Kenya & Tanzania: Maasai Mara, Serengeti & Zanzibar — Self-Launched

Fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and take a taxi or the affordable Airport Shuttle Bus into the city centre (~£5). Check into a well-rated Nairobi hostel or guesthouse in the Westlands or Kilimani area. Spend the afternoon recovering from the flight, grabbing a cup of famous Kenyan coffee at a local café, and getting your bearings. Pick up a Safaricom SIM card for data at the airport or a nearby shop (~£2 including starter data). If energy allows, explore the lively neighbourhood bars and restaurants for dinner.

🚌Airport shuttle or metered taxi to city centre (~£5–8)

🛏Nairobi Backpackers or Upper Hill Campsite — hostel dorm or budget private room (~£15–20/night)

• →Airport transfer via shared shuttle or metered taxi
• →Pick up a local Safaricom SIM card
• →Explore Westlands cafés and local restaurants
• →Nairobi nightlife warm-up

Start the morning with a visit to the Nairobi National Museum (entry ~£5) to explore Kenya's incredible archaeological and natural history heritage, including the famous Leakey family prehistoric finds. Afterwards, join a shared overland shuttle to the Maasai Mara — several budget operators run daily departures from Nairobi (~£20–25 per person, roughly 5–6 hours). Arrive at your budget tented camp or guesthouse in time for sunset and a briefing about tomorrow's safari.

🚌Shared shuttle Nairobi → Maasai Mara (~£20–25, ~5–6 hrs)

🛏Mara budget tented camp or guesthouse near Talek Gate (~£20–30/night)

• →Visit Nairobi National Museum (book direct at the gate, ~£5)
• →Optional: stop at the Giraffe Centre en route to the departure point (~£8)
• →Shared shuttle/overland transfer to Maasai Mara

Rise before dawn for a full-day shared 4x4 game drive inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve — Kenya's most famous wildlife reserve and one of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles. Book a shared jeep safari directly through your camp or via a local operator at the Talek or Sekenani gates (~£50–70 per person including park fees). Keep eyes peeled for the Big Five: lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhino. If visiting July–October, you may witness the iconic Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra crossing the Mara River.

🚌Included in shared safari jeep

🛏Mara budget tented camp (~£20–30/night)

• →Full-day shared 4x4 game drive in Maasai Mara National Reserve (book via camp or gate, ~£50–70 incl. park fees)
• →Mara River crossing viewpoint (seasonal, July–Oct)
• →Sundowner drinks at camp

Take an optional early-morning half-day game drive (~£30 incl. park fees) to catch predators active at dawn. Return to camp for breakfast, then board the shared shuttle back to Nairobi (~£20–25). Arrive in the late afternoon. Check back into your Nairobi guesthouse, shower off the dust, and enjoy a well-earned Tusker beer and Nyama choma (grilled meat) at a local restaurant.

🚌Shared shuttle Maasai Mara → Nairobi (~£20–25)

🛏Nairobi Backpackers or Upper Hill Campsite (~£15–20/night)

• →Optional half-day morning game drive (~£30 incl. park fees)
• →Shared shuttle return to Nairobi
• →Dinner at a local Nairobi restaurant — try Nyama choma and ugali

Use today to prepare for the Tanzania leg of your trip. Sort your Tanzania single-entry visa online at evisa.go.tz (~£35–40) if you haven't already. Explore the vibrant Karura Forest for a free morning walk, or visit the Karen Blixen Museum (~£5). Pick up any camping/safari supplies from Nakumatt or a local outdoor shop. In the afternoon, book your onward shared shuttle or bus to Arusha, Tanzania, departing tomorrow. Enjoy Nairobi's artsy café scene in the evening.

🚌Local matatu or Bolt/Uber within Nairobi (~£3–5)

🛏Nairobi guesthouse or hostel (~£15–20/night)

• →Apply for Tanzania e-visa online if not done (~£35–40)
• →Morning walk in Karura Forest (free)
• →Optional: Karen Blixen Museum (~£5)
• →Book Nairobi–Arusha shared shuttle for Day 6

Depart Nairobi early on a shared shuttle to Arusha, Tanzania (~£15–20, ~5–6 hrs via Namanga border). If budget and time allow, consider a brief stop near Amboseli National Park en route — stunning views of Mt Kilimanjaro from the Kenyan side can be enjoyed from the roadside. Cross the Namanga border on foot (straightforward process) and continue by onward shuttle to Arusha. Arrive in Arusha by late afternoon. Check into a budget guesthouse and book your Tanzania safari package for the next few days from one of the many reputable budget operators in town (e.g. Ahsante Tours, Sunny Safaris — compare quotes in person).

🚌Shared shuttle Nairobi → Arusha (~£15–20, ~5–6 hrs)

🛏Arusha budget guesthouse (e.g. Arusha Backpackers, ~£15–20/night)

• →Early departure shared shuttle Nairobi → Arusha via Namanga border (~£15–20)
• →Kilimanjaro views from Amboseli/Namanga roadside (free)
• →Arusha: shop around budget safari operators for Serengeti/Ngorongoro package

Join a budget shared 4x4 safari departing Arusha for Tarangire National Park (~2 hrs drive). Tarangire is famous for its enormous elephant herds — one of the largest concentrations in Africa — and its iconic giant baobab trees. Spend the afternoon on a game drive inside the park (~£40–55 per person including park fees, as part of a multi-day shared safari package). Camp or stay in a budget tented site inside or just outside the park boundary. Sundowners around the campfire are unmissable.

🚌Shared safari 4x4 from Arusha (~£10–15 transport element, included in safari package)

🛏Budget tented camp near Tarangire (~£20–25/night)

• →Shared 4x4 game drive in Tarangire National Park (~£40–55 incl. park fees)
• →Elephant herds and baobab spotting
• →Campfire dinner at tented camp

After a dawn game drive in Tarangire, head north towards the Serengeti — a long but spectacular drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area highlands. Enter the Serengeti through the Naabi Hill Gate and begin your first afternoon game drive across the world-famous endless plains. Keep your eyes peeled for lion prides, cheetah, and massive wildebeest herds. Stay at a budget public campsite inside the Serengeti (Tanzania National Parks runs official public campsites at very reasonable rates, ~£10–15/night for the pitch).

🚌Shared safari 4x4 (included in multi-day safari package)

🛏TANAPA public campsite, Serengeti (~£10–15/night)

• →Early morning game drive in Tarangire
• →Scenic drive through Ngorongoro highlands to Serengeti
• →Afternoon game drive in central Serengeti (~included in safari package)
• →Sundowner at public campsite

A full day of game drives in the Serengeti — one of the world's most extraordinary wildlife spectacles. Your shared 4x4 driver-guide will navigate towards current wildlife hot spots, tracking lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, and wildebeest. If visiting June–August, you may witness the Great Migration with enormous wildebeest herds and dramatic predator action. Take a packed lunch and spend as long as possible out on the plains. Evenings at the campsite under an impossibly star-filled sky are the highlight of East Africa.

🚌Shared safari 4x4 (included in package)

🛏TANAPA public campsite, Serengeti (~£10–15/night)

• →Full-day shared 4x4 game drives, Serengeti (included in safari package)
• →Great Migration viewing (seasonal June–Aug)
• →Optional: book a Serengeti hot-air balloon safari via GetYourGuide or directly with Serengeti Balloon Safaris (~£350–400, paid separately)
• →Stargazing at public campsite

Set the alarm early — crater access is best at dawn when predators are most active. Drive from the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend into the crater floor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's greatest natural wonders. The 260 sq km crater floor hosts the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa: lions, elephants, hippos, flamingos, and — if you're very lucky — the critically endangered black rhino. Crater descent costs are included in Tanzania National Parks fees (~£60–70 for crater access on top of daily conservation fee). Ascend in the afternoon and overnight at a budget lodge or campsite on the crater rim.

🚌Shared safari 4x4 (included in package)

🛏Budget guesthouse or campsite on Ngorongoro Crater rim (~£20–25/night)

• →Early morning crater descent and full-day game drive, Ngorongoro Crater (~£60–70 crater fees, included in package)
• →Hippo pool and flamingo lake viewing
• →Black rhino spotting (elusive but present)
• →Crater rim viewpoint at sunset

Return drive from Ngorongoro to Arusha (~3 hrs). From Arusha, take an afternoon flight to Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport — Precision Air and Coastal Aviation both operate this route for ~£80–120 one-way. Alternatively, budget travellers can take a shared bus to Dar es Salaam (~£15, overnight, 8–10 hrs) and the fast ferry to Zanzibar the next morning (~£30). Arrive in Stone Town by evening and check into your guesthouse in the historic old town. The winding alleyways, rooftop bars, and spice-scented air are an intoxicating contrast to the savanna.

🚌Shared 4x4 to Arusha then domestic flight to Zanzibar (~£80–120)

🛏Stone Town budget guesthouse or hostel (e.g. Flamingo Guesthouse, ~£20–30/night)

• →Morning return drive Ngorongoro → Arusha
• →Afternoon flight Arusha → Zanzibar (~£80–120 via Precision Air/Coastal Aviation)
• →Arrive Stone Town — evening walk through UNESCO-listed historic old town
• →Rooftop sundowner at Africa House Hotel or Emerson Spice terrace bar

Spend the day exploring Stone Town's UNESCO-listed historic streets, a labyrinth of Arab, Persian, Indian, and African architecture. Visit the House of Wonders (museum, ~£3), the Old Fort, and the sobering Slave Market memorial and Anglican Cathedral (~£3). Browse the vibrant Darajani Market for fresh fruit and spices. In the evening, head to Forodhani Gardens Night Market — the best budget food experience in Zanzibar — where fresh seafood, Zanzibar pizza, and sugarcane juice are served for pennies. Book a spice tour for tomorrow morning (~£15–20).

🚌All walking in Stone Town (free)

🛏Stone Town budget guesthouse (~£20–30/night)

• →Self-guided walking tour of Stone Town (free)
• →House of Wonders museum (~£3)
• →Slave Market memorial and Anglican Cathedral (~£3)
• →Darajani Market browsing (free)
• →Forodhani Gardens Night Market dinner (~£5–8)

Start the morning on a half-day spice farm tour (~£15–20 via local operators or GetYourGuide) — Zanzibar's 'Spice Island' reputation is well-earned and you'll taste, smell, and learn about cloves, vanilla, black pepper, and dozens of other spices growing in their natural environment. After lunch, take a dalla-dalla (local shared minibus, ~£1–2) or dala-dala to Nungwi or Kendwa on the north coast — Zanzibar's most beautiful stretches of white-sand beach and turquoise Indian Ocean water. Swim, snorkel, and watch the sunset from a beachside bar. Budget beach accommodation is plentiful.

🚌Dalla-dalla (shared minibus) Stone Town → Nungwi (~£1–2, ~1.5 hrs)

🛏Budget guesthouse or simple beach bungalow, Nungwi/Kendwa (~£20–30/night)

• →Half-day spice farm tour (~£15–20, book via local operator or GetYourGuide)
• →Dalla-dalla to Nungwi/Kendwa beach (~£1–2)
• →Swimming and snorkelling in the Indian Ocean
• →Sunset drinks at a beachside bar

Enjoy a final morning on Zanzibar's stunning beaches before heading back to Stone Town by dalla-dalla (~£1–2) for your onward flight. Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport has connections to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and international destinations. If your flight is late, store bags at your guesthouse and enjoy one last Zanzibari coffee and fresh coconut before departing. This is the end of an unforgettable 14-day East African adventure.

🚌Dalla-dalla Nungwi → Stone Town (~£1–2), taxi to airport (~£8–10)

🛏N/A (departure day)

• →Final morning beach swim
• →Dalla-dalla return to Stone Town (~£1–2)
• →Last cup of Zanzibari spiced coffee and street food
• →Transfer to Zanzibar International Airport