The Different Airstrips in Serengeti National Park

Due to the fact that Serengeti National Park is primarily a wilderness area, there is no Serengeti airport in or near the park. Instead, the area is served by a network of all-weather gravel airstrips. Seronera is one of Serengeti National Park’s busiest and most frequently used airstrips. Both Seronera airstrip and Serengeti Kusini airstrip are among the primary and most well-known airfields in the park. The airstrip’s airport structure serves as a lobby and houses administrative offices. There are twice-daily flights from Arusha to Serengeti, with each aircraft stopping at multiple airstrips. In addition, numerous airlines, such as Auric Air, Coastal Aviation, Flight link, and Regional Air, serve this route. Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha is the closest international airport to Serengeti and is an hour’s flight away.

Airplane spotting at Seronera airstrip in Serengeti National Park

As there are close to a dozen airstrips in Serengeti National Park, including those in the community wildlife conservancies and game ranches surrounding the main park, travelers would need to know which airstrip they should use when scheduling flights. To avoid unduly expensive and lengthy transfers, it is imperative to fly to the airport closest to your lodging. Seronera, Kogatende,Serengeti kusini, Lobo, Fort Ikoma, Sasakwa Grumeti, and Kirawira airstrips are among the most common, and the lodges and cottages that each airstrip serves are listed below.

Airstrips in Serengeti National Park

Seronera Airstrip, Serengeti

Seronera Airstrip is among Serengeti National Park’s busiest and most frequently used airstrips. The airstrip is located in Seronera, in the center of Serengeti National Park, and is only two hours by car from the Naabi hill gate and the Ndabaka gate. There is an airport structure at Seronera airstrip that serves as a lobby and houses administrative offices.

Seronera town, where the Seronera airstrip is located, has public and private campgrounds, a tourist information center, two gas stations, stores, a pharmacy, and bars that tourists may find useful. The Seronera aerodrome is five kilometers from the Seronera tourist information center. The airstrip services, among others, the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Ikoma Tented Camp, Four Seasons Serengeri Safari Lodge, Lemala Ewanjan Tented Camp, and Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas.

Kogatende Airstrip, Serengeti

In the northern portion of Serengeti National Park, Kogatende Airstrip is situated on the banks of the Mara River. The Kogatende airstrip provides convenient access to the park’s remote regions and is strategically located in the migration corridor, where hundreds of thousands of wildebeests traverse the Mara River during the great migration. Serengeti National Park’s Klein’s and Bologonja entrances are 1 km from Kogatende airstrip.

Serengeti Kusini Airstrip, Serengeti

Serengeti Kusini Airstrip is one of the most frequently utilized airstrips in Serengeti National Park, located south of the Kusini Kopjes. The aerodrome is strategically located so that, on fortunate transit days, tourists can observe the great migration. During the great wildebeest migration, the aerodrome is also close to Lake Ndutu, Lake Elemti, Lake El Dabsh, and Lake Masek, which are excellent calving grounds for wildebeests and zebras. 9 kilometers separate the Serengeti Kusini airstrip from the Maswa Game Reserve.

Lobo Airstrip, Serengeti

The Lobo Airstrip is situated in the northern-eastern region of Serengeti National Park, in the Lobo region. It takes between 30 minutes and one hour to travel from the airstrip to the park’s main entrance. Klein’s entrance is 6 kilometers from Lobo airstrip, as are Bologonja springs and Ngare Naironya springs. The airstrip services tourists visiting Serengeti National Park and neighboring tourist destinations with domestic flights.

Kirawira B Airstrip, Serengeti

The Kirawira B airstrip is a minor airstrip located in the western portion of Serengeti National Park, just north of the Grumenti River. The aerodrome is only 3 hours from Mwanza town and 1 hour from Ndabaka gate. It is also 4 kilometers from Kirawira migration cross point 1, 8 kilometers from Grumenti Game Reserve and Handajeba gate, and 7 kilometers from Bali view point.

Fort Ikoma Airstrip, Serengeti

Fort Ikoma airstrip is a tiny airstrip located north-west of Serengeti National Park that is infrequently used due to its proximity to the Seronera airstrip. Three kilometers separate the aerodrome from the Retima Hippo pool, the Nyabogati hippo pool, and the Fort Ikoma gate.

Sasakwa Grumeti Airstrip, Serengeti

Sasakwa aerodrome is situated within the Singita Grumeti Reserves, which border the western side of Serengeti National Park along the Northern Western Corridor. The area comprises 400 acres of unmatched wilderness and is a part of the famous migratory route traversed by hundreds of thousands of animals each year.