How to get to Nyerere National Park : Nyerere national park formerly the northern part of Selous Game Reserve is the largest national park in the world and one of the world’s largest wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, the park covers an area of 30,893 square kilometers stretching through the big part of Liwale District in western Lindi Region.
Nyerere national park is a very rewarding Tanzania safari destination to visit once in a life time, the park is a very accessible Tanzania safari destination from Dar es Salaam. From Dar es Salaam it is a distance of 230 kilometers to the nearest entry point of the park. however the distance from Dar es Salaam to the park depends on the entry gate one plans to use to get to the park.
A road trip to Nyerere national from Dar es Salaam takes about 5 hours to the one of the nearer entry gates of the park, road conditions are not in very good conditions in some places with the last 75 kilometers to the park being on a bumpy gravel road.
Another means to get to the park apart from driving, is by flying. Flying to the park is the most popular and convenient way to get to the park being only 1 hour flight from Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to different airstrips serving the park.
Below is the information on how to get to the park by road and air from Dar es Salaam.
By Road from Dar Es Salaam To Nyerere National Park
For tourists on a Tanzania safari, Nyerere national park can be accessed on road from either Dar es Salaam or Arusha, the road is regularly graded making it to be in good conditions, and however it can be hard to navigate during the main rainy season of April & May. The distance of the route from Dar es Salaam varies from 184 kilometers to 230 kilometers depending on the gate or entry you want to use to access the park, the journey takes
- approximately 6 hours to reach most of the park’s gates such as Mtemere and Matembwe
- approximately 6 – 6.5 hours to reach gates found on the northern side of Selous game reserve
From Dar es Salaam there is a direct route which covers a distance of 240 kilometers/149 miles, this route follows the eastern road. This route takes you through Kibiti and Mloka to Mtemere gate which you will use to access the park, the drive along this route is bumpy and long taking about 6 to 7 hours (nearly half a day’s drive).
If you are interested in combining the park with other Tanzania game parks located in the Southern Safari Circuit such as Ruaha national park and Mikumi national park you can use an alternative route that goes through Morogoro Town via Kisaki and Mkuyuni, then access the park using Matambwe Gate.
Approximate driving hours to Nyerere national park
- From Dar es Salaam to Nyerere Park using Matemere Gate, it is a drive of approximately 5-5.5 hours
- From Dar es Salaam to Nyerere Park using Matembwe Gate, it is a drive of approximately 6-7 hours.
Road Conditions
Before driving to the park, the condition of the roads is what most clients first worry about during the process of planning their safari, the good news is most of the route leading to the park is actually a tarred road starting with highway A104, B3 and C12, except the last section which is approximately 1 hour drive.
The tarmac portion of this road, however is in sub standard condition in certain places including a few stretches with potholes. The last potion which is unpaved can be bumpy and dusty, this simply adds more adventure to your African wilderness.
Safari Vehicles
For most safaris in Tanzania including to Nyerere national park, there are 2 basic types of vehicles commonly used in safaris in Tanzania and East Africa as well that are the safari Tour minibuses (Tour vans) and the 4X4 Safari Jeeps (Land Cruiser) also commonly known as Landrover vehicles.
All these vehicles have built in, pop up roof hatches for excellent game viewing. During game drives, the driver opens the pop up roof hatches for easy and clear views of the game. These vehicles also have UHF Radio Calls and Cooler boxes.
These two types of vehicles vary in prices with the tour van costing less than the four wheel drive safari jeep, some of the tour vans also come with 4X4 capability, albeit with the lack of ground clearance or off road ability that comes with a land cruiser. Both types of safari vehicles accommodate a set of 7 passengers maximum, 6 passengers is ideal and 8 passengers being the upper limit with an extra seat fitted into the vehicle.
Note: Luggage restrictions apply.
FLIGHTS TO NYERERE
Flying is one of the best and most convenient way to get to Nyerere national park, there are several airlines flying from Dar es Salaam to various airstrips serving the park. These flights take approximately 1 hour, these flights are offered on a daily basis.
Flights to Nyerere national park usually turn around back to Dar es Salaam after dropping off or collecting passengers from several airstrips of Nyerere national park, most of these flights take off from Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro International Airport. If you are coming from Arusha you are required to be at the airport about 45 minutes prior to your flight.
The main airlines offering flights to Nyerere national park include Regional Air, Coastal Aviation, Safari Air Link and Auric Air. All of these airlines offer reliable service and have credible safety record.
Flight schedule to Nyerere national park
- Morning flight – depart Dar es Salaam at 10 am and arrive in Nyerere national park at 11 am
- Return morning flight – depart Nyerere national park at 11 am and arrive in Dar es Salaam at 12pm
- Afternoon flight: depart Dar es Salaam 3 pm and arrive Nyerere national park at 4 pm
- Return Afternoon flight: Depart Nyerere national park at 4 pm and arrive Dar es Salaam at 5 pm
AIRSTRIPS TO NYERERE NATIONAL PARK
Nyerere national park is served by a number of airstrips together with the surrounding Selous Game Reserve, these airstrips are situated across different parts of the two protected areas (reserve and the park) so as to serve the lodges and camps situated in the close proximity, so as to cut down on transfer time from the airport to the lodge or camp. These airstrips include
- Mtemere Airstrip
- Sumbazi Airstrip
- Siwandu Airstrip
- Beho Beho Airstrip
- Matambwe Airstrip
- Kiba Airstrip
AIRCRAFTS USED FOR FLIGHTS TO NYERERE NATIONAL PARK
Flights to the park, the type of aircrafts used include
- Propeller planes with seating capacities ranging from 40 seaters for DeHavilland Dash 7 and 8 aircraft to 13-seater Cessna Caravans.
On these flights, passengers are limited to 15 kilograms of carry on and check in luggage combine
