For visitors on a beach holiday in Zanzibar, Mikumi is the closest thing to a safari next door. The park has its own airstrip beside the headquarters, and light aircraft cover the distance from the island in about an hour. That makes the fly-in day safari possible — leave the hotel before dawn, be on a game drive by mid-morning, fly back in the late afternoon.
It is the single most popular way to visit Mikumi, and the top-selling product has thousands of reviews. It is also a long, fairly expensive day. Below is what it involves, and when the slower alternatives — one or two nights in the park, by plane or by ferry and road — are the better choice.
Top things to do: Zanzibar
The fly-in day safari
A typical day: pickup from your hotel very early (earlier still from the north and east coasts), a flight from Zanzibar airport, three to five hours of game drives on the Mkata floodplain with a stop at the Hippo Pools, lunch, and the return flight. Compare the fly-in options — they differ in aircraft type, group size and what is included.
Stay a night instead
A two-day fly-in costs more but changes the experience: an afternoon drive, a night of bush sounds and a dawn drive when the predators are active. If seeing lions matters to you, this is the upgrade to consider.
Go by ferry and road
Three-day packages take the ferry to Dar es Salaam and continue overland, sometimes using the SGR train. They cost far less than flying and give you two nights near the park; the price is time on the road.
Mikumi or Nyerere (Selous)?
The other fly-in safari sold on the island goes to Nyerere National Park. Mikumi is more open, so animals are easier to see in a few hours; Nyerere is wilder and adds boat safaris. For a single day, Mikumi is the safer bet for sheer sightings.
Rest and explore Stone Town
Plan a quiet day after the safari. The old quarter of Zanzibar City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is best explored on foot with a guide.
How to get to Zanzibar
- Flights leave from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, just south of Stone Town. Hotels on the north coast (Nungwi, Kendwa) and the east coast (Paje, Jambiani, Kiwengwa) are an hour or more away by road, which is why pickups are so early.
- Aircraft are small — typically single- or twin-engine turboprops with a dozen or so seats — and luggage is limited to a daypack. Weather can occasionally delay departures in the rainy season.
Insider tips
- Book ahead in high season (roughly July to October and over Christmas and New Year); seats on small planes are limited.
- Bring your passport — it is needed for the flight and the park entry.
- Take a light fleece: early flights and open vehicles are cooler than the beach.
- Check whether park fees, lunch and hotel transfers are included in the price before comparing tours.
- If you are prone to motion sickness, take your remedy before the flight; small planes move around in warm air.
Best tours & safaris: Zanzibar
These experiences are the easiest way to see Zanzibar:
Fly-in day safari from €397 From Zanzibar: Mikumi Safari Day Trip with Flights and Lunch
The safari that put Mikumi on the map for beach holidaymakers, with more than three thousand reviews on GetYourGuide. You fly from Zanzibar to the park in the morning, join shared game drives in a 4x4 across the plains, stop for a bush lunch and fly back in the afternoon. It is a long day with an early start, but it turns a beach week into a beach-and-safari trip without changing hotels.
- Return light-aircraft flights from Zanzibar
- Shared 4x4 game drives and a bush lunch
- By far the most-reviewed Mikumi safari on GetYourGuide
Fly-in day safari from €443 From Zanzibar: Mikumi Safari by Twin-Engine Plane + Lunch
A fly-in day safari that makes a point of using a twin-engine aircraft for the hop between Zanzibar and Mikumi. The listing includes lunch, park fees and flights, and the longer stated duration reflects a fuller day on the ground. A solid alternative when the bestseller is sold out, or if two engines simply make you more comfortable.
- Flights on a twin-engine aircraft
- Lunch, park fees and flights included per the listing
- Well reviewed, with around 150 ratings
Multi-day safari from €613 Zanzibar: Mikumi Wonderful Safari with Open Jeeps
A three-day package from Zanzibar that pairs game drives in open-sided safari jeeps with a cultural visit. Spreading the trip over three days means you are in the park for the early morning and late afternoon, when the cats are active and the light is best — exactly the hours a day trip misses. Highly rated by the travellers who have reviewed it.
- Three days starting and ending in Zanzibar
- Game drives in open safari jeeps
- Includes a cultural visit
Island day tour from €49 Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice Tour & Prison Island with Lunch
Zanzibar’s three classic sights in one day: the lanes of Stone Town, a spice farm with a Swahili lunch, and the boat trip to Prison Island. The standard counterpart to a Mikumi safari day for visitors based on the island.
- Stone Town’s old quarter
- Spice farm with a Swahili lunch
- Boat trip to Prison Island
