Kenya & Tanzania Overland: Self-Launched Budget Safari

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and take the airport bus into the city centre (~£4) or split a taxi (~£16 total). Check into a hostel in the Kilimani/Westlands area such as Wildebeest Eco Camp, Khwezi Bush Camp or a dorm at Nairobi Backpackers. Use the afternoon to sort logistics: withdraw Kenyan shillings, buy a Safaricom SIM, and confirm your Marsabit Plaza safari-office bookings in person (Nairobi's backpacker agencies on Biashara Street and in the Plaza are the cheapest way to buy shared Lake Nakuru/Masai Mara seats). Evening: cheap nyama choma or an Ethiopian meal in Kilimani.

🚌Airport bus ~£4 or shared taxi ~£16 per car

🛏Hostel dorm or safari tent, Wildebeest Eco Camp / Khwezi Bush Camp (~£12)

• →Airport bus to city
• →SIM card and cash errands
• →Confirm shared safari bookings at Nairobi backpacker agencies
• →Evening food in Kilimani

Take a matatu or Easy Coach/Modern Coast bus from Nairobi to Naivasha (~£3, 2 hrs), then a local boat trip on Lake Naivasha to spot hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles — book a boatman directly at the lake shore (~£10–15 per boat, split between passengers). Continue by matatu to Nakuru (~£3). Self-drive isn't needed: join a shared day safari into Lake Nakuru National Park with a local operator or through your hostel (~£55–70 including park fee and vehicle, cheaper if you negotiate a shared seat). Night in a Nakuru guesthouse.

🚌Matatu/bus Nairobi–Naivasha–Nakuru ~£6 total

🛏Nakuru guesthouse twin/double (~£14)

• →Boat trip on Lake Naivasha
• →Shared safari drive in Lake Nakuru NP (flamingos, rhino, Rothschild giraffe)

Travel from Nakuru to Narok by matatu (~£4), then a shared 4x4 or matatu on to Talek or Sekenani gate (~£5–8). Most budget travellers base themselves at a camp just outside the reserve — options like Mara Explorers, Talek Bush Camp or Enchoro Wildlife Camp offer bandas and tents from ~£18–25 per person. Book your Mara game drives through the camp; shared seats in a 4x4 with pop-up roof run about £70–90 per person per day including reserve entry (£70 park fee). Settle in, watch the sunset from camp and eat a simple camp dinner.

🚌Matatu Nakuru–Narok ~£4, shared 4x4 to Talek ~£7

🛏Mara camp tent/banda near Talek gate (~£22)

• →Travel to the Masai Mara
• →Sunset at camp outside the reserve gate

Take a full-day shared game drive in a 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof, leaving at dawn with a packed lunch. You'll cover the Mara Triangle and central plains looking for lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and, from July to October, the Great Migration river crossings at the Mara River. Budget ~£75–95 for the shared vehicle seat plus £70 reserve entry. Optional extras: a Maasai village visit (~£20) arranged through your camp, or a balloon safari booked direct with Governors' Balloon Safaris (~£420 — a splurge, not included in totals).

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle included in activity cost

🛏Mara camp tent/banda near Talek gate (~£22)

• →Full-day shared game drive in the Masai Mara
• →Optional Maasai village visit

Head south out of the Mara: shared 4x4 back to Narok (~£7), then matatu or bus via Kisii (~£6, 4–5 hrs through the tea-growing highlands). Kisii is Kenya's soapstone-carving heartland — visit a carving workshop in Tabaka (~£3 tip/guide) and pick up a piece direct from the artisans. Stay in a simple town guesthouse and eat at a local hotel restaurant (ugali, sukuma wiki, chicken stew ~£4).

🚌Shared 4x4 to Narok ~£7, matatu/bus to Kisii ~£6

🛏Kisii town guesthouse (~£12)

• →Soapstone carving workshop visit in Tabaka
• →Highland tea country scenery

Cross into Tanzania at Isebania/Sirare border. Take a matatu from Kisii to Migori or Isebania (~£3), clear immigration (Kenyan visas or East Africa Tourist Visa must be pre-arranged), then a shared taxi or matatu on to Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria (~£5). Tanzanian visa on arrival for most nationalities is US$50 in cash (US$100 for US citizens) — budget ~£40. Musoma is a laid-back lakeside town: lakeside guesthouses from ~£12, and dinner of grilled tilapia straight off the lake (~£5).

🚌Matatu Kisii–Isebania ~£3, shared taxi/matatu to Musoma ~£5

🛏Musoma lakeside guesthouse (~£12)

• →Border crossing at Isebania
• →Lake Victoria sunset and grilled tilapia dinner

This is where most self-launchers join a Tanzanian camping safari. Buses run from Musoma to Mwanza (~£5) and on to Arusha (~£12, long day), where you can book a 3–4 day shared Serengeti/Ngorongoro camping safari through local Arusha operators (e.g. via Hostelworld/GetYourGuide-listed operators or in person at Arusha's Clock Tower safari offices) for roughly £450–550 per person including park fees, camping, meals and 4x4. Alternatively, take the Musoma–Serengeti route with a shared safari vehicle picked up in Mwanza or Bunda. Either way, spend the afternoon on a game drive into Seronera — buffalo, elephant, lion and, seasonally, wildebeest herds. Camp at Seronera public campsite with the safari group.

🚌Bus Musoma–Mwanza ~£5, onward transport/shared safari vehicle

🛏Seronera public campsite tent (included in safari price)

• →Afternoon game drive in the Serengeti
• →Camping under the stars at Seronera

Dawn game drive in the Serengeti while wildlife is most active, then drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (~£50 park fee per 24 hrs, usually bundled in your safari price). Camp on the crater rim at Simba A campsite — cold at night, so bring a warm layer and a decent sleeping bag. Optional: the Serengeti balloon safari at dawn (~£450) is bookable direct with Miracle Experience or Serengeti Balloon Safaris, but it's a big add-on and excluded from the estimate.

🚌Safari 4x4 with group

🛏Simba A campsite, Ngorongoro rim (included in safari price)

• →Dawn game drive in the Serengeti
• →Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• →Crater rim sunset

Early descent into the crater floor in a 4x4 with your group — one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Look for black rhino, lion prides, elephant bulls, flamingos at Lake Magadi and hippo pools in the Lerai Forest. Climb back out by midday, then transfer to Arusha (~£10 in a shared shuttle or included in your safari). Overnight at a backpacker hostel in Arusha (e.g. Arusha Backpackers or a dorm at Kivulini Lodge, ~£12) and eat at a local spot — Arusha has excellent roadside mishkaki and Tanzanian coffee.

🚌Safari 4x4 out of the crater, shared shuttle to Arusha ~£10

🛏Arusha hostel dorm (~£12)

• →Ngorongoro Crater full game drive
• →Arusha evening at the hostel

Take the daily Arusha–Nairobi shuttle (Riverside/Impala or Kilimanjaro Express, ~£20–25, 7–8 hrs) which crosses at Namanga, giving you views of Maasai country and Kilimanjaro on a clear day. Arrive Nairobi late afternoon and take a matatu or taxi to a hostel if you're staying on, or head straight to JKIA for your flight. Budget ~£4 for food on the road.

🚌Arusha–Nairobi shuttle via Namanga ~£22

🛏None included (optional Nairobi hostel ~£12)

• →Namanga border crossing
• →Overland through Maasai lands