Kenya & Tanzania Self-Launched Safari Adventure

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and take an Uber or Bolt into the city centre (~£8–10). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Westlands or Kilimani area, get a Kenyan SIM card (Safaricom tourist SIM ~£3–5 with data), and draw Kenyan shillings from an ATM. Spend the afternoon at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust orphan elephant feed (book online in advance, ~£15) or the Giraffe Centre, then eat at a local nyama choma spot or a cheap mamak-style cafe. Tonight, confirm your safari pick-up time in writing by WhatsApp with your Kenya safari operator.

🚌Uber/Bolt from JKIA to city centre, ~£8–10

🛏Hostel/budget hotel in Westlands or Kilimani, Nairobi (~£15–25 pp)

• →Airport transfer by Uber/Bolt
• →Safaricom SIM card and ATM cash
• →Sheldrick elephant orphanage or Giraffe Centre
• →Evening food at a local nyama choma restaurant

You'll be collected early (7am) by your Kenya join-in safari van — book a 3-day Masai Mara camping safari through a local Nairobi operator (many small agencies book the same vans; expect ~£280–350 pp including park fees, camping and most meals). The drive runs via the Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint and stops for lunch at Narok town. Arrive at the campsite near the reserve boundary mid-afternoon, then head straight out for an evening game drive as light softens. Drop your expectations of private vehicles: these are 8-seater 4x4 safari vans, exactly as the original tour uses.

🚌Shared 8-seat 4x4 safari van, ~5–6 hours driving, included in safari package

🛏Permanent tented camp outside Masai Mara reserve boundary, twin share (~included in safari package)

• →Join-in safari van transfer Nairobi–Masai Mara
• →Great Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint stop
• →Afternoon game drive in Masai Mara

Full-day game drive with a picnic lunch eaten at the Mara River — hippos and crocodiles below, big cats often nearby. Jul–Oct is migration season, so ask your driver-guide to head towards the Mara Triangle if river crossings are being reported (never guaranteed). In the late afternoon, visit a Maasai village on the edge of the reserve (community fee ~£10–15, negotiate direct — some camps arrange it) for singing, dancing and an explanation of village life. Back at camp: campfire, dinner cooked by the safari cook, cold beer from the camp bar.

🚌Safari van game drives, included

🛏Same permanent tented camp, Masai Mara (~included)

• →Full-day game drive with picnic lunch at Mara River
• →Maasai village visit with singing and dancing
• →Campfire and campsite dinner

Break camp after breakfast and drive east towards Nakuru (~5–6 hours). Most budget join-in itineraries include an afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park — famous for white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe and flamingo-lined shores. Note: the two Kenya segments (Mara and Nakuru) are often sold as one 4-day package; if you book separately, the transfer day can be a public-matatu slog, so ask your Mara operator to include Nakuru rather than stitching it yourself. Evening nature walk along the lakeshore with your guide before dinner at camp.

🚌Shared safari van, ~5–6 hours

🛏Tented camp or basic guesthouse near Lake Nakuru National Park (~included in safari package)

• →Road transfer Masai Mara–Lake Nakuru
• →Afternoon game drive Lake Nakuru National Park
• →Lakeshore nature walk

Early morning game and bird drive while animals are active, then a stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint for photos on the road back to Nairobi. Arrive Nairobi around mid-afternoon. For the evening, skip the tour version's set banquet and book the Carnivore Restaurant directly (~£30–35 for the all-you-can-eat meat buffet, or cheaper à la carte) — it's 10 minutes by Uber from most Westlands hostels. Overnight in a Nairobi hostel; pre-book tomorrow's Nairobi–Arusha shuttle.

🚌Safari van back to Nairobi (included) + Uber to restaurant ~£3

🛏Hostel/budget hotel in Nairobi (~£15–25 pp)

• →Morning game and bird drive Lake Nakuru
• →Rift Valley viewpoint photo stop
• →Transfer back to Nairobi
• →Carnivore Restaurant dinner (self-booked)

Book a Nairobi–Arusha shuttle with one of the established operators (Riverside Shuttle, Impala Shuttle or Modern Coast/Nairobi Arusha Express) — roughly £25–35 one way, departing around 7–8am and taking 6–7 hours including the Namanga border crossing. Have your Tanzania e-visa pre-approved online (~£40–50 for most Western passports) and Kenyan exit formalities ready; the shuttle staff usually help you through. Arrive Arusha early evening, check into a hostel or guesthouse, and meet your Tanzania safari operator (booked ahead) to confirm the next morning's departure.

🚌Shared shuttle Nairobi–Arusha, ~£25–35, 6–7 hours

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Arusha town (~£12–20 pp)

• →Cross-border shared shuttle Nairobi–Arusha
• →Namanga border crossing
• →Evening briefing with Tanzania safari operator

Start a 4-day/3-night Tanzania camping safari with a reputable Arusha operator (expect ~£550–700 pp in peak season including park fees, camping, cook and 4x4 Land Cruiser — Tanzania park fees are much higher than Kenya's). Drive ~2 hours to Tarangire, whose baobab-studded plains hold huge elephant herds and old male lions. Game drive through the park with a picnic lunch, then transfer to your campsite outside the park boundary for dinner cooked by the safari chef. Nights in Tanzania safari camps are cold at altitude on the crater rim — pack a warm layer.

🚌Shared 4x4 Land Cruiser, ~2 hours

🛏Public campsite near Tarangire (tent, bedroll provided), included in safari package

• →Transfer Arusha–Tarangire National Park
• →Full game drive in Tarangire with picnic lunch

A long but spectacular driving day: up through the Ngorongoro highlands, past the crater rim and onto the Serengeti plains (~5–6 hours with stops). Enter the park at Naabi Hill Gate and game drive en route to camp, looking for cheetah on the short-grass plains and big prides of lion. Depending on the season your operator may camp in the central Seronera area (year-round game) or further north for the migration. Camp dinner under some of the darkest skies in Africa.

🚌Shared 4x4 Land Cruiser, ~5–6 hours

🛏Public campsite in Serengeti (tent), included in safari package

• →Transfer Tarangire–Serengeti via Ngorongoro highlands
• →Game viewing en route in Serengeti

Dawn game drive in the Serengeti — the best light and most active animals of the trip. Back to camp for brunch, then pack up and drive south to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, climbing the forested rim road to a campsite at ~2,300m. The temperature drops sharply overnight; a proper sleeping bag or hired one is essential. Optional splurge: many operators can add a Serengeti hot-air balloon flight (~£450–500 pp, book weeks ahead — far cheaper than the original tour's add-on).

🚌Shared 4x4 Land Cruiser, ~3–4 hours

🛏Campsite on the Ngorongoro Crater rim (tent, very cold), included in safari package

• →Morning game drive in Serengeti
• →Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater rim
• →Optional hot-air balloon flight (extra ~£450–500)

Leave camp at first light and descend the steep crater wall road into the caldera — the best single day of game viewing in Tanzania. Black rhino, huge-tusked elephants, flamingo lakes and dense lion prides, with a picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok springs. Ascend by mid-afternoon and continue to a campsite near Karatu or Lake Manyara for the night. Crater descent permits are included in your safari package; confirm the conservation fee line item in writing when booking.

🚌Shared 4x4 Land Cruiser

🛏Campsite near Karatu or Lake Manyara, included in safari package

• →Descent and game drive on Ngorongoro Crater floor
• →Picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok springs

Morning game drive and birdwatching in Lake Manyara National Park — tree-climbing lions, vast flocks of flamingo and pelican on the shallow soda lake, and groundwater forest full of baboon and monkey. Back on the road by early afternoon for the ~2-hour transfer to Arusha, where your Tanzania safari ends. Depending on the time, opt either for a cheap guesthouse in Arusha town or head straight for the Arusha–Dar es Salaam/Kilimanjaro onward connection (Kilimanjaro airport minibus ~£10).

🚌Safari Land Cruiser to Arusha (included), ~2 hours

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Arusha (~£12–20 pp)

• →Game viewing and birdwatching in Lake Manyara National Park
• →Transfer Lake Manyara–Arusha

A free morning for the Arusha craft market or Cultural Heritage Centre, then onward travel: shared shuttle to Kilimanjaro Airport (~£10–12), or a bus to Moshi for Kilimanjaro views, or a flight onward to Zanzibar if you're extending. If you have spare days, this is the natural point to add a Zanzibar beach leg (ferry from Dar ~£30, or cheap flight from Arusha ~£60–90) — far cheaper booked yourself than as a tour add-on.

🚌Shared shuttle Arusha–Kilimanjaro Airport, ~£10–12

🛏—

• →Arusha craft market or Cultural Heritage Centre
• →Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport or onward transport