| The most common way of travelling to Kenya
or Tanzania
in East
Africa is by scheduled airline flights. Airlines fly to Nairobi,
Mombasa,
Kilimanjaro,
Dar
es Salaam or Zanzibar
from different parts of the world. Some charter companies fly to Mombasa and Zanzibar.
Air fares and seat availability
Book your flight ticket early,
if possible. Seats on the scheduled flights are often sold out, and the least
expensive ticket classes are usually sold first. The difference between buying
six months and the day before travelling may be a few hundred USD. Seasons
Make sure to book your flight ticket in time if you want to travel during
peak seasons. The flights during Christmas and New Year may already be full in
October. Prices are highest for flights during approx. 15 December to
10 January, and 1 July to 10 September. Prices are lowest from approx. 1 April
to 30 June (April to May is a rainy season in East Africa). Charter
tours
Charter tours to East Africa are usually coastal holidays, to witch
you may add-on a safari. The safaris sold this way by the charter companies are
usually quite short. You are not restricted to these, though, but may
book a safari of your liking with a safari travel
company in your home country, or with a tour
operator in Kenya or Tanzania. A good safari may cost you as much as or
more than your charter tour. 
Flying to inland Kenya
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO/HKJK) outside Nairobi is the most
common point of entry in Kenya. This is the most convenient place to fly for safaris
in most parts of Kenya, and for Mount
Kenya climbs. A number of international airlines operate the airport,
which is located a 30-minute drive from central Nairobi. From Nairobi,
local East African airlines can fly you to for example Mombasa on the coast and
to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar in Tanzania. Connecting to airborne safaris
Airborne safaris start from Wilson Airport (WIL/HKNW), a 30-minute transfer
drive from Jomo Kenyatta International. Connections to the coast
There are domestic flights from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson
Airport to Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu on the coast.
| Airlines flying to Nairobi: | | ·
Air India | | · Air Tanzania |
| · British Airways |
| · Emirates | | ·
Ethiopian Airlines | | ·
Kenya Airways | | · KLM |
| · Sabena |
| · Saudi Arabian Airlines |
| · South African Airways |
| · Swiss Air | | ·
Uganda Airlines | Flying
to the Kenyan coast
Moi International Airport (MBA/HKMO) just outside
Mombasa on the Kenyan coast is mainly operated by domestic airlines and charter
companies. Most tourist passengers come for a beach holiday, but some parks
(especially Tsavo) may easily be visited by road from
Mombasa. Airborne safaris to for example Tsavo and Masai
Mara also start from Moi International.
| Airlines flying to Mombasa: | |
· Air Europe | | ·
Austrian Airlines | | ·
Britannia Airways | | ·
British Airways | | · Brussels
Airlines | | · Condor |
| · Corsairfly |
| · Edelweiss Air | | ·
Eurofly | | · Kenya Airways |
| · LTU |
| · Malév Hungarian Airlines |
| · Monarch Airlines | | ·
Oman Air | 
Flying to northern Tanzania
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO/HTKJ) is the most convenient destination
for safaris in northern Tanzania (Serengeti,
Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara
and Tarangire), and for Kilimanjaro
climbing tours. The airport is located a 45-minute drive east of Arusha,
the city where most safaris in this area start. KLM has daily scheduled
flights from Amsterdam, operated with MD-11's or, occasionally, Boeing 777's.
These flights land in the evening, so you need to stay a night in a hotel or lodge
in the Arusha–Moshi
area before activities such as safaris or mountain climbs can begin. No
other airline has scheduled flights directly to Kilimanjaro from outside of Africa.
The most common non-direct options are flying to Kilimanjaro via Addis Abeba in
Ethiopia (Ethiopian Airlines), via Nairobi in Kenya (a number of European, Asian
and African airlines), or via Dar es Salaam (a few European airlines).
Some of these airlines allow you to arrive in the morning, so it's possible to
begin the local activities at once; there is time enough that day to travel to
and even do some game
driving in Tarangire or Lake
Manyara, or to travel to the Ngorongoro Crater.
Nairobi–Arusha shuttle
There are also scheduled shuttle
busses from Nairobi in Kenya to Arusha in Tanzania. That means, you can fly to
Nairobi and from there continue to Arusha in Tanzania by bus. This is a cheaper
option than continuing to Arusha by air plus airport transfer. The travel time
by bus is 4–5 hours. We ourselves prefer to avoid these shuttle services
for safety reasons. Speed is often too high, considering the narrow road and the
poor paving. Connecting to airborne safaris
Many safari flights
to the parks in northern Tanzania don't depart from Kilimanjaro International,
but from the domestic airport in Arusha (ARK/HTAR). The transfertime between these
airports is about one hour.
| Airlines flying to Kilimanjaro: | |
· Air Tanzania | | ·
Ethiopian Airlines | | ·
KLM | | · Condor |
Flying to southern Tanzania
For safaris in southern Tanzania (Mikumi, Selous
and Ruaha), flying to Julius Nyerere International Airport
(DAR/HTDA) in Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian coast is most convenient. A few airlines
fly there from outside Africa. From Dar es Salaam, you can continue to
these parks by the main road to Zambia, or (for Selous and Ruaha) by scheduled
flights in smaller safari aircraft from Julius Nyerere International.
| Airlines flying to Dar es Salaam: |
| · Air Tanzania | | ·
British Airways | | · Ethiopian
Airlines | | · Kenya Airways |
| · KLM |
| · Swiss Air | Flying
to Zanzibar
Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ/HTZA), or Kisauni
Airport, is mainly operated by domestic airlines (for example from Arusha, Kilimanjaro
and Dar es Salaam) and charter companies. There is also an interesting connection
to Nairobi, allowing safari-goers in Kenya to easily continue their holiday on
the beaches of Zanzibar. There are safari flights from Zanzibar (via a
touchdown in Dar es Salaam) to Selous and Ruaha
in southern Tanzania. When departing from Zanzibar International Airport,
you have to pay a local departure tax. It's USD 30 (in December 2007) per person
for international flights, and USD 5 for flights within Tanzania.
| Airlines flying to Zanzibar: | |
· Air Tanzania | | ·
Air Italy | | · Belair Airlines |
| · Blue Panorama Airlines |
| · Condor |
| · Edelweiss Air | | ·
Eurofly | | · Kenya Airways |
| · Livingston Airlines |
| · Neos |
| · South African Airways | Transfer
to and from airports
Most safari tour packages include all necessary
airport transfers. If not included, there are shuttle and taxi services between
the airports and cities. Shuttle services are the least expensive, costing USD
10–20 one way. 
Flying within East Africa
Many
safari-goers combine activities in different parts of East Africa, for example
a safari and a beach holiday. Local airlines offer good flight connections between
the most frequented safari areas, beach resort areas and cities, and between the
East African countries. More about safaris
by air | 
