How to get to Nyerere National park

How to get to Nyerere National Park, Tanzania

How to get to Nyerere National park : Nyerere national park ranks among the best national parks and safari destinations in Tanzania, the park is one of the remote parks in the country situated in the southern part of the country. The park is located approximately 230 kilometers by road to the nearest entry point , from Dar es Salaam to Nyerere national park it is a drive of approximately 5 hours.

Nyerere national park is one of the few wonderful destinations you should visit during your Tanzania safari, the park is the largest Game reserve in Tanzania as well as in Africa as a continent.

Though not as famous as the rest of the parks in Tanzania that are found in the Northern Circuit Tanzania, Nyerere national park hosts quite a number of animals that are worth sighting while on your safari.

Nyerere national park receives a huge population of tourists and there are several ways to get to the park for a Tanzania safari including road, railway and air transport.

Railway system

Using rail to get to Nyerere national park is the cheapest mode of transportation to use, The Tanzania Zambia Railway (TAZARA) is what is used to get to the park and it takes approximately 4 to 5 hours to get there.

The rail trip starts in Dar es Salaam, along the way you will have the last stop at Matwabwe where you will alight before getting into a vehicle to take you to Selous. The train will take you through some of the best views of Southern Tanzania including mountains and numerous villages, you will enjoy the spectacular scenery created by the beautiful landscape.

Road transport

Road transport is the commonly used mode of transport by tourists visiting Nyerere national park for a safari, the park can accessed by road from Arusha or Dar es Salaam, the road to Nyerere national park from Dar es Salaam is graded regularly however it is worth the condition of the road most especially after the main rainy season of April and May.

The driving distance varies from 184 kilometers to 230 kilometers depending on which gate or entry point you are using to access the park, generally it takes approximately 6 hours for most entry gates such as Mtemere and Matembwe and about 6 to 6.5 hours for gates on the northern side.

There is a direct route from Dar es Salaam from Dar es Salaam that covers a distance of 240 kilometers.149 miles following the eastern road, the drive is bumpy and long taking you 6 to 7 hours which is nearly half a day’s drive. The road takes you through Kibiti as well as Mloka and you will finally be able to access the park through Mtemere gate.

In case you are combining Nyerere national park with other game parks on the Southern Safari Circuit of TANZANIA LIKE Ruaha National Parkand Mikumi national park, you can take an alternative route that takes you through Morogoro town via Kisaki and Mkuyuni and then finally enter the park through the Matambwe Gate.

The other roads from from Dar es Salaam and it will take you through Mloka and Kibiti leading you to the Mtemere gate which will get you inside the Nyerere national park, this route takes about 7 hours to the get to the park.

Approximate Drive Times to Nyerere national park

• Dar es Salaam to Nyerere national park (Matemere Gate) 5-5.5 hours
• Dar es Salaam to Nyerere national park (Matembwe Gate) 6-7 hours

Road conditions in Nyerere national park

Most of the route in Nyerere national park is actually a tarred road staring with highway A104, B3 and finally C12, except for the last section of approximately 1 hour. The tarmac portion of the tarmac road is however in substandard condition in certain places which includes a few stretches with potholes, while the last unpaved portion can be bumpy and dusty which however for some simply adds to the adventure of getting to the African wilderness

Safari vehicles used in Nyerere national park

There are two types of safari vehicles used to get to Nyerere national park, these two basic types of vehicles are also the commonly used vehicles for safaris in Tanzania and East Africa generally. These vehicles are safari tour minibuses (Tour Vans) and the 4X4 Safari Jeeps – Land cruisers and land rover vehicles.

All of these vehicles are built in, have pop-up game viewing roof hatches which the driver opens once on a game drive in the park, UHF Radio calls and cooler boxes, tour vans cost much less than the four wheel drive safari jeeps.

Note: there are some tour vans that come with 4×4 capability, albeit with the lack of ground clearance or off road ability that comes a land cruiser. Both of these vehicles typically seat a maximum of 7 passenger with 6 being ideal and 8 passengers being the upper limit with an extra seat fitted into the vehicle.

Air transport

Flying to Nyerere national park is the most popular anc convenient way being only a 1 hour flight from Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to different airstrips serving the park , there are several airlines flying to Nyerere national park and several of these offer daily return flight to the park, with a one way flight taking approximately 1 hour.

The same plane then usually turns around back to Dar es Salaam after dropping off or collecting passengers from a number of airstrips including

• Mtemere Airstrip
• Sumbazi Airstrip
• Siwandu Airstrip
• Beho beho Airstrip
• Matambwe Airstrip
• Kiba Airstrip

There are also flights from Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha.

Note:  when flying to Nyerere national park, you need to be at the airport about 45 minutes prior to the flight.

Flights to Nyerere national park are offered by several airlines and the main ones include Regional Air, Coastal Aviation, Safari Air Link and Auric Air offering reliable service and have credible safety record.

Flight Schedule to Nyerere national park

– Morning Flight: Depart Dar es Salaam 10am – Arrive Nyerere Park 11am

– Return Morning Flight: Depart Nyerere Park 11am – Arrive Dar es Salaam 12pm

– Afternoon Flight: Depart Dar es Salaam 3pm – Arrive Nyerere Park 4pm

– Return Afternoon Flight: Depart Nyerere Park 4pm – Arrive Dar es Salaam 5pm