Kenya to Zimbabwe Overland: Self-Launched Safari & Camping Adventure

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International (JKIA) and take an airport taxi or the No. 34 matatu/bus into the city centre (~KSh 1,500-2,500 / £10-15 for a taxi). Nairobi isn't a city to wander after dark — stay central, use taxis and keep valuables in the hostel safe. Apply online for your Kenya eTA before you fly. Optional evening: dinner at a hostel rooftop or a Carnivore-style meat feast if you want the touristy version.

🚌Airport taxi ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm in Westlands or Nairobi CBD (e.g. Wildebeest Eco Camp dorm or similar, £12-18)

• →Settle in, SIM card (Safaricom) ~£3
• →Optional Nairobi National Museum ~£2-5
• →Optional Karen Blixen Museum

Take a morning shuttle bus across the Namanga border to Arusha — several companies (e.g. Impala Shuttle, Riverside) run direct, roughly 6-7 hours plus border formalities, ~£20-28. Have your Tanzania e-visa and yellow fever certificate ready at Namanga. You'll see Kilimanjaro's summit if the sky is clear. Book your Serengeti/Ngorongoro safari this evening — shop around the Arusha agencies and ask for a shared-vehicle (joining) rate to cut costs.

🚌Cross-border shuttle ~£24

🛏Arusha backpackers hostel, dorm (£10-15)

• →Namanga border crossing
• →Book 4-day Serengeti/Ngorongoro group safari in Arusha ~£320-420 incl. park fees

Your locally-booked shared safari departs early in a pop-top 4x4 Land Cruiser. Drive via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Naabi Hill Gate into the Serengeti, game-driving as you go — golden plains, acacia, and plenty of zebra, wildebeest and giraffe. Camp inside the park at a public campsite (basic: no electricity, simple toilets, bring a torch and warm layer).

🚌4x4 safari vehicle (included in safari package)

🛏Public campsite in Serengeti (own tent or safari-operator tent — included in safari price)

• →Serengeti game drives
• →Sunset at camp

Dawn game drive — the best wildlife light of the trip. Optional hot-air balloon safari in the Serengeti can be booked separately (~£450-500, expensive but legendary). Break camp and drive to the Ngorongoro Crater rim to camp at Simba campsite with views into the caldera.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Simba campsite, Ngorongoro rim (basic, occasionally warm showers)

• →Sunrise game drive
• →Optional Serengeti balloon safari
• →Crater rim sunset

Descend into the crater floor early for a half-day game drive — one of the best chances anywhere for black rhino, plus lions, flamingos at Lake Magadi and huge buffalo herds. Exit mid-morning, drive back to Arusha and collapse into a hostel.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle back to Arusha (included)

🛏Arusha backpackers hostel, dorm (£10-15)

• →Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive
• →Maasai boma stop en route (optional)

Long travel day. Take a public bus from Arusha to Dar es Salaam (Nungwi Express or similar, 9-11 hours, ~£12-15) then a local bus/dala-dala north to Bagamoyo (~£2). Bagamoyo's UNESCO-listed old town has a haunting history as a 19th-century slave and ivory port — walk the narrow streets and the beach at sunset.

🚌Arusha-Dar bus ~£14 + dala-dala ~£2

🛏Bagamoyo guesthouse, basic double shared (£10-14)

• →Bagamoyo old town walk
• →Kaole ruins
• →Beach sunset

Head back to Dar es Salaam and catch the Azam Marine fast ferry to Zanzibar (~2 hours, ~£28-32 one way; book online in advance). Buy the mandatory Zanzibar inbound travel insurance if required. Then take a dalla-dalla or shared taxi north to the beaches of Nungwi/Kendwa for a couple of nights of swimming, sun and cheap seafood.

🚌Bagamoyo-Dar ~£2, Azam ferry ~£30, dalla-dalla north ~£3

🛏Beach hostel dorm or budget bungalow, Nungwi/Kendwa (£12-20)

• →Azam ferry crossing
• →Beach time

Full free day. Options: snorkelling or a dhow sailing trip to Mnemba Atoll (~£25-40 self-booked on the beach, cheaper than the operators' 'Safari Blue' excursion), diving at Nungwi (~£70-90), or simply swim, eat grilled fish and do nothing. Book any tour directly with the boat crews or your hostel — prices drop with negotiation and small groups.

🚌Walking / local taxi

🛏Beach hostel dorm or budget bungalow (£12-20)

• →Optional Mnemba snorkelling dhow trip ~£30
• →Optional scuba dive
• →Beach day

Take a shared taxi south via a spice farm (Jambo Spice Farm or similar, entrance ~£8-12 with tasting). Then base yourself in Stone Town and spend the afternoon lost in its alleys — the Old Fort, Freddie Mercury's house, Forodhani night market for cheap Zanzibari pizza and grilled skewers. Dress modestly here — Zanzibar is conservative.

🚌Shared taxi to Stone Town via spice farm ~£10

🛏Stone Town guesthouse/hostel dorm (£12-18)

• →Spice plantation tour ~£10
• →Stone Town walking tour ~£8
• →Forodhani Gardens night market

Morning ferry back to Dar es Salaam (~£30), then a bus heading west towards Morogoro/Mikumi (~£6-8). Camp or stay at a basic lodge on the edge of Mikumi National Park — the 'Baobab Valley' equivalent — under a genuinely starry sky.

🚌Ferry ~£30 + bus ~£7

🛏Budget campsite/lodge near Mikumi (£10-15)

• →Ferry back to mainland
• →Baobab landscape at sunset

Another long bus day west on the A104 to Iringa (~5-7 hours, ~£8-10). Iringa is a pleasantly cool highland town. Visit the Neema Crafts centre, a community project employing disabled artisans — a direct local equivalent of the operator's craft-centre stop. Optional detour to the Isimila Stone Age site with its eroded sandstone pillars (~£4).

🚌Bus ~£9

🛏Iringa guesthouse or hostel, basic double shared (£8-12)

• →Neema Crafts visit
• →Optional Isimila Stone Age site

Travel to the Songwe/Kasumulu border and cross into Malawi (most nationalities need an e-visa — sort this before you travel). From the border take a bus or shared minibus north along the lakeshore to Chitimba (~£10-15 total, allow most of the day). Sit on the beach with the mountains of Tanzania visible across the water.

🚌Bus/shared minibus via border ~£12

🛏Chitimba beach lodge dorm or camping (£8-12)

• →Songwe border crossing
• →Lake Malawi beach sunset

Continue south along the lakeshore to Kande Beach — the classic backpacker lakeside stop with beach bar, snorkelling and village walks. Malawi is genuinely one of the cheapest and friendliest countries in Africa; cycle or walk to a fishing village and join a local cooking evening or communal dinner at the lodge.

🚌Shared minibus ~£5

🛏Kande Beach lodge dorm/campsite (£8-12)

• →Optional snorkelling ~£18
• →Village walk ~£15
• →Lake swimming

A full day on the lake: kayak, swim, read in a hammock, or take a boat trip with local fishermen. This is where you slow down and recover from the road days — cheap food, warm water, no schedule.

🚌Walking

🛏Kande Beach lodge dorm/campsite (£8-12)

• →Optional kayaking
• →Optional boat trip
• →Beach time

Bus south to Lilongwe (~£8) and onward to Chipata near the Zambian border (~£6), or take a direct minibus if available. Overnight in Chipata, a workaday market town. If you'd rather do South Luangwa properly, come in from Mfuwe side — see tomorrow.

🚌Buses ~£14

🛏Chipata guesthouse, basic double shared (£9-14)

• →Market wander
• →Prep for Zambia crossing

Cross at Mchinji into Zambia (most nationalities can get a visa on arrival or e-visa). Travel to Mfuwe, the gateway to South Luangwa National Park, and arrange a game drive or walking safari through a Mfuwe lodge or the park's community operators — shared game drive ~£35-50, walking safari ~£50-65. South Luangwa is famous for leopard and for walking safaris, which are the park's real speciality.

🚌Bus/shared taxi ~£12

🛏Mfuwe budget lodge/campsite (£12-20)

• →Optional South Luangwa evening game drive ~£40
• →Optional walking safari ~£55

Long road day to Lusaka on the Great East Road (~7-9 hours, ~£15). Zambia's capital is fast-changing — grab dinner at a local nshima spot and get an early night. Zambia uses the kwacha; ATMs are widely available in Lusaka but carry cash for the road ahead.

🚌Bus ~£15

🛏Lusaka hostel/budget guesthouse (£12-18)

• →Local market
• →Nshima dinner

Take the comfortable luxury bus (e.g. Mazhandu/Power Tools) or a coach south to Livingstone (~7 hours, ~£15-20). Base yourself on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls — often cheaper than Zimbabwe, with the option to cross for the Zimbabwean viewpoints tomorrow. Evening sunset drinks by the river.

🚌Coach ~£18

🛏Livingstone backpackers hostel dorm (£12-18)

• →Settle in Livingstone
• →Sunset over the Zambezi

Walk into Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the Zambian side (entry ~£15-20) in the morning for the Knife Edge Bridge and spray-soaked viewpoints. Then cross the Victoria Falls Bridge on foot into Zimbabwe (Kaza Uni-Visa ~£40 covers both countries, single entry each) and see the falls from the Zimbabwean side (entry ~£30-35) — the classic wide panorama the operator includes. Optional extras bookable locally: Zambezi whitewater rafting ~£95-110, canoeing ~£120, 15-minute helicopter flight ~£130-160, gorge swing or bungee ~£120-160.

🚌Walking across the border bridge (free)

🛏Hostel dorm in Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe (£12-18)

• →Victoria Falls Zambia side entry ~£18
• →Victoria Falls Zimbabwe side entry ~£33
• →Optional rafting ~£100
• →Optional helicopter flight ~£145

Optional morning: Chobe day trip into Botswana (~£100-130 booked locally, cheaper than the £210 pre-bookable operator add-on), or a final wander round town and craft market. Fly out from Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) with the Kaza Uni-Visa still valid.

🚌Airport taxi ~£12

🛏Departure day

• →Optional Chobe day trip
• →Craft market
• →Departure