Fly-in
Serengeti & Crater Fly-In Express
Four days with the highway taken out of them. Light aircraft land on bush airstrips inside the Serengeti, so game viewing starts within the hour rather than after a day in a vehicle.
About this journey
Four days with the highway taken out of them. Light aircraft land on bush airstrips inside the Serengeti, so game viewing starts within the hour instead of after a day in a vehicle.
Best months. Year round. June to October is driest and busiest; the green season is quieter and flights are more often delayed by weather.
Pace. Gentle. Everything is seated except the walk to the aircraft.
Who this journey suits
You have four days and no appetite for spending two of them driving.
You are adding a safari to a business trip or a conference in Arusha.
A 15 kg soft bag is not a problem.
You would rather see two places properly than four in passing.
Highlights
- Bush airstrips inside the park, so the first game drive is the transfer
- Two nights in the central Serengeti, which is the part that holds game year round
- A balloon flight available on the spare morning
- A rim walk on the Ngorongoro escarpment with a Maasai guide
- No sector longer than about ninety minutes, on the ground or in the air
Route
| Stop | Nights | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Serengeti (Seronera) | 2 nights | Central plains, cats, and the balloon. |
| Lake Manyara / Ngorongoro area | 1 night | Rim or escarpment, and the crater. |
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
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
- Arusha (ARK)Arrive
- Seronera (SEU)Light aircraft
- Ngorongoro CraterLight aircraft
- Arusha (ARK)Light aircraft
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) → Seronera (SEU) | about 90 min with one stop | Light aircraft, 12–13 seats | Lands inside the park; the drive to camp is the first game drive. |
| Seronera (SEU) → Lake Manyara / Ngorongoro-area strip | about 50 min | Light aircraft | Road transfer up to the rim on arrival. |
| Ngorongoro area → Arusha (ARK) | about 40 min | Light aircraft | Or by road, about four hours, if your departure allows. |
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 Fly straight in WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals LD
Met at Kilimanjaro or Arusha and onto a light aircraft, about an hour and a half with one stop. You land on a strip in the central Serengeti and the drive to camp is the first game drive. Afternoon out.
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.
-
Day2 Serengeti, all day WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
Out early, back for the heat, out again at four. The balloon, if you have booked it, goes this morning.
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 Fly to the crater WhereNgorongoro area OvernightRim lodge Meals BLD
A morning drive, then about 50 minutes in the air to the Manyara or Ngorongoro-area strip. Up to the rim in the afternoon, with a short escarpment walk if the light holds.
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 The crater floor, then out WhereNgorongoro → Arusha Overnight— Meals BL
Down at first light for the floor, up by early afternoon, then fly or drive to Arusha for the onward connection. Leave a margin: bush strips and tight international departures do not mix.
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
Price on request — quoted on your dates, party size and camp standard. No price on this site has been approved, and nothing here is a quotation.
No price is published for this journey. It is quoted on your dates, the size of your party, how much of it you fly, and the standard of camp — and those four move the figure by a very large margin. Rather than print a range nobody has stood behind, we will build you a written, itemised quotation. It is free, and it is not a booking.
All quotations are per person sharing, in US dollars, and exclude international flights. A single traveller pays more and a larger group pays less per head. See what it costs for where the money actually goes.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Light-aircraft boarding | Partial | A ladder or a wing step onto a small aircraft. Assistance is routine and manual — no aisle chair, no ambulift. A powered chair needs a separate conversation about weight and door size. |
| Hoist-fitted vehicle | On request | Possible in the Serengeti and expensive, because the vehicle has to be positioned. We would price it honestly. |
| Step-free rooms | On request | Not confirmed at any property on this route. |
| Crater floor toilets | Partial | Two points with grab rails. Neither is roll-in. |
| Escarpment walk | Not offered | Uneven, sloping ground. Not step-free and we will not describe it as such. |
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 as described
Ngorongoro Crater descent permit
Guided escarpment walk
Not included
Balloon flight, which is an optional extra on day 2
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
| Luggage | One soft bag of about 15 kg plus a small day bag on every sector. A hard case will not fit the compartment. |
|---|---|
| Flight delays | Normal, especially in the rains. Never connect a bush strip to a same-day international departure. |
| Altitude | Ngorongoro rim about 2,300 m for one night. |
| Why it costs what it costs | Four days with three flights carries most of a week’s fixed costs. Short does not mean cheap. |
| Price | Not set. Quoted on your dates and party size. |
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 four days really worth it?
By air, yes. By road it would not be, which is the whole argument for this itinerary. You get roughly three full game-viewing days out of four calendar days.
How small are the aircraft?
Usually twelve to thirteen seats, sometimes fewer. They fly low, the views are excellent, and they are affected by weather far more than a jet.
Can we add Zanzibar?
Yes, and it is one more flight. Four days of safari plus three on the coast is a good week.
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.