Wildlife
Horizon Fly-In Circuit
The northern parks in a week, with light aircraft replacing the long transfer days. You trade four hours in a vehicle for forty minutes in the air and spend the difference in the park.
About this journey
Seven days through the four northern parks with the long transfer days replaced by light-aircraft hops. You give up about nine hours in a vehicle across the week and spend them in the park instead.
Best months. June to October for dry ground and thinner grass; January and February for the calving season on the southern plains.
Pace. Gentle to moderate. Everything is seated except the walk to the aircraft.
Who this journey suits
You have a week, not a fortnight, and would rather not spend two days of it driving.
You want the headline parks — Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro — in one trip.
Light aircraft do not worry you, and a 15 kg soft bag is not a problem.
You would rather stay two nights in each place than one.
Highlights
- Light-aircraft sectors in place of the two longest drives
- Two nights in each of Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro area
- Ngorongoro Crater floor by permit, timed early to get ahead of the convoy
- Tarangire's baobab country at the end of the dry season, when the river is the only water
- A private vehicle and guide held for your party on every park day
Route
| Stop | Nights | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kilimanjaro / Arusha | 1 night | Arrive, meet your guide, and walk through the week before it starts. |
| Tarangire | 2 nights | Baobabs, elephants, and the river as the only water for miles. |
| Serengeti | 2 nights | One camp, two nights, no packing in between. |
| Ngorongoro | 1 night | Rim camp, with the crater floor on the final full day. |
How the journey flows
Every point below is a real place at its real coordinates. The coastline is simplified — this is a route diagram, not a survey map.
- Light aircraft
- Private 4×4
Boundaries and protected areas are OpenStreetMap data, stored with this site. The dashed line is the order of the route, not the road taken.
In order
- Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Arrive
- ArushaPrivate 4×4
- TarangireLight aircraft
- SerengetiLight aircraft
- Ngorongoro CraterLight aircraft
- Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Private 4×4
Flights and bush aviation
If you have not flown in a twelve-seat aircraft off a grass strip before, this is the part worth reading twice.
| Sector | In the air | Aircraft | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arusha (ARK) → Tarangire airstrip | about 25 min | Light aircraft, 12–13 seats | Replaces roughly three hours on the road. |
| Tarangire → Serengeti (strip chosen at booking) | about 60 min | Light aircraft | Which strip depends on the month and where the herds are. |
| Serengeti → Lake Manyara / Ngorongoro-area strip | about 50 min | Light aircraft | Then a road transfer up to the crater rim. |
What to expect either end
| Luggage | One soft bag of about 15 kg (33 lb) plus a small day bag on bush sectors. Soft is a requirement, not a preference — the baggage compartments are shaped, not boxes, and a hard case will not go in. The allowance is set by the operating carrier and we verify it for your sectors before you pack. Subject to confirmation. |
|---|---|
| Where a hard case goes | Into store in Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, and back to you at the end. Routine and included. |
| Boarding | A short ladder or a step onto the wing. Assistance is routine and manual: no aisle chair, no ambulift, no jet bridge. A powered wheelchair needs a separate conversation about weight, battery type and cargo-door size. |
| Delays and weather | Normal, especially in the rains. We never connect a bush strip to a same-day international departure, and nor should anybody else. |
| Weights | Operators ask for each passenger's weight before the flight. It is a load sheet calculation, not an indignity, and it is not optional. |
| The operator | Flights are flown by carriers licensed by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority. We have no contracted carrier yet, so no operator is named on this site. The operator for your sectors is named in your written proposal, before you pay. |
No airline is named on this site. Several carriers fly these routes under Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority licences, and we have no contracted relationship with any of them yet. Naming one here would imply a partnership that does not exist. The operator for your sectors is named in your written proposal, before you pay anything. (subject to confirmation)
Day by day
A starting point. Every day here can be moved, shortened or removed — open one to read what it holds.
-
Day1 Arrive at Kilimanjaro WhereArusha OvernightLodge near the airport Meals D
Met at the aircraft door. The transfer to Arusha is about 45 minutes on tar. We sit down together over dinner and go through the week, the aircraft weights and anything you want changed while changing it is still free.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
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Day2 Fly south to Tarangire WhereTarangire OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
A short hop from Arusha to the Tarangire airstrip — about 25 minutes against three hours by road. You are in the park by late morning, with an afternoon drive along the river where the elephants come down to dig.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day3 Tarangire, all day WhereTarangire OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
A full day with lunch taken back at camp rather than in the vehicle, so there is a proper break in the middle. Late afternoon is the best light of the day here, with the baobabs throwing long shadows across the grass.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day4 Into the Serengeti WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
Fly Tarangire to the Serengeti, roughly an hour with one stop. Which airstrip depends on the month and where the herds are — we pick it when we book, not now. Afternoon drive from camp.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day5 Serengeti, all day WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
Out early while the cats are still moving, back for the middle of the day, out again at four. This is the day most people describe afterwards, and it is also the day nothing is scheduled.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day6 Fly to the crater rim WhereNgorongoro OvernightRim lodge Meals BLD
A 50-minute flight to the Lake Manyara or Ngorongoro-area strip, then up to the rim. The rim sits at about 2,300 m and is noticeably colder — this matters if you have a respiratory or cardiac condition, and we will have asked already.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day7 The crater floor, then home WhereNgorongoro → Kilimanjaro Overnight— Meals BL
Down onto the floor early, before the vehicles bunch at the descent road. Up by mid-afternoon and on to Kilimanjaro by road, about four hours, or by air if your international flight is tight.
The places this journey goes
One photograph for each place on the route, in the order you reach them.
These are licensed photographs of the places themselves, credited on our photography credits page. They are not photographs of a Montero departure, vehicle or camp — we have not run this journey yet, and a gallery that implied otherwise would be worth nothing to you.
Where you would stay
Open any of these for rooms, power hours, hot water, Wi-Fi and the honest access position.
What it costs
Indicative $8,500 – $13,500 per person sharing, by season and camp standard. No price on this site has been approved, and nothing here is a quotation.
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3–4 | 5–6 | 7+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PeakJuly – October, 20 Dec – 3 Jan | On request | On request | On request | On request | On request |
| ShoulderJanuary – February, June | On request | $8,500indicative | On request | On request | On request |
| GreenMarch – May, November | On request | On request | On request | On request | On request |
Per person sharing, US dollars, two people unless stated. Excludes international flights. A single traveller pays more and a larger group pays less per head — we will tell you how much before you ask twice. No figure here has been approved: see what it costs.
What moves the price: season, how many of you there are, whether you fly or drive the long sectors, and the standard of camp. A single traveller pays more; we will say how much before you ask twice.
Access and comfort
Each line is either confirmed by our own measurement or it is not. “On request” means we will plan and cost it and nobody has measured it yet.
| Provision | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hoist-fitted vehicle | On request | Available on request and quoted separately. Not yet measured by us. |
| Step-free camps | On request | Some camps on this route have level decking. None has been measured by us, so none is confirmed. |
| Light-aircraft boarding | Partial | Two or three steps onto the wing or a short ladder, depending on the aircraft. Assistance is routine; a powered chair needs a separate conversation. |
| Crater floor toilets | Partial | Two points with grab rails. Neither is roll-in. |
| Walking safari | Not offered | Not part of this journey. |
We do not ask for a diagnosis — only for what you need. How we plan accessible journeys.
The detail
What is covered, what it involves on the ground, and the changes people most often ask for. Open whichever you need.
What is included, and what is not
Included
Private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a professional English-speaking driver-guide, for your party alone
Accommodation as described, on a full-board basis
All park, conservation and concession fees
Airport and airstrip transfers, met at the aircraft rather than at the kerb
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
24-hour local support while you are in the country
All light-aircraft sectors on the route as described
Ngorongoro Crater descent permit
Not included
Balloon flight over the Serengeti (about $600 per person — subject to confirmation)
International flights, visas and travel insurance
Tips, premium drinks and personal expenses
Optional activities such as a balloon flight, unless listed above
Emergency medical evacuation cover — strongly recommended, and not something we currently provide
Practical detail
| Light-aircraft luggage | Usually one soft bag of about 15 kg plus a small day bag. The limit varies by operator and by aircraft. |
|---|---|
| Altitude | Ngorongoro rim is about 2,300 m. Arusha is 1,400 m. Tell us about respiratory or cardiac conditions at the enquiry stage, not at check-in. |
| Longest drive | About four hours, on the last day, and only if you go to Kilimanjaro by road. |
| Park fees | Included. They are a large share of the price — see what it costs for the breakdown. |
| Vehicle | Private throughout. We do not sell seats in a shared vehicle on any journey. |
Ways to personalise this journey
The changes people actually ask for, with what each one does to the shape of the trip. Prices for these are quoted in your proposal, not here.
This itinerary is a draft. It is written to real logistics but has not yet been checked by a guide who works this circuit, and no price here has been approved. Treat every figure as indicative until we confirm it in writing.
Questions about this journey
Is the flying safe?
Light-aircraft transfers are the normal way to move around the Tanzanian parks and are flown by operators licensed by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority. Flights are cancelled or delayed for weather fairly often, which is why we build the itinerary with slack in it rather than connecting a bush strip straight to an international departure.
Can I bring a hard suitcase?
Not on the aircraft. A soft bag is a hard requirement, not a preference — the baggage compartments are shaped, not boxes. We can store a hard case in Arusha for the week.
Will I see the migration?
Depending on the month, you may be in the middle of it or several hundred kilometres from it. Nobody can guarantee it and we will tell you honestly what your dates are likely to give you. January to March puts you on the calving grounds; July to September is the river-crossing season in the north.
Is seven days long enough?
For these four parks, with the flights, yes. By road it would not be — that is the point of the fly-in version.
What if I want to add a day somewhere?
Say so. The sequence here is a draft, and almost nobody travels it exactly as written.
If this one is not quite it
Journeys that share a region or a style with this one, and the background reading for the places on the route.
Tell us what you have in mind.
One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are the right company for the trip.
Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.