Serengeti - getting there
 

I'm struggling in understanding how to best reach the Northern or Central part of the Serengeti.

We would be flying from the UK. Am I correct in saying we can either fly to Dar and then to Arusha and then small flight in to the Serengeti OR we can fly to NBO then Arusha then small flight to Serengeti?

I'm travelling with someone who hates flying. Is this the only practical way to do this? Is it possible to drive from Arusha via somewhere where we can stay the night and still have some sort of game drive.

If we wanted to include Tarangire too does that just make it worse with the number of flights?

When do you wish to travel? Determines where best to visit in the Serengeti. How many total days in Tanzania?

If time enough to visit more than just the Serengeti, you can do a driving itinerary with stops at parks as: Tarangire (2/nts), Manyara (1/nt), Ngorongoro Crater (1-2/nts), then onto the Central and Northern Serengeti (minimum 3/nts). Then fly back from Serengeti to Arusha and homebound out of JRO, or flight back to DAR or NBO.

If arriving at DAR, then you need a small plane to Northern Tanzania area from where safaris commence. If arriving NBO, you can do a road transfer (5/hrs) to Arusha or fly (50/min) to JRO where you'd be met to commence safari or (depending on time) connect to flight to Serengeti.

Much depends on how much time you have in-country and budget as to whether you drive or fly. But distances are long, on not always very good roads, besides there aren't airstrips everywhere, i.e., at Ngorongoro.

Hope this helps to get started.

Thanks Sandi.

We probably won't have as long as we'd wish (mainly due to budget), possibly 8 or 9 nights. Time of year would be October, which is why I thought the Northern part would be best.

We don't really like to move around too much so I'd probably try to stick to a 3 centre trip. I'm now wondering whether it's going to be better to save Tanzania for when we have more time and money!

You could also hop over to Amsterdam and fly right into JRO (Kilimanjaro), spending the night in Arusha, before getting an early start the next morning (this dispenses with getting a visa for Kenya, which you'd need if you did a land transfer from NBO). I do think flying is the easiest way to get from Arusha to the Serengeti. Perhaps you could fly from Arusha to the western-most area of the Serengeti you intend to visit, then arrange for car transfers between camps/lodges and move eastward back toward Arusha in increments?

Good luck, Steve

Really no need to be in the Western Serengeti in October. If/when the game starts returning from the Mara, they mostly come down from the northern Serengeti to the Central area.

Whether you drive out from Arusha towards the Serengeti, or fly out to the Serengeti and work your way back to Arusha... gotta get into those small planes. You can certainly drive back from the northern Serengeti, but this is long, bumpy, dusty, tiring and takes up a full day, if the tour operator will even allow their guide to drive that many hours; reputable operators won't.

If arriving at Nairobi, you'll have to get to Tanzania. This can be by 5/hr shuttle bus ($30/person*) drive to Arusha or 50/minn flight (approx. $275/person*) to Kilimanjaro

* that's one-way; add in the return trip by road or air

If arriving Nairobi, you'll need a Kenyan Visa and Yellow Fever inoc and proof of same to enter Tanzania and again returning to Nairobi.

As poster above, you can always fly from UK to AMS and on KLM fly direct into JRO.

We are flying to Arusha on January 24 and will do a six day/five night safari in northern Tanzania with Roy's Safaris. We will drive from Arusha to Manyara, then to Serengeti and finally to Ngorongoro. We used the attached chart to better understand the viewing and the weather we might expect.

This chart that was posted for me earlier. It shows the best wildlife viewing throughout the year in Africa. Check out Tanzania.
http://www.africa-adventure.com/dsp_besttime.html

Thanks everyone. I think getting there via Arusha seems easiest and then combining some of the other parks rather than just going to the Serengeti will make the best use of the long journey.