Johannesburg to Nairobi Overland: Waterfalls & Beaches — Self-Launched

Land at O.R. Tambo and take the Gautrain (about ZAR 200 / £9) or a shuttle into Rosebank or Melville for a hostel or budget hotel. Use the afternoon for orientation and pick up a local SIM (Vodacom/MTN, ~£5 for data).

🚌Gautrain + metro/walk (~£9)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Rosebank/Melville (~£20-25 dorm/private budget)

• →Gautrain into city
• →Local SIM + cash for the trip
• →Evening walk in Rosebank/Maboneng

Morning at the Apartheid Museum (about ZAR 180 / £8) and/or a self-organised Soweto visit by minibus taxi. In the late afternoon head toward the Botswana border corridor — either an overnight Intercape/Greyhound bus toward Gaborone (~£15-20) or a night in a Joburg hostel and an early bus the next day.

🚌Minibus taxis + long-distance bus (~£20)

🛏Overnight bus, or hostel in Johannesburg (~£20)

• →Apartheid Museum
• →Soweto by minibus taxi (optional)

Cross the Ramatlabama border into Botswana (visa-free for most Western passports, stamp only). Continue by bus/minibus north to Serowe (roughly £15-20 total). Overnight at a guesthouse near Khama Rhino Sanctuary; book a short rhino drive directly with the sanctuary if you arrive in time (~£20-25).

🚌Bus Gaborone–Serowe (~£18)

🛏Guesthouse or campsite near Khama Rhino Sanctuary (~£15)

• →Border crossing South Africa–Botswana
• →Khama Rhino Sanctuary self-drive or guided rhino drive (~£22)

Long day of travel: minibus or bus Serowe–Palapye–Francistown–Maun or via Gaborone connections (7-9 hours, ~£20). Maun is your base for Okavango logistics. Book tomorrow's mokoro trip directly with a local community trust operator in the afternoon and stock up on food, water and cash (ATMs are here).

🚌Bus/minibus (~£20)

🛏Backpackers campsite or budget room in Maun (~£15)

• →Book mokoro trip direct
• →Food shop and cash top-up

The highlight of Botswana: a 1-2 day mokoro (dugout canoe) excursion with a local poler into the Delta channels, plus a guided walking safari and a bush camp night under the stars. Book through a Maun-based community operator — expect £60-100 for the guided day plus camping and food, closer to the higher end for a 2-day/1-night version.

🚌Shared safari vehicle + mokoro

🛏Bush camp on an island in the Okavango (~£20 equivalent, part of excursion)

• →Mokoro ride with local poler
• →Delta walking safari
• →Bush camping under the stars

Morning off the water and back to Maun, then a shared shuttle or bus toward Nata (~£15-20, 4-5 hours). Elephant Sands is famous for elephants walking up to the waterhole beside the bar — book a campsite directly there if you want the same experience.

🚌Shared shuttle/bus (~£18)

🛏Elephant Sands campsite or Nata guesthouse (~£15)

• →Elephant watching at the waterhole

Short hop north to Kasane on the Chobe River (~£8-12). Afternoon Chobe sunset river cruise booked directly at the jetty or through your lodge (~£25-30) — huge elephant concentrations in the dry season. Overnight in a riverside lodge campsite.

🚌Bus/minibus (~£10)

🛏Thebe River Safaris-type campsite or budget room (~£18)

• →Chobe River sunset cruise (~£28)
• →Optional game drive in Chobe NP (~£35)

Cross the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe (visa on arrival/KAZA visa depending on nationality — budget ~£40-60). Shared taxi/shuttle to Victoria Falls town. Eat at a local women's cooperative kitchen (Lusumpuko-style lunches ~£5). Overnight at a campsite/lodge in the national park's backyard.

🚌Border shuttle + shared taxi (~£10)

🛏Campsite or budget lodge in Victoria Falls town (~£15)

• →Border crossing Botswana–Zimbabwe
• →Cooperative lunch

Walk into the Victoria Falls National Park at opening time (£30-40 entry, cheaper on the Zimbabwe side than Zambia for most nationalities). Afternoon pick one: whitewater rafting (~£95), 111m bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge (~£130), bridge swing, or a 25-minute helicopter flip (~£220). Or free-hike to the bridge for the view.

🚌Local walking/taxi (~£6)

🛏Campsite or budget lodge (~£15)

• →Victoria Falls rainforest walk
• →Whitewater rafting or bungee jump (optional)
• →Victoria Falls Bridge walk

Cross into Zambia at Victoria Falls town, then the long haul to Lusaka — there's no easy public bus, so either a shared intercity bus (~£15-20, 7-8 hours) or an overnight coach. Budget a chunk of the day for the road.

🚌Cross-border bus/shared transport (~£18)

🛏Budget guesthouse or campsite in Lusaka (~£15)

• →Border crossing Zimbabwe–Zambia

Lusaka to Mfuwe is a full day by bus (~£15-20, 8-9 hours) or a short flight if you're splashing out. Base at a budget camp on the river outside the park gate. Book a night drive directly with the camp for tomorrow.

🚌Bus (~£18)

🛏River campsite near Mfuwe (~£18)

• →Book night drive and walking safari

One of Africa's best walking-safari parks. Book a dawn walking safari (~£50) and/or a night drive (~£40) through a Mfuwe operator — park fees around £25 per entry. Leopard sightings are the draw here. Skip the group 'game viewer' and you'll be in a small 4x4 with 4-6 people.

🚌Safari vehicle (included in activity)

🛏River campsite (~£18)

• →Walking safari
• →Night drive
• →Optional village textile market visit

Border day: Mfuwe–Chipata border then on to Lilongwe by minibus (~£20 total, but slow). Pick up a Malawian SIM and cash. Overnight in a Lilongwe guesthouse, then plan tomorrow's onward transport to the lake.

🚌Minibus + border (~£20)

🛏Lilongwe guesthouse/budget lodge (~£20)

• →Border crossing Zambia–Malawi
• →Local market wander

Shared minibus or shuttle to Kande Beach (~£12-15, 4-5 hours). Lake Malawi's 'lake of stars' — swim, kayak, watch the fishermen at sunset. Budget lakefront lodges and campsites are plentiful.

🚌Minibus (~£14)

🛏Lakefront budget lodge or campsite at Kande (~£15)

• →Swim in Lake Malawi
• →Sunset walk along the shore

Snorkelling over the cichlid rocks (~£20), a village walk led by a local guide (~£15), or just rent a kayak (~£5/hour). In the evening a home-cooked dinner at a village household can be arranged through your lodge (~£8) — the equivalent of the tour's local dinner.

🚌On foot

🛏Lakefront lodge or campsite (~£15)

• →Snorkelling (~£20)
• →Village walk (~£15)
• →Local home dinner (~£8)

North along the lake shore to Chitimba (~£8-10 by minibus) at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment. Quiet camping on the sand, cheap fish and rice, and views back over the lake to Tanzania. Good place to slow down for a night.

🚌Minibus (~£9)

🛏Beach campsite at Chitimba (~£12)

• →Lake swim
• →Escarpment views

Cross the Tanzania border at Songwe/Karonga, then take a bus to Iringa (~£20-25 total, 8-10 hours). Arrive after dark and stay at a cheap farm-style guesthouse. Tanzanian visas vary — many nationalities get visa on arrival (~£45) or e-visa.

🚌Bus + border (~£22)

🛏Budget guesthouse near Iringa (~£18)

• →Border crossing Malawi–Tanzania

Bus down through the Great Rift escarpment with its baobab-studded valley (~£10-15 to Mikumi/Baobab Valley area). Lodges and campsites along the Ruaha River make a cheap stop. Evening in the garden with the river sounds.

🚌Bus (~£13)

🛏Riverside lodge campsite (~£15)

• →Rift Valley scenery
• →Baobab photography stops

Long day: bus through Mikumi and Morogoro into hot, humid Dar (~£15-20, 8-9 hours). Stay near the ocean at Kipepeo-style beach camp south of the city, or in a Kariakoo guesthouse. Arrange the ferry booking for tomorrow online tonight.

🚌Bus (~£18)

🛏Beach camp or budget guesthouse in Dar (~£18)

• →Indian Ocean swim
• →Ferry booking for Zanzibar

Morning fast ferry from Dar to Stone Town (~£30 return, 2 hours). Then a dala-dala or taxi down the east coast to Jambiani (~£5-8). Afternoon at one of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in Africa — palm huts, turquoise water, cheap grilled fish dinners.

🚌Ferry + dala-dala/taxi (~£35)

🛏Beach guesthouse in Jambiani (~£20)

• →Ferry crossing
• →Beach swim
• →Seafood dinner

Snorkelling or diving trip to the reefs (~£35), or the famous 'Safari Blue' sailing dhow day (~£50-80) if you want the full thing. Alternatively just swim, drink coconuts and eat octopus curry. All bookable through your guesthouse or on the beach.

🚌On foot / local boat

🛏Beach guesthouse (~£20)

• →Snorkelling trip
• →Optional Safari Blue sailing day
• →Spice tea at a beach café

Bus or shared taxi from Jambiani up to Stone Town (~£5). Join a small-group spice plantation tour (~£15-20 incl. transport, book local) and wander the alleyways, the night food market at Forodhani Gardens (cheap seafood skewers, Zanzibar pizza), and the historic Swahili and Omani architecture. Optional walking tour ~£12.

🚌Shared taxi/dala-dala (~£5)

🛏Budget boutique guesthouse in Stone Town (~£25)

• →Spice plantation tour (~£18)
• →Forodhani night market
• →Stone Town alley wander

Ferry back to Dar (~£15 one-way, buy return earlier if going back the same day) then bus up the coast to Bagamoyo (~£3, historic slave-trade port town with old German colonial buildings). Cheap beach camp, local dhow harbour, and a quiet night.

🚌Ferry + bus (~£18)

🛏Beach campsite or guesthouse at Bagamoyo (~£15)

• →Bagamoyo old town and mission
• →Dhow harbour at sunset

Bus Arusha-bound (via Chalinze/Moshi; ~£15-20, 9-10 hours). You'll pass Kilimanjaro on the horizon if the sky is clear. Overnight at a cheap guesthouse in Arusha, and do your safari homework tonight: book a Serengeti/Ngorongoro camping safari directly with a local operator or hostel (look for £380-450 for a 3-day camping safari, versus £650+ on operators' racks).

🚌Bus (~£18)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Arusha (~£18)

• →Kilimanjaro views
• →Book 3-day camping safari with local operator

Start your 3-day camping safari: 4x4 through the Ngorongoro highlands into the Serengeti (park fees ~£60/person/day). Afternoon game drives for lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebra and wildebeest. Camp at a public campsite in the Seronera area — the same style of campsite the group tour uses.

🚌Safari 4x4 (included)

🛏Public campsite in the Serengeti (part of safari package)

• →Serengeti game drives

Sunrise game drive in the Serengeti, then drive to the crater rim. Optional Serengeti balloon safari (~£400-450, book in advance) — otherwise sleep in a crater-rim campsite (Simba-style) and wake up to the view.

🚌Safari 4x4

🛏Crater rim campsite (part of safari package)

• →Sunrise game drive
• →Optional hot-air balloon safari

Early descent into the Ngorongoro Crater for the day's game drive (rhino and lion territory) — crater fees ~£55 plus vehicle. Then return to Arusha and take the afternoon or overnight shuttle to Nairobi via Namanga (~£25-30, 5-6 hours, visa on arrival/eTA required for Kenya — apply online ahead). Finish: 7 countries, no group, no vehicle crew.

🚌Safari vehicle + Arusha–Nairobi shuttle (~£30)

🛏Hostel in Nairobi (~£20), or overnight shuttle

• →Ngorongoro Crater game drive
• →Border crossing Tanzania–Kenya