Kenya & Tanzania Camping Safari (Self-Launched)

Fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and take a metered Bolt/Uber into Westlands (approx £6-8). Check into a budget guesthouse such as Wildebeest Eco Camp or a dorm at Milimani Backpackers instead of the tour's Landmark Suites. Spend the afternoon sorting your Kenyan eTA, buying a Safaricom SIM with data, and drawing cash. Optional: the Karen Blixen Museum (KES 1,200-3,000), the Nairobi National Museum, or dinner at The Carnivore if you want the tourist classic.

🚌Airport taxi / Bolt to Westlands (~£7)

🛏Wildebeest Eco Camp / Milimani Backpackers (dorm or budget tent, ~£15)

• →Settle into Westlands guesthouse
• →Buy Safaricom SIM & M-Pesa
• →Optional: Karen Blixen Museum
• →Optional: Nairobi National Museum

There's no public transport into Samburu, so the cheapest DIY route is a pre-booked seat-in-vehicle transfer or a shared shuttle to Isiolo/Archers Post, then a boda or arranged pickup to the Samburu public campsite. Alternatively join the many backpacker-friendly 2-3 day Samburu add-on safaris run out of Nairobi (~£180-220 including park fees and camping) which is often better value than piecing it together. En route you skirt Mount Kenya. Set up camp at Samburu Campsite inside the reserve and take an afternoon game drive for reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra and gerenuk.

🚌Pre-booked shared shuttle Nairobi-Isiolo/Archers Post + local transfer (~£35)

🛏Samburu Campsite public campsite (own tent / campsite fee ~£12)

• →Samburu Village Visit (community-run, pay direct ~£15)
• →Afternoon game drive in Samburu National Reserve
• →View of Mount Kenya en route

A full day of game drives in Samburu with your local guide/driver, working the Ewaso Ng'iro riverbanks where elephant, lion, leopard and the Samburu Special Five concentrate. Most DIY travellers split costs between 2-4 people found on hostel noticeboards or Facebook backpacker groups to keep the vehicle cost manageable. Bring your own picnic supplies bought in Isiolo.

🚌Local 4x4 game-drive vehicle (shared, ~£50)

🛏Samburu Campsite (~£12)

• →Full-day Samburu game drive
• →Samburu Special Five spotting (Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe)

Long transfer day south via Nanyuki and Nyahururu. Take a shared shuttle/matatu back toward Nairobi or Nyeri and link onward to Nakuru, then a boda to Nderit campsite near the park gate. If the timing works, stop at a Nanyuki-area tea farm for a tour and tasting. Camp at Nderit Campsite (note: the nearby town is called Naivasha, but this campsite sits by Lake Nakuru).

🚌Shared shuttle + matatu Samburu to Nakuru (~£20)

🛏Nderit Campsite, Lake Nakuru (~£12)

• →Scenic drive via Mount Kenya foothills
• →Optional local tea farm visit (weather/time permitting, ~£8)

Book a morning game drive directly with a Nakuru-based operator or your campsite — Lake Nakuru is famous for its flamingo-lined shores (levels fluctuate), white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe and tree-climbing lions in the fever trees. Afternoon at leisure around camp or a walk along the lakeshore viewpoints.

🚌Local 4x4 game drive (shared, ~£45)

🛏Nderit Campsite (~£12)

• →Lake Nakuru game drive (rhino & flamingo)
• →Baboon Cliff viewpoint

Travel overland via Narok to the Mara, linking matatus Nakuru-Narok and Narok-Sekenani gate, then a boda to camp. Base yourself at a budget tented camp such as Kenia Safari Camp near Talek gate (walk-in rates from ~£15-25pp with meals often negotiable). Afternoon wildlife drive into the reserve if you arrive early enough.

🚌Matatu Nakuru-Narok then Narok-Mara (~£15)

🛏Kenia Safari Camp canvas tents, Talek (~£20)

• →Transfer to Masai Mara
• →Afternoon game drive (if time allows)

Full day in the Mara. Book a shared game-drive vehicle through your camp or a Talek-based operator — sharing with other camp guests keeps it to ~£40-60pp per day. Highlights: big cats, the Mara River (wildebeest crossings June-Oct), and vast plains. Splurge option: hot-air balloon safari (~£380-450pp booked direct, versus the operator's US$480).

🚌Shared 4x4 game-drive vehicle (~£55)

🛏Kenia Safari Camp (~£20)

• →Full-day Masai Mara game drive
• →Mara River & big cat territory
• →Optional: hot-air balloon safari (~£400 direct)

Morning game drive on the way out, then transfer back to Nairobi (shared shuttle or matatu via Narok, ~£15-20). Lunch stop at Amani Ya Juu, a fair-trade shop and café supporting women's craft cooperatives — good for last handicraft shopping. Overnight again in Westlands.

🚌Shared shuttle Masai Mara-Nairobi (~£18)

🛏Wildebeest Eco Camp / Westlands budget guesthouse (~£15)

• →Morning Mara drive en route
• →Lunch at Amani Ya Juu
• →Handicraft shopping (Maasai Market)

Cross the Namanga border into Tanzania. The reliable DIY option is a daily shuttle bus (Riverside/Impala Shuttle or similar) Nairobi-Arusha, ~7-9 hours, ~£30-40, which handles the border formalities for you. Have your Tanzania e-visa pre-approved. Check into a budget lodge like The Outpost Lodge or a hostel dorm in Arusha town.

🚌Riverside/Impala shuttle Nairobi-Arusha (~£35)

🛏The Outpost Lodge / Arusha backpackers (~£18)

• →Namanga border crossing (Kenya-Tanzania)
• →Arrive Arusha, wander the clock-tower area

Take a public bus Arusha to Mto wa Mbu (~£2-3, 2 hours). Join a community-led village walk and traditional lunch with a local family via a local operator (~£15). In the afternoon, book an afternoon game drive into Lake Manyara National Park (tree-climbing lions, elephants, hippos, flamingos) — the trek to the park entrance is a short boda ride. Overnight at Twiga Lodge & Campsite or a local guesthouse.

🚌Public bus Arusha-Mto wa Mbu (~£3)

🛏Twiga Lodge & Campsite / Mto wa Mbu guesthouse (~£18)

• →Mto wa Mbu community walk & family lunch
• →Lake Manyara afternoon safari drive

Transfer to the Serengeti via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Karatu and the Naabi Hill gate). You will need a vehicle plus a licensed guide to enter the parks — book a 3-4 day Serengeti/Ngorongoro package direct with an Arusha operator (many offer join-in group departures from ~£500-650pp all-in for camping, park fees and vehicle). Enter the Serengeti for an afternoon game drive and camp at Seronera Campsite.

🚌Safari 4x4 with guide (part of join-in package, ~£180/day blended)

🛏Seronera Campsite, Serengeti (included in safari package, ~£0 extra)

• →Transfer through Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• →Afternoon Serengeti game drive

A full day of game drives across the Serengeti plains with a picnic lunch in the bush, tracking the great migration (seasonal), lion prides, cheetah and huge herds. Camp again at Seronera. Optional balloon safari over the Serengeti — book direct, from ~£450pp.

🚌Safari 4x4 with guide (in package)

🛏Seronera Campsite (in package)

• →Full-day Serengeti game drive
• →Picnic lunch in the bush
• →Optional: Serengeti balloon safari (~£450 direct)

Morning game drive out of the Serengeti, then transfer to the Ngorongoro rim. Camp at Simba Campsite on the crater rim (bring warm layers — it gets cold at 2,300m). If time allows, take an afternoon game drive or viewpoint stop.

🚌Safari 4x4 with guide (in package)

🛏Simba Campsite, Ngorongoro rim (in package)

• →Morning Serengeti game drive
• →Transfer to Ngorongoro rim, sunset viewpoint

Descend early into the Ngorongoro Crater for a wildlife drive — big five territory, the densest lion population in Africa, and teeming plains. After the crater, visit a community clean-cookstove project en route if offered by your operator. Drive back to Arusha by late afternoon where the trip ends. If you're flying out, Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is ~1 hour away; otherwise overnight in Arusha.

🚌Safari 4x4 back to Arusha (in package)

🛏N/A (trip ends) — optional Arusha lodge (~£18 if staying the night)

• →Ngorongoro Crater game drive
• →Optional clean-cookstove community project visit
• →Return to Arusha