Bush Lion Tours & Trekking · Moshi, Tanzania
Skip the long drives and spend more time where the wildlife stories unfold. Discover Tanzania's legendary national parks through carefully planned fly-in safaris, expert local guides and unforgettable wildlife encounters.
Locally operated in Tanzania Personalised itineraries Expert safari guides
Why fly
Tanzania is a big country with world-class parks a long way apart. Driving between them is an adventure in itself — but on a two-week holiday, or a five-day escape, those hours on the road are hours you never get back at a waterhole.
Who it suits best: travellers with limited time, honeymooners, photographers who want to be in position for good light, and anyone who would rather arrive rested than road-weary.
Good to know: flights follow published schedules and are subject to weather, airspace, airstrip locations and seat availability. Light-aircraft baggage allowances are limited. Fly-in safaris bring you closer to wildlife country, but they do not guarantee any particular sighting — no safari operator can.
The collection
Nine private fly-in itineraries from three to eight days, each with a full day-by-day plan, proposed accommodation and a clear list of what is and is not included.
Private fly-in safari Serengeti National Park
Fly straight into the Serengeti and trade two long road days for two full days on the plains. A short, wildlife-dense escape built for travellers who have limited time but high expectations.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Crater
Two icons, three days. Fly into the Serengeti, then finish with a full-day descent into the Ngorongoro Crater — the shortest sensible way to combine Tanzania's two most famous wildlife arenas.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Serengeti National Park
Three nights in the Serengeti with no internal road transfers — a comfortable, unhurried way to build a real relationship with one park, its rhythms and its predators.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Crater
The classic northern pair without the classic driving days: fly into the Serengeti, then trade the long transfer for a short hop and a full day inside the crater.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
Three distinct ecosystems in five days — Tarangire's elephant country, the endless Serengeti plains and the Ngorongoro Crater — stitched together by short flights instead of long drives.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Serengeti National Park — migration sectors
Four nights positioned around the migration herds — flying into the northern Serengeti when the Mara River is the story, or the central and southern plains when calving is.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
The full northern circuit at fly-in pace: Lake Manyara, Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in six days, with flights carrying you between parks instead of the road.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
A week built entirely around the migration: Tarangire as an opener, three nights in migration country, then the central plains and a full day in the crater.
On request current rate on quotation
Private fly-in safari Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
Seven nights, four parks, one unhurried arc through northern Tanzania — Lake Manyara, Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, connected by flights and finished without a rush.
On request current rate on quotation
Try widening your search — or tell us what you have in mind and we will design the itinerary ourselves.
When to travel
There is no single best month for a Tanzanian safari: each season trades one thing for another. Wildlife moves with the rain and the grass, so treat these as patterns rather than promises — no sighting, river crossing or camp opening can be guaranteed.
Jan – Mar
The herds usually gather on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu, where hundreds of thousands of wildebeest give birth over a few weeks. Predators follow closely, and the light is clear. Hot, dry days with scattered afternoon storms.
Apr – May
The greenest, quietest and often best-value months. The landscape turns emerald and birdlife is superb, but rain can affect roads, some camps and flight schedules — we confirm operating status, routes and reduced seasonal rates for every trip planned in this window.
Jun – Oct
The most popular window: thinning vegetation, animals concentrated around water, and — in the north — the migration herds at the Mara River. Busier parks and higher rates, but consistently productive game viewing.
Nov – Dec
Short, dramatic showers refresh the plains and push the herds back onto green grazing. Fewer vehicles, shifting wildlife patterns and a lovely atmosphere between the rains — a favourite of photographers who do not mind a passing storm.
When are you traveling?
We will highlight the packages best suited to that window and explain why.
Why travel with Bush Lion Tours?
We are based in Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro. The people who answer your emails live in the same country as your safari — which is why the itineraries we propose tend to work.
Every route, airstrip and camp we recommend is one we know first-hand, planned by a team living and working in Tanzania.
No fixed departures to fit around. Your dates, pace, interests and budget shape the itinerary before anything is booked.
You speak to the team arranging your trip — not a reseller in another time zone.
Inclusions, exclusions and the price basis are set out in writing. If something is not included, we say so plainly.
We employ Tanzanian guides, drivers and support staff, and the company is committed to creating opportunities for local families and young people.
Experienced guides, maintained vehicles, pre-departure briefings and honest advice about health, packing and what to expect.
Bush Lion Tours was founded in 2019 by Jackson, a Moshi local who began his career in the mountains and on safari before turning to guiding — and eventually to building his own company around the idea that tourism should benefit the people who live here.
Jackson, founder of Bush Lion Tours · read our story
Questions answered
Straight answers about flights, luggage, inclusions, insurance and booking. Anything not covered here, ask us directly — we would rather over-explain than over-promise.
A fly-in safari replaces long road transfers between parks with scheduled light-aircraft flights. You are met at a bush airstrip by your guide and driven straight into the park, so more of your holiday is spent on game drives rather than in a vehicle on the road.
It depends on your dates. On a short trip, flying is usually what makes a multi-park itinerary possible at all: without flights you would lose most of two days to driving. On longer trips the value is comfort and time — you arrive rested, you gain extra game-viewing hours, and remote camps become reachable. We will happily compare a fly-in route with the equivalent road safari so you can decide with real numbers.
International arrivals normally land at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) near Arusha and Moshi, or Kilimanjaro/Arusha-area connections. Domestic sectors use strips such as Arusha, Seronera (Central Serengeti), Kogatende (Northern Serengeti), Kuro (Tarangire) and Lake Manyara. The exact sectors for your itinerary are confirmed in your quotation.
Most light-aircraft operators ask for soft-sided luggage of around 15kg per person, with limits tightened in peak periods. Hard suitcases usually cannot be carried. Excess baggage can often be arranged in advance for a fee, and your international carrier may hold your main bags while you fly into the bush with a day bag.
Scheduled domestic flight sectors listed in a package are included and itemised in your quotation. International flights to Tanzania, and any transfer or activity not named in the quotation, are not included. We never assume an item is covered — your written quotation is the final word.
Yes. Every package in this collection is built as a private safari: your own vehicle, guide and daily schedule for as few as two travellers.
Yes. Several packages are marked as family safaris. Please give us the children's ages when you enquire — park rules, rooming, flight seat availability and minimum ages for certain activities all depend on them.
The herds move through the year: the southern short-grass plains broadly December–March for calving, the western corridor around May–July, and the Mara River country in the north roughly July–October. Movements vary naturally with rain and grass, so no specific river crossing or sighting can be guaranteed.
This collection ranges from comfortable mid-range tented camps to luxury lodges and tented camps. Every package lists the proposed properties and their category. Accommodation is confirmed at the time of booking and, if a property is full, we propose an equivalent at the same standard.
Yes for the packages listed here: national park, conservation and crater fees plus the meals stated in each day of the itinerary are included as specified in your quotation. Items we do not include are listed just as clearly.
Bush flights are operated by licensed carriers and can be affected by weather and airspace. If a sector is disrupted we re-book the transfer or adjust the ground itinerary to protect your game-viewing time, and we keep you updated as it happens. The applicable terms are set out in your booking conditions.
We require every traveller to hold insurance covering safari activities, medical treatment and evacuation before departure. It should also cover cancellation, which matters most on a flight-based itinerary.
Tipping is discretionary. As a guide we suggest a per-person daily amount for your guide and camp team, plus any optional balloon flight or special dinner you choose. Current guidance is included in your pre-departure documents.
Yes. Nights, camps, flight sectors, pacing and starting point can all be adjusted. Tell us your dates, party size and priorities and we will re-plan the route around them.
Once you accept a written quotation, a deposit confirms the safari and the balance falls due before departure on the schedule stated in your booking conditions. Nothing is charged before you have seen and agreed the full itinerary and price.
Payment schedules and cancellation charges are published in your booking conditions and explained in writing before any payment. Because flights and camps are booked on your behalf, cancellation costs can rise as departure approaches — which is why we recommend insurance that covers cancellation.
Next step
Tell us when you want to travel, what you hope to experience, and the style of safari you prefer. Our local team will help you plan an itinerary tailored to your time, interests and budget.
Free, no-obligation quotation
Send us the essentials and a Moshi-based safari planner will reply with a written itinerary, current flight sectors, camp availability and a per-person price for your dates. No deposit and no obligation at this stage.
Photography: Bush Lion Tours archive · airstrip images “Seronera Airstrip”, “Tourists arriving at Seronera Airstrip” and “Aircraft parked at Seronera airstrip” by David Berkowitz, licensed CC BY 2.0.
