National Park

Airstrips in serengeti National park : One of the world’s top 10 travel wonders and one of Africa’s seven natural wonders The Serengeti,  is a region of more than 30 000 sq. km (11 500 sq m) that extends from northern Tanzania into south-western Kenya. It is home to the largest migration of terrestrial mammals in the world.   The Ngorongoro region in the south-east, the Serengeti in the west, the Masai Mara in the north, and back again are where more than 2 million mammals and their predators and dependents migrate annually.

The Serengeti is one of the most densely populated wildlife areas in the world, with over 70 large mammal species and 500 bird species calling it home. Dry and warm weather prevails in this area, with higher elevations experiencing cooler temperatures. With constant temperatures throughout the year, May to October tend to be the driest months, while March and April tend to be the wettest.

In the park, there are nine airstrips. The Grumeti, Kirawira, and Sasakwa airstrips provide service to the Western Corridor; the Kusini and Ndutu airstrips are located in the Southern Serengeti; and the Seronera, Kleins, and Kogatende airstrips provide access to the north. Arusha, a busy city close to Kilimanjaro International Airport, is served by daily flights from Regional Air Services, Air Excel, and Auric Air Services to a number of the park’s airstrips. In general, round-trip airfare ranges from $396 to $435 per person.

AIRSTRIPS IN THE SERENGETI

Seronera Airstrip:

 Even the most experienced travelers will be amazed by the wildlife and scenery. The entire ecosystem, which includes the Ngorongoro and Masai Mara, is more than twice as large as the National Park, which has a surface area of less than 15,000,000 km2.

 As you follow the Seronera River, you might have the chance to see thousands of wildebeest, zebra, Thomson gazelle, hartebeest, and impala, in addition to a leopard, lion, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, buffalo, and elephants. Accommodations near the Central Serengeti, Seronera Airstrip:

• Four Seasons Safari Lodge
• Dunia Camp by Asilia
• Naona Moru Camp
• Pioneer Camp
• Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp
• Lemala Seronera Camp
• Roving Bushtop Tented Camp
• Beyond Klain’s Camp

Kogatende Airstrip:

The Kogatende ranger post, which was constructed to resemble an old fort, is located south of the Mara River. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Wakurya, a nearby tribe, were heavily poached in this area of the Serengeti. The Wakurya tribe lost access to their customary hunting grounds when the Lamai Triangle was included in the Serengeti National Park in 1965. Because of its intimidating appearance, Kogatende was built to defend Serengeti rangers and anti-poaching patrols.

The Lamai Triangle, a triangular-shaped watershed area north of the Mara River, is where the migratory herds’ final resting place is. A vital refuge for the migration during the protracted dry season, the river forms the base of the Lamai Triangle.

Hippos in packs of over 50 are frequently spotted in the Mara, which is located about a mile to the east of the Kogatende ranger station. Giraffes in large herds are frequently spotted feeding on the acacia trees that line the river’s floodplains. The majestic elands and lumbering elephants are frequent visitors to the Mara River. Accommodations near the Kogatende Airstrip:

• Serengeti Bushtop
• Sayari Camp
• Lemala Ewanjan Camp
• Lemala Kuria Hill Camp
• Singita Mara River Tented Camp

Sasakwa Airstrip:

The prestigious Singita Grumeti Reserve properties, Sasakwa Lodge, Serengeti House, Faru Faru Lodge, and Sabora Tented Camp, are served by the Sasakwa airstrip. To the north of the Western Corridor, the Singita Grumeti Reserve, a concession area, borders the western edge of the Serengeti. It covers 350 000 acres (140 000 hectares) of vast wilderness. The famed “migration” passes through the region from roughly June to August, and the area is comparatively undeveloped.

There are breathtakingly large open plains, rocky outcrops, riverine forests, and woodlands in this area of the Serengeti. Due to its size, it sustains a year-round resident population of wildlife.

The reserve provides unparalleled privacy and exclusivity for game viewing and is accessible to guests of the lodges and camps. The five-star lodges and camps offer horseback riding, hot air balloon rides, and a variety of sports like tennis, archery, mountain biking, croquet, and badminton.

Serengeti Kusini Airstrip:

A small airstrip that is close to the Serengeti National Park’s Kusini kopjes provides a handy access point to a region with spotty road systems. Additionally, it is located where the wildebeest migration begins, allowing locals and visitors to see the vast number of them from above.

Lakes Ndutu, Masek, Elemeti, and El Dabash, all of which serve as calving areas for wildebeest and zebra, are additional nearby attractions that you could visit by plane.

Fort Ikoma Airstrip:

The Seronera airstrip is close to the small Fort Ikoma airstrip, which is situated northwest of Serengeti National Park. Given that the Seronera airstrip is so close by, the Fort Ikoma airstrip is not frequently used.

Retina Hippo Pool is about 3 kilometers from Fort Ikoma Airstrip. Since there is no ICAO code for this airport, TZ-0026 is used as a guide. Sasakwa Airport, Mugumu Airport, Kirawira B Aerodrome, Seronera Airport, and Lamai Airport are some of the nearby airfields.

Kirawira Airstrip:

A relatively small airstrip located on the western edge of Serengeti National Park, close to the Grumeti River, is called Kirawira B Airstrip, also known as Kirawira Aerodrome. One of the few air entry points into the park is provided by it.

 The Kirawira B airstrip might be exactly what you need if you’re planning a trip to the Serengeti National Park and looking for an easy and quick way to get there. One of the few air access points into the park is this small airstrip, which is situated at the western end of the park.

Lobo Airstrip:

Only 28 kilometers separate Lobo, the most breathtaking scene of wildlife in its natural state, from the Masai Mara, which is located in the northern part of the Serengeti National Park. The location of Lobo is ideal for the migration route of more than 2.5 million wildebeest, which are fighting for their lives.

Rolling hills are the main feature of the Lobo region. It is a great place to see animals from a distance because of the landscape’s undulations, especially around Lobo. Kopjes are granite hills that have been eroded by rain. They were formed millions of years ago when volcanic bubbles touched the surface and solidified. Fantastic views of the migration in the eastern grasslands can be had from these higher areas. Elephants, zebras, buffalo, gazelles, and other animals are drawn to the waterholes that are scattered throughout the area.

Grumeti Airstrip

Grumeti is located in the Serengeti National Park’s Western Corridor. Some of the largest Nile crocodiles you will ever see can be found in the Grumeti River. Some pools continue to exist throughout the dry season even though the river has dried up, giving these giants—who may go an entire year without eating—a place to stay.

 When the migration arrives in June or July, these giants have their annual feast and gobble up Wildebeest and Zebra as they approach the river to drink or try to cross it. Unsurprisingly, the main attractions in this reserve are game drives and walking safaris, which allow visitors to observe the wildlife.  Accommodations near Grumeti Airstrip.

• Kirawira Luxury Tented Camp
• Mbalageti Tented Camp
• Soroi Serengeti
• Beyond Grumeti Tented Camp
• Singita Sasakwa Lodge
• Singita Explorer Camp
• Farufaru Lodge
• Singita Sabora Tented Camp
• Singita Serengeti House

Ndutu Airstrip

The Tanzanian Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s Ndutu Airstrip gets busy especially during the calving season. Coastal Aviation will collaborate with its clients to develop alternate options, despite the fact that the timing is not ideal for tourists who want to witness the great migration as it moves south. The airline is providing flights into Lake Manyara Airfield or to the closest airstrips in the Serengeti for past and upcoming reservations. Travelers should be aware that entering Serengeti Park subjects them to park fees.

The Ndutu Region is a meeting place for these two incredible wilderness areas, extending from the unfenced southern reaches of the Serengeti National Park to the northern portion of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This region of the park is made up of acacia woodlands and rolling grasslands dotted with alkaline lakes that attract flamingo flocks. Accommodations near South Serengeti, Ndutu Airstrip

• Lake Masek Tented Lodge
• Kusini Tented Lodge
• Lemala Ndutu Camp
• Ndutu Lodge
• Woodlands Camp

IMPORTANT POINT TO NOTE:

Seronera Airstrip, Kogatende Airstrip, Sasakwa Airstrip, Lobo Airstrip, Serengeti Kusini Airstrip, Fort Ikoma Airstrip, and Kirawira Airstrip are all Serengeti Strips, but it is difficult to get transportation to or from any lodge or tented camp in the Serengeti.

This means that if you book a flight to the Serengeti and need a transfer from one of the aforementioned airstrips, the safari vehicle must travel from Arusha or Karatu to the Serengeti (it may travel 450 km from Arusha), pick you up, and then transport you for a distance of approximately 50 km or more, depending on the location of the lodge or tented camp.

For a game drive in the Serengeti, you might need a safari vehicle. My best recommendation in this situation would be to fly into the Kilimanjaro airport or the Arusha airport and then drive into the Serengeti with your private vehicle, which will serve as both a transfer vehicle and a game drive.

This means that you won’t have to pay for a flight to get to the Serengeti and can instead enjoy the scenic drive from Arusha to the Serengeti. You can also rent this vehicle for less money for the entire time you are in the Serengeti.

TRANSPORT HUBS AND DIRECTIONS

Planning Your International Flight Connections:

Kilimanjaro International Airport is the closest airport for connections to the Serengeti, but Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar also offer alternatives. Tanzania is served by a number of international airlines. You must take a domestic flight to get to the Serengeti National Park from each international airport. Depending on what time your international flight arrives, you might need to spend the night in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, or Zanzibar before taking the next day’s flight to the Serengeti.

Arrival from Kilimanjaro International (JRO): Several international airlines, including Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, and Edelweiss Air, serve Kilimanjaro International. Contact our Reservations Team for help with an airport transfer and overnight accommodations if your flight’s arrival time prevents you from taking a same-day connecting flight to Seronera Airstrip.

Arrival from Nairobi Airport (Jomo Kenyatta International): Numerous international flight connections are available from Nairobi, Kenya’s (NBO) Jomo Kenyatta International airport. From there, you can travel to Tanzania via a number of connections to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) throughout the day. Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, South African Airlines, and Swiss are examples of international airlines.

Arrival from Julius Nyerere International in Dar es Salaam (Dar): Several international airlines, including Emirates, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, South African Airlines, and KLM, offer service to Julius Nyerere International. If your international flight arrives before 7:30 am, you can take a connecting flight, which will take about two hours and leave from the domestic terminal of the airport (it’s a five-minute taxi ride from the international terminal).

LOCAL AIRLINES AND REQUIREMENTS

Air Excel, Auric Air, Coastal Aviation, Flightlink, and Regional Air are just a few of the local airlines that fly between major airports and the Serengeti airstrips on a regular basis. Please be aware that these airlines fly 9–13-passenger Cessna Grand Caravans or other comparable-sized aircraft. Each person is only allowed to bring 15 kg (33 pounds) of luggage, which must be carried in a soft-sided bag.