Tanzania is well served by air from Europe, with three main international airports depending on your destination.
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), located between Arusha and Moshi, is the natural entry point for the Northern Circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire) and for Kilimanjaro climbs. From London, KLM (via Amsterdam), Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul) and Qatar Airways (via Doha) offer daily one-stop services in 13-15 hours total. Return fares start at £600-800 in low season (March-May), £900-1,400 in high season (July-August, December).
Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam (DAR) is the country's largest. It's served by Turkish Airlines, Emirates (via Dubai), Qatar Airways (via Doha), Ethiopian Airlines (via Addis Ababa) and KLM (via Amsterdam). It's the logical option if you combine Zanzibar and the Southern Circuit (Selous/Nyerere, Ruaha), with a 20-minute domestic flight or 2-hour fast ferry connection to Zanzibar.
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar (ZNZ) welcomes some direct flights from Europe (notably Eurowings from Cologne in season, charter flights from Milan and Madrid in high season), but most travellers arrive via connection from Dar es Salaam or Kilimandjaro on Coastal Aviation, Auric Air or Precision Air.
Once on the ground, internal transport is fairly complex for anyone wanting to move between parks and the coast. Distances are long and roads sometimes in poor condition. Internal Cessna 208 flights (Coastal Aviation, Auric Air, Regional Air) are the recommended option: they link Serengeti bush airstrips to Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar in 1-2 hours (200-400 USD/segment).
Read also
- Northern Circuit: Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire — The benchmark safari circuit: the Great Migration, the crater and Tarangire's giant baobabs.
- Zanzibar: Stone Town and turquoise beaches — The Swahili archipelago, its UNESCO alleys, spice plantations and paradise white-sand beaches.
- Kilimanjaro: Africa's roof — 5,895 m, the continent's highest peak — a legendary 5-9 day climb via Machame, Marangu or Lemosho routes.
- Dar es Salaam, Selous and the southern coast — The economic capital, Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous) — Africa's largest reserve — and Mafia Island.