Mikumi Safari Day Trip from Zanzibar: Return Flight & Game Drive

Fly to Africa's Biggest Game Reserve Before Lunch

You fly from Zanzibar to Mikumi National Park, spend five hours on a guided game drive across the Mkata Floodplain spotting lions, elephants, zebra, and hippos, eat lunch in the bush, and fly back the same day. Hotel pickup and all park fees are included, so you only show up at the airport on time.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mikumi Safari and Return Flight

• Depart Zanzibar airport at 07:00
• Arrive Mikumi Airstrip at 08:00
• Meet safari guide
• Start game drive in Mkata plains
• Visit Hippo pool
• Enjoy hot lunch
• Continue exploring African bushes
• Return to airstrip at 15:30
• Fly back to Zanzibar

The experience

There's something that shifts in you the moment the small plane lifts off from Zanzibar and the island shrinks below. Forty-five minutes later, you're stepping onto the airstrip at Mikumi National Park, and your guide is already waiting. The Mkata Floodplain spreads out in front of you: open, golden, alive with movement. This is the kind of place that makes you understand why people come back to Africa again and again.

The game drive starts right away. Your guide takes the jeep into the park and almost immediately you're moving through herds of zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, and impala. Lions rest in the grass. Buffalo move in loose groups across the plain. The Hippo pool comes up mid-morning: dozens of them half-submerged, their eyes just above the waterline. It's the kind of concentration of wildlife that gets compared to the Serengeti, and standing there, you understand why. The park sits alongside the Selous Game Reserve, forming one continuous ecosystem, so the animals move freely across both. Your guide reads the landscape like a map, knowing where to find what and when.

Around midday you stop for a hot lunch, then head back out into the bush for the afternoon drive. The light changes as the hours pass, and the animals shift with it. By 15:30 you're heading back to the airstrip for the flight home. The whole day (the flight there, the game drive, the lunch, the flight back) fits into a single departure from Zanzibar at 7am, which is why this works as a day trip at all. You don't need to stay overnight or arrange anything yourself. The transfers from your hotel, the flights, the guide, the park entry. It all comes together.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in Zanzibar, roundtrip flights to Mikumi, a full game drive across the Mkata Floodplain with a safari guide, a hot lunch in the bush, snacks and drinks available on the jeep, and return transfer to your hotel.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 04:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 to 80 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 7

Live guideEnglish, French and German

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPets welcomeNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Safari Gateway Ltd

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see African wildlife without committing to a multi-day safari or arranging flights and park logistics yourself: the fixed schedule and included transfers mean you step out of your hotel and into the game drive the same morning.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and German.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the flight from Zanzibar to Mikumi?

45 to 60 minutes each way.

What time does the day start?

The tour departs Zanzibar airport at 7am and arrives at Mikumi at 8am. You return to the airstrip at 3:30pm for the flight back.

What animals will I see?

Lions, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, buffalo, and hippos are common on the Mkata Floodplain. Wildlife varies by season and time of day.

Is lunch included?

Yes, a hot lunch is provided during the midday break. Snacks, drinks, and fruit are available on the jeep throughout the day.

Do I need to arrange my own hotel transfer?

No. Roundtrip airport transfers from your Zanzibar hotel are included.

What is included in the price?

All park fees and taxes, roundtrip flights, the game drive with a guide, lunch, snacks and drinks on the jeep, and hotel transfers.

Can I do this if I have mobility concerns?

The tour is wheelchair accessible, and all areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible. However, it is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries.