Served by numerous international carriers and home to sophisticated world-class airports, flying into Africa is as easy as flying to anywhere else in the world. Africa is however an enormous continent with various international and national airports acting as gateways to its remote islands and iconic safari destinations - you'll need to know which gateway airport best serves the destinations you have in mind.
Gateway Airports of Africa
Nairobi (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport)
Kenya's capital city is home to East Africa's unrivalled flight hub and will be your first landfall if you're planning to go anywhere in Kenya - including the Masai Mara - as well as Uganda, Rwanda and indeed Tanzania and Zanzibar. Visitors transfer from Jomo Kenyatta to nearby Wilson Airport for onward regional connections and charter flights.
Dar es Salaam (Julius Nyerere International Airport)
Tanzania's main flight hub is set on the coast and perfectly placed if you're heading for Zanzibar or islands off the Tanzanian coast like Pemba as well as the Nyerere National Park (previously Selous Game Reserve). Mount Kilimanjaro and Tanzania's northern safari destinations are served by transferring from Dar es Salaam to either Kilimanjaro International Airport (also offering limited international flights) or Arusha Airport for local charter flights.
Cape Town International Airport
Serving South Africa's Cape destinations such as Cape Town, Whale Coast and the Cape Winelands, this is the gateway airport for the Garden Route and Eastern Cape. Namibia can also be easily accessed from Cape Town.
Johannesburg (O R Tambo International Airport)
Africa's premier flight hub, O R Tambo serves all destinations in South, Southern and East Africa including the Kruger Park, Victoria Falls, Botswana and the Mozambique coast. You'll transfer at the airport to domestic or regional flights.
On a smaller scale, other important gateway airports include Namibia's Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek (ideal for Etosha and the Namib Desert) and Mozambique's Maputo International Airport, serving the country's Bazaruto and Quirimbas Archipelagos.
Find out more about flying into:
Botswana
Kenya
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
Seychelles
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe