Kenya & Tanzania Overland Express (Nairobi Loop) — Self-Launched

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Skip the £16 airport taxi and take the airport shuttle bus into the CBD (~£4) or an Uber/Bolt (~£8-10). Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Nairobi CBD or Westlands. Spend the afternoon at the Nairobi National Museum (~£8) or just acclimatise. Stock up on a sleeping bag liner, a torch and a cheap SIM (Safaricom tourist SIM with data ~£5). Eat at a local 'hotel' (canteen) for under £3 or a nyama choma spot for ~£6.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£4 or Bolt/Uber ~£9

🛏Budget hostel/budget hotel, Nairobi CBD (dorm ~£10-14, private ~£25)

• →Nairobi National Museum (optional, ~£8)
• →Safaricom tourist SIM & M-Pesa setup

Take a morning shuttle or matatu from Nairobi to Nakuru (~3 hrs, ~£6-8) — companies like Easy Coach, Mash Poa or Super Metro run comfortable coaches. Base yourself in Nakuru town rather than inside the park. In the afternoon, arrange a shared game drive into Lake Nakuru National Park with your guesthouse or a local guide (~£35-45 per person sharing a 4x4, plus park entry ~£45 for non-residents). Look for white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, flamingos and the Rift Valley escarpment viewpoints.

🚌Coach Nairobi–Nakuru ~£7; shared 4x4 game drive

🛏Guesthouse in Nakuru town (~£15-20)

• →Lake Nakuru National Park afternoon game drive
• →Baboon Cliff / Rift Valley viewpoints

Travel from Nakuru to Naivasha (~1.5 hrs, matatu ~£2). Book a boat ride out to Crescent Island among hippos and fish eagles (~£12-15 per person shared) — you can walk among giraffe and zebra on the island for a small extra fee. After lunch, head south toward Narok/Loita Hills by matatu (~£4-5). Loita Hills community-run camps offer simple bandas and campsites (~£12-18) — book direct by phone or through a local tour operator rather than an agency.

🚌Matatus Nakuru–Naivasha–Narok ~£8 total

🛏Community campsite/banda in Loita Hills (~£15)

• →Lake Naivasha boat ride (~£14)
• →Crescent Island walk (optional ~£6)

Continue by matatu to Narok (~1.5 hrs, ~£3) and then a shared shuttle or matatu toward Sekenani gate (~2 hrs, ~£6). Book a 2-night camping safari direct with a Sekenani-based operator (many small local companies offer ~£90-120 per person per night including tented camp, meals and two game drives a day). On arrival, visit a Maasai manyatta near the gate (~£10-15 entry, negotiable) for a cultural walk — far cheaper and less staged if you arrange it through your camp rather than a Nairobi agency.

🚌Matatu Narok–Sekenani ~£6

🛏Tented camp just outside Sekenani gate (~£18-25 pp sharing, incl. in safari package)

• →Maasai manyatta cultural visit (~£12)
• →Afternoon game drive in the Mara

Full-day shared game drive in a 4x4 with a local guide — the Mara Triangle and Musiara marsh are the best bets for lion, cheetah and elephant. Pack your own lunch to save money (camp breakfast + packed lunch ~£5). Note park entry is ~£65 per person per 24 hrs for non-residents — this is the single biggest cost of the DIY version, so budget for it upfront. If you're there July-October you may catch the Great Migration crossings at the Mara River.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle (included in camp package)

🛏Tented camp, Sekenani (~£20 pp sharing)

• →Full-day Masai Mara game drive
• →Mara River migration viewpoints (seasonal)

Early morning game drive, then a shared shuttle or matatu back to Nairobi via Narok (~5-6 hrs, ~£12). Back in the capital, treat yourself to a hot shower at a hostel (~£12) and grab dinner at a local eatery. Restock supplies before the Tanzania leg.

🚌Shared shuttle Sekenani–Nairobi ~£12

🛏Budget hostel/hotel, Nairobi CBD (~£14)

• →Morning game drive
• →Nairobi evening food walk

Cross the border like a local: take the Riverside Shuttle or Impala Shuttle from Nairobi to Arusha (~8 hrs, ~£20-25) via the Namanga crossing — these run daily and are far cheaper than a private transfer. Sort your Tanzania e-visa in advance (~£40) to avoid delays. In Arusha, stay in a budget guesthouse in the town centre (~£15-20) and use the evening to compare camping-safari operators in person — Arusha is full of them and prices are negotiable.

🚌Riverside/Impala shuttle Nairobi–Arusha ~£22

🛏Budget guesthouse, Arusha town (~£16)

• →Border crossing at Namanga
• →Arusha town wander & operator price comparison

Take a dala-dala (shared minibus) from Arusha to Mto wa Mbu (~2 hrs, ~£2). This lively village markets its cultural tourism hard — book a village walk and local lunch direct with the Mto wa Mbu Cultural Tourism Programme (~£15) rather than via an agency. Add the famous banana-beer tasting and a rice-paddy/market wander. In the afternoon, visit a Maasai village in Monduli District through a local guide to see household clean-cookstove projects (~£12-18 donation/guide fee) — similar spirit to the operator's supported visit, booked directly with the community.

🚌Dala-dala Arusha–Mto wa Mbu ~£2

🛏Guesthouse or campsite, Mto wa Mbu (~£14)

• →Mto wa Mbu village walk & local lunch (~£15)
• →Maasai village & clean-cookstove visit (~£15)
• →Optional village cycling tour (~£15)

Join a 3-day/2-night shared camping safari departing Mto wa Mbu or Arusha (booked direct, ~£280-350 pp including park fees, 4x4, guide, cook and camp). Drive via Ngorongoro Conservation Area into the Serengeti's Seronera region, game-viewing en route — the Seronera plains hold lion, leopard in the river trees, elephant and endless plains. Sleep in a bush camp under seriously good stars (public campsite, basic flush toilets).

🚌Shared 4x4 camping safari (included in package)

🛏Public bush campsite, Central Serengeti (included in safari package)

• →Game drive en route to Seronera
• →Serengeti bush camp night

Full-day game drive from camp, heading wherever the wildlife is — migrate-season (Jun-Oct) head west/north, calving season (Jan-Mar) stay south. Optional hot-air balloon safari can be booked direct with Serengeti Balloon Safaris (~£430-480 for non-residents) — expensive but a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime view. Back at camp, help cook dinner with your safari group and swap photos.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Public bush campsite, Central Serengeti (included in safari package)

• →Full-day Serengeti game drive
• →Optional Serengeti balloon safari (~£450, direct booking)

Game drive out of the Serengeti towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then climb to the crater rim for sunset views over the caldera. Camp on the rim (Simba or Ngorongoro public campsites) — it's cold at 2,300m, so layer up. Ngorongoro crater entry is ~£60 pp per 24 hrs for non-residents, usually paid separately from the Serengeti fee by your safari operator.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Public campsite, Ngorongoro Crater rim (included in safari package)

• →Serengeti exit game drive
• →Sunset on the crater rim

Descend into the crater at dawn — the best chance on the trip for black rhino, plus lions, hippos in the Ngoitokitok springs, flamingos, buffalo and elephant. Picnic lunch by the springs, then climb back out and drive to Arusha. Say goodbye to your safari group; bed down at a budget guesthouse (~£16) and have a cold Kilimanjaro beer (~£1.50).

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Budget guesthouse, Arusha town (~£16)

• →Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive
• →Picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok springs

Take the Riverside/Impala shuttle from Arusha back to Nairobi (~8 hrs, ~£22) to close the loop, arriving late afternoon. Alternatively, cheap domestic flights Arusha–Nairobi (~£80-100 with Precision Air or Coastal Aviation via Kilimanjaro) save a day if you have onward flights home. Grab a final meal in Nairobi and head to the airport for your flight.

🚌Shuttle Arusha–Nairobi ~£22 (or domestic flight ~£90)

🛏Own arrangements / pre-departure

• →Shuttle back to Nairobi
• →Optional Arusha coffee tour before departure (~£10)