Self-Launched Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari: Maasai Mara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Start early from Nairobi. Public option: matatu/shuttle from Nairobi's Railway Station or Afya Centre to Narok (~£6, 3–4 hrs), then a shared 4x4 taxi into the Mara conservancy (~£10–15). More practical for solo travellers: join a locally booked 3-day budget camping safari from Nairobi (~£180–250 pp including a pop-top van, driver-guide, camp and most meals) which collects you from your hostel. Stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint near Mai Mahiu for photos, arrive at camp (Lenchada-style semi-permanent tented camp, dorms/self-contained tents) late afternoon. If you drive yourself you can't self-drive inside the reserve without a licensed KPSGA guide, so a shared safari van is the realistic option.

🚌Shuttle Nairobi–Narok ~£6 + shared 4x4 ~£12, or join a local 3-day camping safari

🛏Budget tented camp / dorm tent near the Mara gate (~£12–18 pp)

• →Great Rift Valley viewpoint stop
• →Arrival and afternoon game drive in Maasai Mara National Reserve (~£65 entry for 24 hrs + ~£15 vehicle)

Sunrise and afternoon game drives with a packed picnic lunch at a river bend looking for lion, cheetah, elephant and — in Jul–Oct — the wildebeest migration crossings on the Mara River. Book your drives the previous evening through the camp; shared vehicles with 6–8 people keep costs down. Optional extra: a Maasai village visit (~USD 15) arranged at the gate, and hot-air balloon flights (~USD 450–480) if you want the splurge — cheapest to arrange direct with the camp rather than a Nairobi agency.

🚌Shared safari 4x4 with driver-guide

🛏Budget tented camp / dorm tent (~£12–18 pp)

• →Morning and afternoon game drives
• →Optional Maasai village visit (~£12)
• →Optional hot-air balloon safari (~£370, not in total)

Morning game drive out of the reserve, then head north-east towards Nakuru — roughly 5–6 hrs. Use a shared safari van if you're on the local camping loop, or matatus via Narok–Naivasha–Nakuru (~£8). Overnight in a cheap 3-star-ish town hotel (Buraha Zeroni Resort style, ~£25 double / £12 pp). Late-afternoon or next-morning game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for white rhino and Rothschild's giraffe, plus huge flocks of flamingos and pelicans when water levels suit.

🚌Shared safari van or matatus Narok–Naivasha–Nakuru ~£8

🛏Budget town hotel in Nakuru (~£12–15 pp double share)

• →Game drive Lake Nakuru NP (~£35 entry + ~£10 vehicle)
• →Birdwatching at the lake shore

Long travel day (~7–8 hrs). Public transport route: Nakuru–Nairobi matatu (~£6), then Nairobi–Emali bus (~£5) and a shared bodaboda/4x4 to Kimana gate (~£8). If you're in a group van this is a straight drive. Camp at a budget camp such as Nyati Camp outside the gate (~£12–15 pp). Evening sundowner with Kilimanjaro silhouetted behind the acacias if the mountain is out.

🚌Matatu Nakuru–Nairobi ~£6 + bus Nairobi–Emali ~£5 + shared taxi to gate ~£8

🛏Budget camp outside Amboseli gate (~£12–15 pp)

• →Travel day via Nairobi
• →Optional sunset viewpoint

Early-morning and afternoon game drives in Amboseli — the best place in Kenya for close elephant encounters with big tuskers, and cheetah on the open plains. Park fee ~£45/day + vehicle ~£15. Book a shared vehicle through the camp the night before. Optional late-morning Maasai village visit arranged at the gate (USD 15, ~£12).

🚌Shared safari 4x4

🛏Budget camp outside Amboseli gate (~£12–15 pp)

• →Early-morning game drive with Kilimanjaro views
• →Extensive afternoon game drive
• →Optional Maasai village visit ~£12

Morning game drive, then cross into Tanzania at Namanga. Public route: shared taxi Amboseli–Namanga (~£8), walk through immigration (both e-visas sorted in advance), then Namanga–Arusha shuttle or bus (~£6–8, 3 hrs). Overnight in a cheap guesthouse in Arusha town (~£10–14 pp). Spend the evening comparing local operators for the Tanzanian leg — the reliable KINAPA-licensed 3-day Serengeti/Ngorongoro camping safari can be fixed at the Arusha tourist office or directly with operators on Sokoine Road for ~£300–400 pp including park fees.

🚌Shared taxi Amboseli–Namanga ~£8 + shuttle Namanga–Arusha ~£7

🛏Budget guesthouse in Arusha (~£10–14 pp)

• →Namanga border crossing
• →Arusha town walk and trip planning

Start a local 3-4 day northern-circuit camping safari from Arusha, or hire a shared 4x4 with other travellers. Full day in Tarangire, ~2 hrs from Arusha, famous for big elephant herds around the baobabs and the Tarangire River. Park fee ~£45 + vehicle. Picnic lunch under a baobab, then camp at a public campsite such as Fig Tree (~£10–15 pp).

🚌Shared safari 4x4 from Arusha (~2 hrs)

🛏Public campsite in Tarangire area (~£10–15 pp)

• →Full day game drive Tarangire NP
• →Picnic lunch and baobab scenery

Drive up through Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the highland road (transit fee applies), past Olduvai Gorge, into the Serengeti plains. Afternoon game drive en route to Seronera. Camp at a public site like Seronera or Nguchiro (~£12–15 pp) — basic facilities but lions within earshot. Park fee ~£55/day per person.

🚌Shared safari 4x4, ~6–7 hrs with stops

🛏Public campsite, Seronera area (~£12–15 pp)

• →Afternoon game drive in the Serengeti
• →Olduvai Gorge viewpoint (optional entry ~£8)

Full-day game drive around Seronera Valley and the rivers looking for lion prides, leopard in the acacias, and the great herds if the migration is in the western or northern corridor. Compare with other travellers and split a vehicle if you can. Packed lunch from camp. Evening back at the campsite with a communal fire.

🚌Shared safari 4x4

🛏Public campsite, Seronera area (~£12–15 pp)

• →Full day game drive in Serengeti NP
• →Riverside picnic lunch

Dawn game drive, then drive south towards the conservation area, stopping at viewpoints. Camp at Simba Public Campsite on the crater rim (~£10–15 pp) — cold at 2,300 m, so take a fleece. Ngorongoro conservation fee ~£50 plus crater service fee ~£20 the next morning.

🚌Shared safari 4x4, ~4 hrs

🛏Simba Public Campsite, crater rim (~£10–15 pp)

• →Early morning Serengeti game drive
• →Game drive en route, crater rim sunset

Descend into the crater floor in a 4x4 at dawn (only licensed vehicles allowed) for a full morning among black rhino, tusked elephant bulls, lion and flamingos by the soda lake. Picnic lunch on the floor, then climb out and drive back to Arusha (~4 hrs). Cheap guesthouse in Arusha (~£10–14 pp) and dinner in town.

🚌Shared safari 4x4 with crater descent

🛏Budget guesthouse in Arusha (~£10–14 pp)

• →Full day game drive on the crater floor
• →Picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok springs

The cheapest way back is the daily public shuttle Arusha–Nairobi (Riverside Shuttle or Impala, ~£20–25, 6–7 hrs, morning departure). Premium private transfers are ~USD 200 if you want door-to-door. Arrive Nairobi in the afternoon; if your flight leaves early hours of the following morning, book a cheap Nairobi hostel near the airport (~£12–18 pp) rather than paying for an overnight transfer. Add one buffer night if you can — cross-border delays happen.

🚌Public shuttle Arusha–Nairobi ~£22

🛏Optional Nairobi hostel night (~£12–18 pp) or onward flight

• →Cross-border shuttle
• →Optional Nairobi stopover