Nairobi to Seronera
Private Charter
Nairobi to Seronera is about an hour and forty minutes door to strip, 138 nautical miles from Wilson to the central Serengeti with a customs stop at Musoma on the way, on a Pilatus PC-12 or Caravan. It is the trip that puts both sides of the migration on one itinerary, and the border stop is the whole plan. Same time zone at both ends.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 11 September 2026
Route overview
Airport and airspace facts checked against the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority publications and Icarus Jet operations data.
Get your number
Get a number for your dates
Tell us the dates, the passengers and the camp. The desk quotes the PC-12 or Caravan that fits the group, files the Kenya and Tanzania permits, plans the Musoma stop and confirms the Seronera landing before you book.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203. The desk is staffed 24/7.
The route
Why fly private from Nairobi to Seronera?
Nairobi to Seronera is the cross-border safari sector on our desk: 138 nautical miles direct from Wilson to the heart of the Serengeti, flown as about an hour and forty minutes with a customs stop at Musoma on the Tanzanian shore of Lake Victoria. It is how a Kenya safari becomes an East African one, with the Mara and the Serengeti on the same aircraft in the same week.
Why private works here
Leave Wilson, two and a half miles from central Nairobi, clear Tanzanian customs at Musoma in about 45 minutes, and land at Seronera minutes from the central Serengeti camps. The scheduled alternative is a flight to Kilimanjaro, a connection and a second flight, or eight hours on the road from Arusha. The camp vehicle meets the aircraft and the game drive starts at the strip.
Aircraft fit
Seronera is about 5,080 feet of dirt with no fuel, so the sector is turboprop territory. A Pilatus PC-12 carries eight in a pressurised cabin and is the usual answer for the distance. A Caravan 208B carries up to twelve with safari luggage at the lowest cost per seat. Nothing with a jet engine lands at Seronera; a jet arriving from abroad uses Kilimanjaro or Nairobi and the turboprop takes you on.
Advisor note
This is an international flight into a dirt strip, and the customs stop is the plan. Kenya and Tanzania each need their permit, the aircraft stops at Musoma for immigration in both directions, and the Seronera landing is confirmed in advance because the strip has no fuel and no slots and the surface is checked with the camp. None of it is hard; all of it has to start on time.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Seronera private charter?
A cross-border safari sector is priced on the aircraft, the trip shape, the two permits, the customs stop and the dates. These are the things that move the number on Nairobi to Seronera.
Aircraft
A Pilatus PC-12 carries eight pressurised and is the usual answer. A Caravan 208B carries up to twelve at the lowest cost per seat. The aircraft you choose is the biggest single swing in the quote.
Two one-ways, usually
A Serengeti stay of several nights is two one-way flights rather than an aircraft waiting on a strip with no fuel. The desk prices the positioning so the number you see is the number you pay.
Two permits and the stop
The Kenya permit at 72 business hours, the Tanzania permit for the arrival, and the Musoma customs stop in each direction are all filed with the trip. The stop adds about 45 minutes on the ground.
Fuel and the strip
There is no fuel at Seronera, so the aircraft plans its fuel out of Wilson and at Musoma. The landing at Seronera is confirmed in advance and park fees are handled by the lodge or the desk.
The season
June to October is the migration in the northern and central Serengeti and the peak, with a second season from January to March for the calving in the south. Those dates need firm bookings weeks ahead.
What the number covers
We tell you what the quote covers before you book and we hold the operator to the number we gave you. No surprises on the invoice is the point of using the desk.
Aircraft
Which aircraft flies Nairobi to Seronera?
The strip limits the sector to turboprops. These are the two quoted on Nairobi to Seronera.
Pilatus PC-12
Eight passengers in a pressurised cabin, the usual answer for the distance, and at home on a 5,080 foot dirt strip.
Cessna Caravan 208B
Up to twelve passengers with safari luggage at the lowest cost per seat, and the aircraft the East African strips were built for.
Citation class, to Kilimanjaro
For a party arriving from abroad: the jet lands at Kilimanjaro or Nairobi and a turboprop flies the strip leg. Quoted as one itinerary.
The full Kenya list, with the strips and the aircraft that fit them, is in our guide to private routes from Nairobi.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Nairobi to Seronera?
It is an international flight, so bring passports for everyone aboard. The desk files the crew and passenger details with the permits and confirms each passenger's entry requirements for Tanzania before departure. Customs is cleared at the aircraft at both ends. The aircraft stops at Musoma for Tanzanian immigration on the way in and Kenyan immigration is cleared on the way back, and the desk confirms the visa position for every passenger before it files.
Seronera is a strip, not an airport. About 5,080 feet of dirt in the central Serengeti with no fuel, no slots and no customs, minutes from the central camps. Lobo, Kogatende, Kusini and Kirawira serve other parts of the park, and the desk lands you at the strip nearest your camp. Safari luggage travels in soft bags by weight.
Musoma is the customs stop. On the Tanzanian shore of Lake Victoria, it is where the aircraft clears immigration and customs into Tanzania, with processing of about 45 minutes, before continuing to Seronera. It is part of the plan in both directions.
On the Nairobi side, the aircraft picks the airport. Wilson, two and a half miles from the centre at 5,546 feet, is where the safari flying leaves from: the turboprops and light aircraft that serve the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu and the coast are based here, on runways of 5,052 and 4,798 feet. Jomo Kenyatta, eleven miles out at 5,330 feet with a 13,507 foot runway, full customs and mandatory handling, is the field for jets and for any international departure. Both are high and warm, so a full-weight departure is calculated rather than assumed, and the desk plans it for the morning.
No time change. Kenya and Tanzania are both on East Africa Time, so a 7 am departure from Wilson has you in the Serengeti before ten.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Nairobi to Seronera?
June to October is the migration season in the central and northern Serengeti and the peak, when the aircraft out of Wilson and the beds in the camps are at their tightest. January to March is the calving season in the south, a second peak with fewer visitors. For either, give the desk firm dates weeks ahead on top of the permits.
April and May are the long rains, when the strips soften and the desk checks the surface with the camp before it confirms. November is short and quiet, and a week of notice is comfortable once both permits are filed.
Related
Nairobi airport guides
The Nairobi fields this sector uses, with runways, handling and permits on their own guides. Seronera and Musoma are described above and confirmed with the camp. The Kenya safari jet charter page covers the lodges, the strips and the aircraft the desk uses across the parks.
Questions
Nairobi to Seronera private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Nairobi to Seronera?
About an hour and forty minutes door to strip, including about 45 minutes on the ground at Musoma for Tanzanian customs. The direct distance is 138 nautical miles from Wilson, and the routing via Musoma is about 265.
Why does the aircraft stop at Musoma?
Because Seronera has no customs. An aircraft entering Tanzania from Kenya clears immigration and customs at Musoma on Lake Victoria, which takes about 45 minutes, and then continues to the Serengeti. The same stop clears the return.
Can a jet land at Seronera?
No. Seronera is about 5,080 feet of dirt with no fuel, no slots and no customs, so the sector is flown on turboprops: a Pilatus PC-12 for eight or a Caravan 208B for up to twelve. A jet arriving from abroad lands at Nairobi or Kilimanjaro and the turboprop takes you on.
Which Nairobi airport do flights to the Serengeti use?
Wilson, two and a half miles from the centre, where the safari turboprops are based. A party arriving into Jomo Kenyatta transfers to Wilson or the desk positions the turboprop to Jomo Kenyatta for a direct connection.
Which aircraft is best for Nairobi to Seronera?
A Pilatus PC-12 for eight in a pressurised cabin, the usual answer for the distance. A Caravan 208B for a group of up to twelve at the lowest cost per seat. Both are at home on the Serengeti strips.
What permits does a Nairobi to Seronera flight need?
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit at 72 business hours for the departure and the Tanzanian permit for the arrival, plus the Musoma customs stop. The desk files all of it with the trip. Passengers need passports and the right Tanzania visa.
Can I combine the Masai Mara and the Serengeti on one trip?
Yes, and it is the point of this sector. The Mara and the Serengeti are the same ecosystem across the border, and the desk plans both on one turboprop with the Musoma stop between them, as a single itinerary with both permits filed.
Which Serengeti airstrip should I use?
The one nearest your camp. Seronera serves the central Serengeti; Lobo and Kogatende the north; Kusini the south; Kirawira the west. The desk confirms the strip with the camp when it quotes.
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Seronera charter?
The aircraft, the positioning for two one-way flights, the two permits and the customs stop, the fuel plan, and the dates against the migration and calving seasons. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly Seronera to Nairobi on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions. Put Seronera as the departure in the form and the desk handles it the same way, with the Musoma stop and the Kenyan arrival at Wilson or Jomo Kenyatta.
Is there fuel at Seronera?
No. Seronera is a dirt strip with no fuel, so the aircraft plans its fuel out of Wilson and at Musoma, the customs stop on the way. The desk builds that into the quote, and it is one reason a stay of several nights is flown as two one-way flights rather than an aircraft waiting on the strip.
When is the best time to fly to the Serengeti?
June to October for the migration in the central and northern Serengeti, and January to March for the calving in the south. April and May are the long rains, when strips soften and the desk checks the surface before confirming.
How much notice do I need to book Nairobi to Seronera?
Allow the permit lead times: 72 business hours for Kenya and the Tanzanian permit alongside. A week is comfortable outside the peaks. For the migration and calving seasons, give the desk firm dates weeks ahead.
Other routes
Other routes from the Nairobi desk
Sectors the same desk quotes every week, each with its own guide to the airports, the aircraft and the timing.
Get your number
Nairobi to Seronera, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and the camp. You will get the turboprop that fits the strip, both permits filed, the Musoma stop planned and a number you can hold us to.
Get a number for your datesPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com, or send the trip online. The desk is staffed 24/7.