Airstrips in Nyerere National Park : It easy for travelers to travel between Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Nyerere national park.
Nyerere national park is served by a network of all weather gravel airstrips accommodation flights from Dar es Salaam or Arusha to the park, these airstrips include
- Mtemere Airstrip
- Matambwe airstrip
- Sumbazi airtrip
- Kiba Airstrip
- Beho Beho Airstrip
- Siwandu airstrip and
- Stigler’s George airstrip
These airstrips also serve Selous game reserve, this route is served by several airstrips including Regional Air, Coastal Aviation, Safari Air Link and Auric Air.
Note: The nearest international airstrip to Nyerere national park is Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and it is a flight of one hour to the park.
Travelers planning on traveling to Nyerere national park by flying, it is important to know which airstrip they are flying too. It is very important to fly to an airstrip near your accommodation to avoid unnecessary long and expensive transfers.
Below are the airstrips serving Nyerere national park
Mtemere Airstrip
Mtemere Airstrip is the most frequently used airstrip for visitors flying to Nyerere national park as well as Selous game reserve, both located in Southern Tanzania. These geographical coordinates of Mtemere airstrip are 07 45 01S 038 12 47E.
Matambwe Airstrip
Matambwe Airstrip also known as Selous Matambwe Airstrip and SE3 by its IATA Code is a regional airport also serving tourists to both Nyerere national park and Selous game reserve, the airstrip is located in Selous Region in the Southern Circuit part of Tanzania.
Sumbazi Airstrip
Sumbazi Airstrip is situated within Selous Game reserve thus serving tourists to both Selous Game reserve and Nyerere national park, the airstrip is served by scheduled flights from Arusha, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Ruaha. Sumbazi Airstrip also serves several camps and lodges which are situated inside the reserve and these include The Retreat Selous Camp.
Kiba Airstrip
Kiba Airstrip also known as Kiba Airport and SE2 as by its IATA Code is a regional airport located in the Selous Region in the Southern Circuit part of Tanzania, this airstrip is served by daily flight from Dar es Salaam, Ruaha, Zanzibar and Northern Tanzania. Kiba airstrip serves several camps and lodges situated inside Selous Game reserve and Nyerere national park and these include Kiba Point Selous Camp and Sand River Camp.
Beho Beho Airstrip
Beho Beho Airstrip is another airstrip located inside Selous Game Reserve with airstrip coordinates S 07 40 25.9 E 037 55 14, this airstrip mainly serves guests staying at Beho Beho camp.
Siwandu Airstrip
Siwandu airstrip mainly serves clients staying at the Siwandu Main Camp, the airstrip is located on the shores of Lake Nzerakera in the northern section of the Nyerere national park in Southern Tanzania. The GPS coordinates of Siwandu Airstrip are 7° 41 ’27 ” S – 38 ° 08 ’21 ” E. Rwy 1200m, elev SL, 18/36.
Stiegler’s Gorge Airstrip
Stiegler’s Gorge Airport also known STG as by its code IATA is a regional airport serving mainly tourists staying at Stiegler’s Gorge, the airstrip is a regional airport located in the Selous Region in Southern Circuit of Tanzania.
Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar Es Salaam (Code DAR)
Julius Nyerere International Airport ( DAR) is the international airport of Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, the airport is located approximately 12 kilometers southwest of the city center. Julius Nyerere International Airport serves flights to destinations in Africa, Europe and Middle East. The airport has a terminal specifically set aside to handle all the domestic and regional flights with a capacity of handling about 1.5 passengers.
Schedule of Flights
All airline offering flights to Nyerere national park have morning and afternoon flight with the same aircraft turning back to Dar es Salaam after each and every flight, the flight time from Dar es Salaam to Nyerere national park is approximately 1 hour. Though the actual flight time depends on how many stops the flight will make, these are known as hops as they land to drop or pick up passengers from various airstrips in the reserve.
Most flights to Nyerere national park limit stops to the fewest possible so that the timing of an hour is practically fairly accurate.
Schedule of flights to Nyerere national park
(Daily flights and approximate timings)
| Flights | From | To | Departure | Arrival |
| Morning Flight | Dar es Salaam | Nyerere | 10:00 | 11:00 |
| Nyerere | Dar es Salaam | 11:00 | 12:15 | |
| Afternoon Flight | Dar es Salaam | Nyerere | 14:45 | 15:45 |
| Nyerere | Dar es Salaam | 15:45 | 17:00 |
Summary of Tanzania’s season
- High Season: 16 December – 31 March & 1 July – 31 October
Low Season: 1 April – 30 June & 1 November – 15 December
Note: if you intend flying to Nyerere national park in the peak season, you are advised to booking your flights early enough to secure seats.
Airlines operating flights to Nyerere national park
Domestic and chartered flight to Nyerere national park are operated by several companies including
- Regional Air
- Coastal Aviation
- Safari Air Link and
- Auric Air
