Nairobi to Zanzibar: Self-Launched Serengeti & Sunsets

Land at JKIA and take an airport taxi or the local bus/bolt to a hostel in Kilimani, Westlands or the city centre. Spend the afternoon sorting logistics: activate your eTA (Kenya's Electronic Travel Authorisation, required for all nationalities), buy a Safaricom SIM, and confirm your Namanga shuttle seat for tomorrow. If you have energy, the Nairobi National Museum (roughly 1,200–3,000 KES) or the Railway Museum are cheap afternoon options — save The Carnivore and Bomas of Kenya if you want a bigger spend. Eat at a local 'hoteli' for ugali, sukuma wiki and nyama choma at a fraction of tourist-restaurant prices.

🚌Airport taxi/Bolt from JKIA to city centre ~£8–12; matatus and Bolt for local hops ~£1–3

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Kilimani/Westlands, dorm or private twin (~£12–18)

• →Settle in and buy a Safaricom SIM
• →Optional: Nairobi National Museum
• →Evening food at a local hoteli

Take the morning shuttle from Nairobi to Arusha via the Namanga border post (Riverside/Namanga shuttles run daily, roughly £20–25 one way, 6–7 hours including border formalities). Sort your Tanzania visa/e-visa beforehand if you can so you don't lose time at the post. Keep your yellow fever certificate handy — Kenya and Tanzania both check it. On a clear day Kilimanjaro shows itself on the approach to Arusha. In Arusha, stay near the clock tower, and use the evening to visit a couple of safari operators on Sokoine Road or Njiro to compare quotes for the Serengeti/Ngorongoro camping trip you'll start tomorrow. Expect to pay roughly £380–480 per person for a 3-day/2-night small-group camping safari including park fees, 4x4, cook and guide.

🚌Nairobi–Arusha shared shuttle via Namanga ~£22; local dala-dala/tuk-tuk in Arusha ~£1

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in central Arusha (~£14–20)

• →Border crossing at Namanga
• →Compare Arusha safari operators on the ground
• →Book 3-day Serengeti & Ngorongoro camping safari

Early pick-up in Arusha in a 4x4 Land Cruiser with your small group (typically 4–7 people). Drive via Mto wa Mbu where you can stop at the community market and grab lunch — a self-launched nod to the original tour's community visit. Continue through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and down onto the plains into Serengeti National Park for a late-afternoon game drive. Your driver-guide will be tracking the migration and big cats, and you'll camp inside or just outside the park in a public campsite — basic long-drop facilities, no electricity, but wildlife noise all night. Bring a headtorch and your own sleeping bag (or rent one from the operator for about £30).

🚌4x4 safari Land Cruiser with pop-up roof, shared with small group (included in safari cost)

🛏Public campsite inside/near Serengeti (tent supplied by operator; sleeping bag own or rented)

• →Mto wa Mbu market stop and local lunch
• →Afternoon game drive in Serengeti NP
• →Sundowner on the plains

Out at first light for the best wildlife light of the trip — buffalo, elephant, lion, zebra and, in season, wildebeest crossings. Return to camp for brunch, break down, and drive toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You'll camp on or near the crater rim (Simba or similar public site) at around 2,300m, so it gets genuinely cold at night — layers and a warm hat matter. Optional upgrade: pre-book a Serengeti hot-air balloon safari direct with Miracle Experience or Serengeti Balloon Safaris for roughly £450–500 including champagne breakfast — book ahead, it's pricier than the operator's add-on but you can often negotiate a solo-traveller rate.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle (included)

🛏Public campsite on/near Ngorongoro Crater rim

• →Sunrise game drive in the Serengeti
• →Afternoon transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• →Optional: Serengeti balloon safari (extra ~£450)

Very early start to descend the 600m into the crater before the crowds — this is the best single spot in Tanzania for black rhino, plus lion prides, flamingos on Lake Makat and huge elephant bulls. Spend the morning on the crater floor with a picnic breakfast, climb back out by late morning and drive back to Arusha, arriving evening. Your safari operator's price covers park fees, food and the vehicle; tip your driver-guide and cook around £8–10 each per day between the group.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle back to Arusha (included)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Arusha (~£14–20)

• →Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive
• →Picnic breakfast in the crater
• →Tip driver-guide and cook

Long travel day, done DIY. Take the direct Arusha–Dar es Salaam bus (Kenzu/Sumry/Alpha, roughly £18–22, 10–12 hours) and hop off at Bagamoyo or continue to Dar and double back in a dala-dala. Bagamoyo is a cheap, atmospheric former slave-trade port with old German colonial buildings and Kaole ruins — a good way to break the journey rather than paying for a private shuttle. Alternatively, skip Bagamoyo and take the bus all the way to Dar es Salaam for an extra night in the city, which is what most independent travellers do.

🚌Arusha–Dar es Salaam public coach ~£18–22; dala-dala to Bagamoyo ~£1

🛏Budget guesthouse in Bagamoyo or Dar es Salaam (~£12–18)

• →Optional: Bagamoyo old town and Kaole ruins walk
• →Sunset on the Indian Ocean

Get to Dar es Salaam's ferry terminal for the fast ferry to Zanzibar (Azam Marine or Coastal Fast Ferries, roughly £25–30 one way, 2 hours; book online a day or two ahead in high season). On arrival you'll pay the Zanzibar infrastructure levy and show your Tanzania e-visa. Check into a guesthouse in Stone Town and spend the afternoon getting lost in the alleys — carved doors, the Old Fort, Forodhani Gardens at sunset for grilled seafood skewers (a few pounds for a feast). A self-booked Stone Town walking tour costs around £12–15, or you can do a free self-guided route with a map.

🚌Hotel to ferry terminal taxi ~£3; Dar–Zanzibar ferry ~£28; local taxi in Stone Town ~£2

🛏Stone Town guesthouse, private or twin room (~£18–28)

• →Fast ferry to Zanzibar
• →Self-guided Stone Town alley wander
• →Sunset street food at Forodhani Gardens
• →Optional: guided Stone Town walk ~£12

Morning spice farm tour (book direct or via GetYourGuide, roughly £15–20) — the island's original reason for being on trade routes. Then take a dala-dala or shared minibus south along the coast to Jambiani (about £1.50–2, one hour) instead of a private transfer, and settle into a beach banda or guesthouse on the white-sand east coast. Afternoon is for swimming, kitesurfing lessons (~£40) or simply doing nothing on a sun lounger. Dinner at a local beach restaurant with grilled fish and coconut rice for around £6–8.

🚌Spice farm transfer ~£5; dala-dala Stone Town–Jambiani ~£2

🛏Beach banda/guesthouse in Jambiani (~£15–25)

• →Spice farm tour
• →Dala-dala down the coast
• →Swim and beach time in Jambiani

A full free day on the coast. The reef is best at low tide, so time a snorkel trip (roughly £20–30 with equipment) or a dhow sailing sunset cruise (~£20). Divers can book a two-tank dive with a local centre for about £50–60. Cheaper option: hire a mask and fins and walk out to the reef flats at low tide. Jozani Forest (red colobus monkeys) is an easy half-day for about £15 if you want a break from the sand. Note that Zanzibar is conservative Muslim — cover shoulders and knees away from the resort strip.

🚌Local transport/tuk-tuk hops ~£2

🛏Beach banda/guesthouse in Jambiani (~£15–25)

• →Snorkel or dhow sunset cruise
• →Optional: two-tank dive ~£55
• →Optional: Jozani Forest ~£15

Early morning transfer back up the coast to Stone Town (shared minibus ~£2–3 or arrange a taxi for ~£20). If your flight leaves later, do a final coffee at a pavement vendor and pick up kanga cloths or spices at Darajani Market. Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) is a 10-minute taxi from town (~£4). Book onward flights for mid-afternoon or later to allow for the drive back from Jambiani.

🚌Jambiani–Stone Town shared minibus ~£3; taxi to ZNZ airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Darajani Market souvenir shopping
• →Stone Town coffee stop
• →Depart from Zanzibar