Nairobi to Joburg Overland: Craters & Camping (Self-Launched)

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International and make your way by Uber/Bolt to a hostel in the Westlands or Karen area. Spend the evening sorting your onward bus ticket, withdrawing cash and picking up a local SIM from Safaricom or Airtel. Grab nyama choma or a cheap Kenyan thali near your hostel.

🚌Airport taxi/Uber to hostel, approx £8

🛏Hostel dorm in Westlands/Karen (approx £10–14)

• →Arrive & sort SIM/cash
• →Nairobi street food dinner
• →Optional: Giraffe Centre or Nairobi National Museum

Cross the border by road. Fastest option is a Nairobi–Arusha shuttle (Riverside or Impala), roughly 6–8 hours including immigration at Namanga. Get your Tanzania e-visa in advance to save time. Overnight in an Arusha guesthouse near the clock tower, where most safari operators leave from.

🚌Nairobi–Arusha shuttle, approx £25–30

🛏Arusha guesthouse twin/dorm (approx £10–15)

• →Border crossing at Namanga
• →View of Mount Kilimanjaro en route
• →Evening in Arusha town

Join a self-booked 3–4 day camping safari with a local Arusha operator (ask your guesthouse — they all run shared departures, so you pay per seat not per vehicle). Drive via the Ngorongoro highlands into the Serengeti with an afternoon game drive on the way in. Camp at a public campsite inside the park.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle with group

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

• →Self-booked Serengeti camping safari
• →Afternoon game drive
• →Starlit camping in the park

Full-day game drives chasing buffalo, elephants, lions, wildebeest and zebra. Optional balloon safari at dawn (book locally, around £400+ — the big optional extra). Second night camping in the park.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle with group

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

• →Full-day Serengeti game drive
• →Optional hot-air balloon safari at dawn
• →Second night camping

Early descent into the Ngorongoro Crater by 4x4 for a few hours on the crater floor — zebra, gazelle, buffalo, hippo, rhino and a lion pride if you're lucky. Climb out for lunch and drive back to Arusha for the night.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle then return leg to Arusha

🛏Arusha guesthouse twin/dorm (approx £10–15)

• →Ngorongoro Crater wildlife safari drive
• →Crater-floor wildlife spotting

Long travel day. Cheapest way is a bus (Kilimanjaro or Shabiby) from Arusha to Dar — around 12–14 hours overnight. Dress in layers. Arrive in Dar early morning and check into a hostel near Kariakoo or the ferry port.

🚌Arusha–Dar bus, approx £18–25

🛏Hostel dorm in Dar es Salaam (approx £10–14)

• →Overnight intercity bus
• →Explore Dar es Salaam waterfront

Grab a morning ferry across to Zanzibar (Azam Marine or Kilimanjaro Ferry, about 2 hours). Check into a hostel in Stone Town and spend the afternoon wandering the old quarter — spice markets, Darajani Market, sunset at Forodhani night food stalls.

🚌Ferry Dar–Zanzibar, approx £20

🛏Stone Town hostel dorm (approx £10–15)

• →Dar–Zanzibar ferry
• →Stone Town walking & markets
• →Forodhani Gardens street food

Take a local dalla-dalla or shared taxi up to the north coast (Nungwi or Kendwa). Beach afternoons, swimming, sunset dhow boats. Book a snorkelling or diving trip to Mnemba Atoll through your guesthouse if you want.

🚌Dalla-dalla Stone Town–Nungwi, approx £3

🛏North-coast guesthouse/hostel (approx £12–18)

• →Dalla-dalla to north coast
• →Beach & swimming
• →Optional snorkel/dive trip

Slow day on the beach. Optional spice tour, Stone Town history if you didn't cover it, or a sunset dhow cruise with local fishermen. Stock up on food and water at the local shops to keep costs down.

🚌Walking/local taxi

🛏North-coast guesthouse/hostel (approx £12–18)

• →Beach time
• →Optional sunset dhow sail
• →Optional spice farm tour

Ferry back to Dar. Restock supplies and sort your onward bus to Mbeya for the northern route toward Malawi. Evening free in the city.

🚌Zanzibar–Dar ferry, approx £20

🛏Hostel dorm in Dar es Salaam (approx £10–14)

• →Return ferry to Dar
• →Prepare onward travel

Long overnight coach south toward the Zambian/Malawian border region. Book a reputable operator (e.g. Tawakal, Metro) and bring snacks — food stops add up.

🚌Dar–Mbeya coach, approx £20–28

🛏Coach overnight, then guesthouse in Mbeya (approx £8–12)

• →Overnight intercity coach
• →Border-region travel

Cross into Malawi via the Karonga border and truck/coach down to the lakeshore — Likoma side is pricier, aim for Nkhata Bay or Cape Maclear. Settle into a lakeside lodge or camp, the classic backpacker stop.

🚌Shared minibus/coach Mbeya–Nkhata Bay, approx £10–15

🛏Lakeside lodge/camp dorm (approx £8–14)

• →Border crossing into Malawi
• →Lake Malawi lakeshore arrival
• →Swim & sunset

Relax on the lake, take a kayak out, book a snorkelling or diving trip if you want. Options for village walks and local cooking experiences run through most lakeside lodges. Cheap, gorgeous, and a traveller-flavoured pause mid-route.

🚌Walking

🛏Lakeside lodge/camp dorm (approx £8–14)

• →Kayaking/snorkelling
• →Village walk
• →Optional diving

Travel down the lakeshore to Cape Maclear. Days blend into each other here: boat trips to the islands, snorkelling in the freshwater cichlid-rich water, sunset from the beach bars.

🚌Coach/minibus down the lakeshore, approx £8–12

🛏Cape Maclear guesthouse/camp (approx £8–14)

• →Bus/coach to Cape Maclear
• →Island boat trip
• →Snorkelling

Inland to Malawi's capital to reset before Zambia. Overnight in a hostel or budget hotel, restock, and sort your onward bus toward Lusaka.

🚌Coach to Lilongwe, approx £8–12

🛏Lilongwe hostel budget room (approx £10–15)

• →Travel to Lilongwe
• →Capital city evening

Long overnight bus/coach from Lilongwe to Lusaka. Reputable options include Intercape-style coaches or shared minibuses — overnight saves a hotel night if you can sleep on the road.

🚌Lilongwe–Lusaka coach, approx £20–30

🛏Coach overnight, then hostel in Lusaka (approx £10–14)

• →Overnight intercity travel
• →Zambia border crossing

Coach down to Livingstone, the base for Victoria Falls. Check into a hostel near the falls and watch the spray from the Zambian side at sunset. Bungee, gorge swing and rafting are all bookable locally.

🚌Lusaka–Livingstone coach, approx £15–22

🛏Livingstone hostel dorm (approx £10–15)

• →Travel to Livingstone
• →Zambian-side Victoria Falls walk
• →Optional adventure activities

Full day at Victoria Falls. Walk the Zambian side (cheaper than Zimbabwe, and the view of the main falls is arguably better in low water). Optional whitewater rafting on the Zambezi, bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge, or a sunset river cruise with hippos and elephants.

🚌Walking/local taxi

🛏Livingstone hostel dorm (approx £10–15)

• →Victoria Falls Zambian side walk
• →Optional rafting, bungee, or sunset cruise

Cross the border on foot over the Victoria Falls Bridge into Zimbabwe (e-visa or visa on arrival, small fee). Check into a hostel in Victoria Falls town and walk the Zimbabwean side of the falls — the classic view of the Devil's Cataract.

🚌Border walk + local shuttle, approx £5

🛏Victoria Falls town hostel dorm (approx £12–18)

• →Walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge
• →Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls

Second day around the falls: helicopter flight (optional, pricey), gorge walk, or just cross back to Zambia for a different viewpoint. Note Zimbabwe side is the one with the fuller classic falls view — budget accordingly.

🚌Walking/local taxi

🛏Victoria Falls town hostel dorm (approx £12–18)

• →Optional helicopter flight over the falls
• →Gorge walk
• →Rest day

Move to Kasane, gateway to Chobe National Park. Shared taxi or minibus over the Botswana border — the crossing here has some admin but is straightforward. Afternoon sunset river cruise on the Chobe is an amazing value way to see elephants by the hundred.

🚌Shared minibus to Kasane, approx £12

🛏Kasane lodge/hostel dorm (approx £12–18)

• →Border crossing to Botswana
• →Chobe sunset river cruise (optional ~£25–35)

Full-day self-booked Chobe game drive with a local operator in Kasane — you'll see the largest elephant concentration in the world plus buffalo, lion and hippo along the Chobe riverfront. Cheaper booked locally than as a tour add-on.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle with local operator

🛏Kasane lodge/hostel dorm (approx £12–18)

• →Full-day Chobe game drive
• →Elephant & riverfront wildlife spotting

Travel to Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. Overnight bus/coach roughly 8–10 hours. Optional mokoro (dugout canoe) day trip into the Delta can be arranged for tomorrow or the next day if you have slack in your schedule.

🚌Coach Kasane–Maun, approx £20–28

🛏Maun hostel/lodge dorm (approx £10–15)

• →Coach to Maun
• →Optional Okavango Delta mokoro trip

Long overland leg — coach or a mix of flights (Air Botswana/Mack Air is faster but pricier). If you've got a buffer day it's worth breaking the trip in Gaborone or with a cheap flight from Maun. Land in Jo'burg and check into a hostel in Maboneng or Melville.

🚌Coach/flight Maun–Johannesburg, approx £60–120

🛏Johannesburg hostel dorm (approx £12–18)

• →Travel to Johannesburg
• →Arrive in Maboneng/Melville

Take the bus or Baz Bus down to Mpumalanga. Base in a backpackers near the Kruger gate (Hazyview/Nelspruit). Tomorrow you'll self-book into the park with a guided day drive or rent a car and self-drive the park (cheaper, but you're on your own spotting).

🚌Coach Jo'burg–Nelspruit/Hazyview, approx £18–28

🛏Backpackers near Kruger gate (approx £12–18)

• →Coach to Mpumalanga
• →Panorama Route stop (God's Window, Bourke's Luck if time)

Full day in Kruger — self-book a guided day drive with a local operator or rent a car and self-drive (Kruger is very self-drive friendly and cheap per day if split between travellers). Big Five chances are excellent and the park is world-class.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle or self-drive rental (shared)

🛏Backpackers near Kruger gate (approx £12–18)

• →Full-day Kruger safari drive
• →Big Five spotting

Morning drive/bus back to Johannesburg. Drop bags at a hostel or use an airport lounge, and connect to your international flight. Swap photos, wave goodbye to the crew, and head home with a very full camera roll.

🚌Coach to Jo'burg, approx £18–28

🛏None (departure day)

• →Return transport to Johannesburg
• →Departure flight