Getting to
Gorongosa has become easier than trying to spell it! Here are some
important details to help you find your way to Gorongosa National Park.
You can also find your way around in our Map Room. Please contact us
if you have any further queries or if you wish to reserve a booking for your
unique Explore Gorongosa experience.
*** REMINDER: FLYING IN TO EXPLORE GORONGOSA FROM BEIRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND LINKING WITH THE ISLANDS HAS NEVER BEEN AS EASY ***
The great news is that
our friends at CFA Charters are now flying per-seat rate charter flights daily (25mins flight time over the Park) directly from Beira to the landing strip at Gorongosa National Park (Chitengo - about 20mins from our camp), as well as continuing with their twice weekly flights (Monday & Friday - 1h25 flight time over beautiful Mozambican coastline) directly from Bazaruto
Island (Vilanculos) to Gorongosa. See the relevant rates schedules for these transfers on our Rates page...
Added to this,
Airlink fly direct flights from Johannesburg (OR Tambo International) to
Beira International Airport every day of the week – only 1 hour 20 minutes in a leather-seated
Embraer jet with departure times out of JHB mid-morning to link up perfectly with overnight long-haul flights into JHB.
These great flights make accessing the Park as well as
combining beach and bush safari options in Mozambique a real cinch...YAY!
Getting
to us by Air...
Gorongosa
National Park has its own airstrip for light aircraft at Chitengo Camp with
fly-in access from Beira, Chimoio & Vilanculos (and the surrounding
Bazaruto archipelago resorts). Scheduled flights to Beira from
Johannesburg, Harare & Maputo can be booked with either LAM or
Airlink. Regular schedule flights to Chimoio from Maputo can be booked
through LAM, and frequent scheduled flights to Vilanculos from Johannesburg
(and back via Kruger-Mpumulanga) are available through Pelican Air. See
below for details…
Charter flights into Gorongosa National Park (Chitengo airstrip)
As mentioned above, we now
have scheduled charters with CFA Charters directly into the Park from Beira, as well as from Bazaruto Island and Benguerra Island.
The Beira charters are charged per-seat (min 2 pax) and are timed to link with incoming or outgoing schedule airline flights - the pilot will meet you off your plane and assist you with all your airport legalities. The flight from Beira is approximately 25 minutes and takes you over the southern section of the Park, including the aerially scenic Lake Urema. The island flights leave Bazaruto Island on Monday & Friday mornings and head up the scenic coastline to Gorongosa – a
flight time of about 1h25 from Bazaruto to Gorongosa. The flights then
return the same way. Non-scheduled charter flights to Chitengo airstrip
will depart within 30 minutes of you clearing customs and immigration at either
Vilanculos, Beira or Chimoio international airports. However if you arrive in
Vilanculos after 14h00 or Beira & Chimoio after 16h00, you will probably
need to overnight in those towns and be transferred the next morning, unless
you are willing to pay a fee for the plane overnighting in the Park
Scheduled flights in and out of Beira & Chimoio
You can
fly to Beira and Chimoio from Maputo via LAM - Mozambique’s national airline.
You can also fly to Beira from Johannesburg with Airlink (part of South African
Airways).
Please be
aware that Mozambique has recently adopted a policy of enforcing Yellow-Fever
vaccinations for those travellers originating from known Yellow-Fever
countries. This should not affect most of our guests but is worth bearing
in mind if your trip includes countries such as Tanzania or those in central
Africa. Please check with your tour operator or agent before
travelling. Alternatively, you will be kindly offered a rather painless
jab in the airport in Beira - but this can be a hindrance so best check beforehand!
Scheduled flights in and out of Maputo
LAM fly
from Maputo to Durban and Johannesburg, as well as via Harare to Nairobi &
Lilongwe (on code-share with Kenya Airlines). SA Express also fly from
Maputo to Cape Town direct twice a week. TAP fly direct to & from
Maputo out of Lisbon, Portugal, whilst Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town are
well serviced by international airlines.
Estimated flying times
From
Vilanculos/Bazaruto to Chitengo: approximately 60-75mins, depending on airplane
type
From Beira to Chitengo: approximately 25mins, depending on airplane type
From Chimoio to Chitengo: approximately 20mins, depending on airplane type
Chitengo airstrip details
Coordinates:
18 59 S : 34 21 E
Altitude: 104ft asl
Runway: 05/23
Measurements: 1100m x 45m
Nature of soils: Clay
Class: Airstrip 2A
Resistance: 12.5 T
Critical Airplane: Lear JET 24D
Predominant wind: South Easterly Restrictions:
Usable only during dry season; only day time operations; only 1000m effective;
unstable during the wet season
Luggage restrictions for charter flights to & from Gorongosa National Park
Please be
aware that due to the limited space in the small aircraft used as charter
flights into Chitengo, we ask you to please restrict your luggage to a maximum
of 12kg per person, in soft luggage carriers. Failure to restrict luggage will
result either in delayed luggage arrival or additional costs.
Getting
to us by Road...
Gorongosa
National Park is easily accessible by road off the newly completed tarred
national highway - the EN1 - which is the main north-south road running the
length of Mozambique. The turn-off for the Park is approximately 30
kilometres north of Inchope, which is a small village at the junction of the
EN1 and the main Beira-Mutare road, and the last stop for fuel before the
Park. From the well signed turn-off from the EN1, it is a short 11
kilometre stretch of good gravel road to the main Park gate where Park entry
fees are payable (per person and per vehicle). From here
it is a scenic 18 kilometres of very good gravel to Chitengo Camp (half an hour
approximately) where you will be met by your guide at the Chitengo Camp
reception. The Park is accessible by most high-clearance vehicles. See a map of central Mozambique showing
access...
Please contact us
for more details if you do plan to take this route in to Gorongosa.
