BA's new Tanzania flights: how to build a safari and Zanzibar trip that flows

From 29 May 2027, British Airways flies from London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro, and home to Gatwick from Zanzibar. Book the two together and the shape does the hard work for you. You land close to the northern safari parks and fly home from the beach, so nobody has to double back across the country to catch a flight. The trick is to plan around the timings, which are late at both ends, and to keep the number of moves low.

Five things make this route easy to plan around.

• Fly into Kilimanjaro and home from Zanzibar. BA sells this as one ticket, but the hop between the two is not included.
• You land after dark, so the first night is a short drive from the airport.
• Fewer, longer stays make the trip. We would use four bases before the beach.
• The flight home leaves just after midnight, so build the trip backwards from that date.
• The season is peak migration time, and the crowds at the river crossings can be avoided if you choose your areas well.

What exactly is BA flying?

It is a seasonal route running three times a week, from 29 May to 31 October 2027, timed for UK school holidays and the dry season. You fly out to Kilimanjaro and home from Zanzibar. There is no BA flight home from Kilimanjaro, and BA does not sell seats between Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, so you cannot use it as a hop down to the coast.

The two BA flights you book, as published by British Airways.

On its own Kilimanjaro page, BA says you can fly out to Kilimanjaro and home from Zanzibar on one booking, but that travel between the two is not part of the ticket. That gap is where the planning lives, and it is the bit we sort out.

Why does the shape of the route matter?

Until now, a UK trip to northern Tanzania usually meant connecting through a hub on the way out, and often heading back the same way to get home. Add Zanzibar and you are juggling a domestic flight back to the mainland, or a long day of connections at the end of a trip when everyone is tired.

This route removes that. You arrive at one end of the trip and leave from the other. In travel-trade language it is an open jaw. In plain English, it means you never retrace your steps.

What happens when you land at night?

The flight lands at Kilimanjaro at 20:20 local time. By the time you are through immigration and have your bags, it is late, and it is dark. We do not move anyone on bush roads after dark, and nobody arriving off a long flight wants a long drive.

So the first night is a quiet place near the airport or on the edge of Arusha. Supper and a proper bed. The safari starts the next morning, after a good breakfast and in daylight. It costs you one night and saves you a miserable first day.

How many moves is the right number?

Fewer than you think. The temptation with northern Tanzania is to tick off every park in a week, which turns a safari into a series of check-outs. We would rather you stay long enough to learn a place.

Here is the kind of shape we would build for 12 nights on the ground:

An example 12-night shape. We adjust it to the month and to you.

Tarangire comes first because it is close and easy, and in the dry months the elephants gather along the river there. We wrote about why we like it in Tarangire, the other Tanzania. The Crater highlands follow by road. Then you fly into the Serengeti rather than drive, which saves a long, dusty day and puts you straight where you want to be.

From there, the next flight takes you to the coast. A few short road transfers and two small-plane flights, with the rest of your time spent staying put.

Where does the Serengeti fit in peak season?

This is where we are a bit stubborn. The BA season covers the months when the herds tend to be in the north of the Serengeti, and the famous river crossings draw a lot of vehicles to a few spots on the bank. We do not send people to queue for the crossing, because a line of vehicles on a riverbank is nobody's idea of the wild.

The Serengeti is huge, and the herds are only part of it. Depending on the month, we would place you in a quieter area with good resident game, or in a spot where you see the herds moving without joining the crowd at the water. Early in the season, the herds are often further west. Our migration month by month guide shows how that usually plays out, though the animals never read the calendar.

How do you get from the safari to Zanzibar?

By light aircraft. Small scheduled planes link the Serengeti to Zanzibar, usually with a stop on the way. This is the leg that is not on your BA ticket, so we book it alongside the camps and time it against your arrival on the island.

Two practical notes. Light aircraft have tight luggage limits and want soft bags rather than hard cases, so pack for the small plane. And because the beach comes last, you can leave anything you only need for the coast in the same soft bag. Nothing has to be sent ahead.

What about the last day?

The flight home leaves Zanzibar at 00:25. That catches people out. A flight "on Friday" leaves just after midnight, which means you leave the hotel on Thursday evening. Book the wrong night and you will either pay for a room you never sleep in, or turn up a day late.

We build the dates backwards from that flight. Using the plan above, you would fly out on a Saturday, spend 12 nights on the ground, and leave the beach on the Thursday evening for the early Friday flight. You land at Gatwick at 07:55.

On the last day, ask for a late check-out or keep a room until the transfer. Waiting for a midnight flight in beach clothes and sun cream gets old fast. A shower and a quiet supper before you go makes a big difference.

What paperwork do UK travellers need?

According to UK government travel advice, British passport holders need a visa for Tanzania, and the advice is to apply for an eVisa before you travel. All visitors also need the Tanzanian government's inbound travel insurance, even if they already have their own policy. You buy it for your first port of entry only, and on this route that is Kilimanjaro on the mainland.

That state cover sits alongside your own travel insurance. Our guide to safari travel insurance explains what your own policy should cover. Check the rules again closer to the time, as they do change.

How we would build it

The route makes Tanzania simpler for UK travellers, but it does not plan the trip for you. The good bits still need joining up: the arrival night, the road days, the light aircraft, the beach and that midnight departure. That is what we do. We match the camps to the month and line up every connection, so you only think about what you will see next.

If you like the idea of finishing on sand, our bush and beach safaris page shows how we pair the two across Africa. Or simply tell us your dates and we will see what fits.

Frequently asked questions

Does BA fly from Kilimanjaro back to London?

No. The flight home only leaves from Zanzibar, so you fly out to Kilimanjaro and home from Zanzibar. That suits a safari then beach trip well.

Is the flight between Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar included?

No. BA says travel between Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar is not part of a multi-city ticket, so you book that leg separately. On a safari, it is usually a light aircraft from the parks.

Can I go straight to a safari camp when I land?

We would not. The flight lands at 20:20, so we book a first night near the airport or Arusha and start the safari the next morning in daylight.

When does the BA Tanzania route run?

From 29 May to 31 October 2027, three times a week. That covers the UK summer holidays and Tanzania's dry season.

Will I see the river crossings?

You can, but we do not plan trips around queuing for them. In the busy months we place people in quieter parts of the Serengeti, where the game viewing is good and the vehicles are few.

Sian Loehrer is co-founder of Marula Hill Travel. We plan boutique safaris across South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia, and Mozambique. We have stayed in most of the lodges we recommend, and we tell you when we have not.