Travel from Dar es Salaam to Serengeti Most Efficiently Today in 2024

Dar to Serengeti/Dar es Salaam to Serengeti Distance/How Far Is Serengeti from Dar es Salaam?

The road distance between Dar es Salaam and Naabi Hill gate (which is where you would normally enter the Serengeti from when driving from Dar) is 891 kilometers.

Are you wondering how to get from Dar es Salaam to the Serengeti? If so, you are in the right place. This post is about how to get to the Serengeti National Park from several Tanzanian/East African cities.

If you haven’t yet processed your visa for Tanzania, click here to view visa requirements for your country as well as to process it online if necessary.

How to Get from Dar es Salaam to Serengeti/How to Get to Serengeti from Dar es Salaam?

The easiest way to get to the Serengeti from Dar es Salaam is to fly there.

Dar es Salaam to Serengeti National Park Flight

Coastal Aviation, a local Tanzanian airline, flies daily from Dar es Salaam to several places in the Serengeti.

Dar es salaam to Serengeti by Road/Dar es Salaam to Serengeti Drive

Alternatively, you can travel from Dar es Salaam to the Serengeti by road (this is a long journey!) The journey takes about 17 hours.

Another alternative is to travel part of the way by air, to either Kilimanjaro International Airport, Arusha Airport, or Mwanza International Airport, and then drive the rest of the way from those airports. This reduces the travel time from Dar es Salaam to the Serengeti significantly, if you choose not to fly there directly!

Mwanza to Serengeti Distance

If you would like to know the distance between Mwanza and the Serengeti National Park, click here.

How to Reach Serengeti from Mwanza

There are several ways to get to the Serengeti National Park from Mwanza. You can either fly there or get there by road.

Mwanza is only 2 hours away from the Ndabaka Gate of the Serengeti National Park. The road between these two places is good and makes for an easy drive.

Entering the Serengeti at its Ndabaka Gate takes you to what is known as the Serengeti’s Western Corridor.

The Western Corridor of the Serengeti is quite different in nature from Seronera, and the central plains of the Serengeti, but still makes for interesting animal sightings as well as interesting vegetation.

You can find some pictures I took in this part of the Serengeti here.

To enter the Serengeti at its Ikoma Gate, coming from Mwanza, takes quite a bit longer than driving to the Ndabaka Gate.

The drive from Mwanza to the Ikoma Gate is about four and a half hours long.

This is where you want to enter the Serengeti, though, if your plan is to get to Seronera or, more generally, to the central plains of the Serengeti.

Mwanza to Serengeti National Park by Air

The Serengeti National Park has seven airstrips so it is easy to fly between Mwanza and the Serengeti.

Coastal Aviation and Auric Air operate flights between Mwanza and the Serengeti.

These flights are not regularly scheduled, though, and are dependent on demand. Contact these airlines for more information.

This would take much longer but could be cheaper than flying between these two cities.

How to Reach Serengeti by Road from Arusha

So how about getting from Arusha to the Serengeti by road?

Serengeti Self-Drive Safaris

Although not recommended, especially for those visiting the Serengeti for the first time, the Serengeti National Park is accessible when travelling by rental or personal vehicle.

Please keep in mind that careful planning is necessary when driving by yourself through the Serengeti National Park.

A 4×4 vehicle is required to be able to access all roads throughout the year.

Petrol is sold at Seronera in the Southern Serengeti.

I have participated in two self-drive safaris through the Serengeti, myself–I am Tanzanian–and I found it both easy enough and quite enjoyable.

Mombasa to Serengeti

There are several ways to get from Mombasa to the Serengeti but none that are particularly easy or straightforward.

To drive between these two locations takes at least 12 hours of drive time including a crossing of an international border.

This journey involves crossing the Kenya/Tanzania border at Taveta and then heading west through Arusha, Ngorongoro and into the Serengeti.

There are no direct flights between Mombasa and the Serengeti, so to fly between these two locations, you would first have to fly to either Nairobi or Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) in Tanzania, from which you can then catch a connecting flight to the Serengeti.

Coastal Aviation flies directly from Nairobi to the Serengeti, as for flights from KIA to the Serengeti, you can find out more about those here.

Photo Credits: Garnet Tours Tanzania (LTD)

4 comments

Sean Lu says:

April 22, 2012 at 08:20

This was a very well written and descriptive wall post. The way you were able to put your words together and describe the beautiful sights that you were able to experience on this trip was riveting. These experiences are not given to many people especially in the United States where much of nature’s beauty has been torn down for buildings and modernization. Reading the animals that you saw along with the pictures, made it seem like I was actually there and was able to see the same beauties you were blessed to see.

After reading your post, it brought me back to some of the beautiful sceneries that I have been so lucky to see. Most of them were not in the United States and it’s a shame that all of the nature that once covered the land has disappeared. Your post was able to emphasize the kind of awe that it inspired within you when you traveled around these parks and makes me want to also see these animals.

I’m very glad I took the time to read your amazing post. After reading it, I hope to be able to travel to Africa sometime in my life and visit these parks sometime.

Biche says:

April 23, 2012 at 16:20

Hi Sean,

Welcome to ChickAboutTown! I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I hope it inspires you to visit the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater one day!

When you mention beautiful sceneries and the US in the same sentence, you make me think of some of the stunning sceneries I saw while traveling by train through New England (especially during Fall!). Although a lot of nature in the US has been destroyed by urbanization, I think there’s still a lot to see if you make a point to look out for it.

Thanks for your comment! 🙂

Biche

Vissu says:

December 14, 2015 at 10:03

I Am Very Glad To Read Your Article,I Like Road Trip Travel,Well Descriptive Post,thanks for your post…

1. Biche says:
  
  December 14, 2015 at 16:21
  
  Hi Vissu,
  
  Welcome to Chick About Town ! I am glad you enjoyed this post. Please share it with your friends and followers on social media–I’d very much appreciate it.
  
  Biche