Where do I fly to, and on which airline, to start my mount Kilimanjaro climb?
When you travel to Kilimanjaro, your trip starts as we pick you up at Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will then be given a good rest before your climb.
Most of our climbs are preceded by a night spent in a hotel in Arusha, a city located 45 minutes’ drive away from the airport. This overnight stay allows you time to relax and recover from your international flight.
The following day you will be taken by vehicle to the start point of your climb, the location of which will depend on the route you have chosen.
Before booking your flight to Tanzania, please do careful research and read our comments on the various available flights, below.
Recommended and most convenient flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport
KLM
Dutch airline KLM operates direct flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Schiphol is a major international hub with services to many European cities, several cities in the USA and elsewhere.
Civilized departure times from Amsterdam (currently 10.00hrs local time) and arrival times in Kilimanjaro (currently 20.30hrs, local time) are a big advantage, as is the airline’s reputation for being professional, efficient and for taking good care of passengers’ luggage. Lost and delayed baggage is thankfully rare with KLM.
Ethiopian airlines
Ethiopian Airlines offer routes that connect major cities in the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe with Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. From this African hub airport, Ethiopian Airlines offers flights that connect to Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Kilimanjaro Explore does not recommend using this airline, however, due to frequent long delays to flights and many reported problems with lost and delayed baggage. Such problems can impact negatively on your carefully planned Kilimanjaro schedule.
Kenyan airways
Kenyan Airways offers routes that connect major cities in the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe with Nairobi in Kenya. From this African hub airport, Kenyan Airways offerflights that connect to Kilimanjaro International Airport, or you can take a connecting flight with Precision Air
Kilimanjaro Explore does not recommend using this airline, however, due to frequent long delays to flights and many reported problems with lost and delayed baggage. Such problems can impact negatively on your carefully planned Kilimanjaro schedule.
Qatar airways
Qatar Airways operates direct flights from its capital city, Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DIA), into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). There are flights to Doha from the United Kingdom, specifically from London and also Manchester. Qatar is a major airline and also operates routes to other European destinations, several airports in the USA, as well as the Middle East and India. Do check connection times before booking, as layover times can be quite long.
Turkish airlines
A recent addition to the major airlines serving Tanzania is Turkish Airlines, who offer direct flights into Kilimanjaro. The good news is that these flights are a bit cheaper than some of the other operators, but the disadvantage is that the arrival and departure times from Kilimanjaro are very early in the morning. At present, flights are scheduled to arrive at 02.00hrs, with the flight back taking off an hour later. All flights route via Istanbul, which has a large network of connections with many countries in Europe, the Middle East, the USA and beyond.
