Self-Launched Johannesburg to Nairobi Overland Safari

Land at O.R. Tambo and take the Gautrain to Park Station (~£8) or an Uber to a hostel in Maboneng or Melville (~£12). Settle in, then do your own version of the welcome dinner: a braai or a cheap curry in Fordsburg. Sort cash here — draw ZAR and clean USD notes (post-2006 bills only) for visas further north.

🚌Gautrain + Uber from airport ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Maboneng/Melville (~£16)

• →Gautrain into the city
• →Maboneng street-art wander
• →Braai dinner

Book a half-day Soweto tour through a local operator (GetYourGuide, ~£35) covering Vilakazi Street and the Hector Pieterson Museum, or DIY it with an Uber and a local guide. Afternoon at the Apartheid Museum (~£9). Buy your Intercape/Greyhound-style bus ticket to Gaborone or your cross-border shuttle for tomorrow and stock up on snacks.

🚌Uber around town ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm (~£16)

• →Soweto half-day tour
• →Apartheid Museum
• →Book bus to Botswana

Take an early bus/shuttle from Johannesburg to Gaborone (Intercape, ~£20, 6 hrs), then a shared taxi or minibus north to Serowe (~£12). Pay the Botswana tourism levy (USD 30) at the border. Camp or take a basic rondavel at Khama Rhino Sanctuary (~£12) — a community-run reserve. Do a self-drive or guided game drive at dawn tomorrow (book at reception, ~£18).

🚌Intercape bus Jo'burg–Gaborone ~£20, shared minibus to Serowe ~£12

🛏Khama Rhino Sanctuary campsite or basic chalet (~£13)

• →Botswana border crossing
• →Settle into Khama Rhino Sanctuary

Morning game drive in Khama Rhino Sanctuary — it's one of the best-value white rhino sightings in southern Africa. Then a long shared minibus/bus ride to Maun (~£18, 6–7 hrs). Stay at a backpackers such as Old Bridge Backpackers on the Thamalakane River (~£16). Book your Okavango mokoro trip for tomorrow directly with a Maun operator (many small local operators charge ~£85–110 for an overnight mokoro trip with polers, food and camping).

🚌Shared minibus Serowe–Maun ~£18

🛏Old Bridge Backpackers or similar, Maun (~£16)

• →Khama rhino game drive
• →Book mokoro overnight trip

Head out with your poler-guide in a traditional mokoro (dugout canoe) through the reeds and channels, doing a guided bush walk to learn animal tracking. Camp overnight on a remote island in the Delta — basic bush camp, no facilities, the same experience the group tours have but with your own small operator. Listen for hippos and hyenas after dark.

🚌Mokoro + walking

🛏Bush camping in the Delta (included in mokoro trip, ~£95 total)

• →Mokoro canoe excursion
• →Guided bush walk and animal tracking
• →Island bush camp
• →Sunset over the Delta

Sunrise in the bush, then mokoro out and back to Maun for a shower and lunch. Take the afternoon shared minibus toward Gweta (~£15) and camp among the giant baobabs at Planet Baobab (a well-known backpacker camp, ~£12) — meerkats at the bar are a bonus. Free evening under enormous skies.

🚌Mokoro out + shared minibus to Gweta ~£15

🛏Planet Baobab camp or similar, Gweta (~£12)

• →Sunrise in the Delta
• →Baobab camping
• →Optional meerkat visit

Short shared taxi/minibus to Kasane (~£8). Afternoon free by the Chobe River. Book a Chobe sunset river cruise directly at the waterfront or via a local operator (~£30) — huge elephant herds come down to drink. Overnight at a Kasane backpackers or campsite (~£14).

🚌Shared minibus Gweta–Kasane ~£8

🛏Kasane backpackers/campsite (~£14)

• →Chobe River sunset cruise
• →Elephant spotting

Cross at Kazungula border into Zimbabwe (get the KAZA Uni-Visa, USD 50, covers Zimbabwe and Zambia). Shared taxi/shuttle to Victoria Falls town (~£8). Check into a budget lodge or campsite (~£18). Visit the falls on the Zimbabwe side in the afternoon (~£25 entry) — the mist and rainforest walk are spectacular. Eat at a local spot near the market.

🚌Shared taxi Kasane–Vic Falls ~£8

🛏Victoria Falls budget lodge/campsite (~£18)

• →KAZA Uni-Visa
• →Victoria Falls Zimbabwe-side entry
• →Rainforest walk

Pick your own adrenaline: whitewater rafting on the Zambezi (~£95), the 25-min helicopter flight (~£220), or the cheaper bridge swing/zipline from the Victoria Falls Bridge (~£40). Cheaper alternative: sunset drinks at the Lookout Cafe overlooking the gorge (~£12). All can be booked through GetYourGuide or directly with local operators the day before — walk around and compare prices, don't take touts' first offer.

🚌Walking / local taxi ~£5

🛏Victoria Falls budget lodge/campsite (~£18)

• →Zambezi whitewater rafting or zipline
• →Gorge viewpoint sunset

Cross at Victoria Falls/Livingstone on your KAZA visa, then take the Mazhandu Family Bus or similar from Livingstone to Lusaka (~£14, 8 hrs). In Lusaka, stay at a cheap lodge or guesthouse (~£20). No need to race — enjoy a supermarket run and a proper cheap nshima lunch (~£3).

🚌Livingstone–Lusaka bus ~£14

🛏Lusaka guesthouse (~£20)

• →Livingstone border crossing
• →Lusaka market wander

Long travel day: take the bus from Lusaka to Chipata (~£14, 8 hrs), then a shared minibus or taxi to Mfuwe (~£7). Base yourself at a budget camp just outside South Luangwa National Park such as Croc Valley Camp (~£15/night). Book your walking safari and night drive on arrival at reception or with a local operator.

🚌Bus to Chipata ~£14, shared minibus to Mfuwe ~£7

🛏Croc Valley Camp or similar, Mfuwe (~£15)

• →Long-distance bus day
• →Book South Luangwa safaris

Do the thing most tour groups do without the group: a guided walking safari in South Luangwa (~£60) — one of the best places in Africa for it. Afternoon rest by the Luangwa River, hippos wallowing below. Optional night drive in the evening (~£55) to see leopards. Visit a local village on foot if your guide can arrange it (~£10).

🚌Park transfers included in safari

🛏Croc Valley Camp or similar, Mfuwe (~£15)

• →Guided walking safari
• →Optional night drive
• →Village walk

Cross at Mwami/Mchinji into Malawi (check your visa requirements ahead — many nationalities need an e-visa). Bus from Chipata to Lilongwe (~£10). Stop in at the Tribal Textiles workshop in Mfuwe en route if you catch an early start (~£5). Oversleep in Lilongwe guesthouse (~£18) and pick up supplies — Malawi is cheap and the lake is next.

🚌Chipata–Lilongwe bus ~£10

🛏Lilongwe guesthouse (~£18)

• →Malawi border crossing
• →Tribal Textiles workshop visit

Take a minibus/bus via Salima and Nkhata Bay to Kande Beach (~£12, 6 hrs). Check into a lakeside camp — Kande Beach Resort's campsite is the classic backpacker stop (~£12). Swim in the fresh water, eat grilled chambo fish for dinner (~£4). This is a slow day by design — the group tour stops here too, and you get longer.

🚌Bus Lilongwe–Kande ~£12

🛏Kande Beach campsite/basic chalet (~£12)

• →Swim in Lake Malawi
• →Lakefront sunset

Book a morning snorkel trip with local fishermen (~£22) or a village walk with a community guide (~£15) — Malawi's lakeshore is home to some of the friendliest people on the continent. Afternoon hammock time. Cook your own dinner at the campsite kitchen or eat at the lodge.

🚌Walking

🛏Kande Beach campsite/basic chalet (~£12)

• →Snorkelling in the lake
• →Lake village walk

Big travel day: bus from Nkhata Bay/Kande to Karonga and across the Songwe border into Tanzania (~£15, 8–9 hrs). Tanzania requires inbound travel insurance from the NIC for entry — apply online in advance. Overnight in Mbeya in a cheap guesthouse (~£14). If you'd rather skip the bus, the TAZARA railway runs from Zambia through Tanzania and is a legendary (if slow) alternative.

🚌Bus Kande–Mbeya via Songwe ~£15

🛏Mbeya guesthouse (~£14)

• →Songwe border crossing
• →Mbeya market

Long bus ride to Dar es Salaam (~£25, 12 hrs) — leave early on the 06:00 Taqwa or similar coach. Arrive evening, stay in a cheap guesthouse near the ferry terminal (~£16) and buy your Zanzibar ferry ticket for tomorrow at the Azam Marine desk.

🚌Bus Mbeya–Dar ~£25

🛏Dar es Salaam guesthouse near ferry (~£16)

• →Long-distance bus day
• →Ferry ticket purchase

Take the morning Azam fast ferry from Dar to Zanzibar (~£18, 2 hrs). Stay in a budget guesthouse or hostel in Stone Town (~£18). Spend the afternoon getting lost in the alleys, visiting the Old Fort and the Darajani Market, and catching the sunset at Forodhani food stalls (feasting on urojo and grilled seafood for ~£5).

🚌Azam ferry Dar–Zanzibar ~£18

🛏Stone Town budget guesthouse (~£18)

• →Stone Town walking wander
• →Darajani Market
• →Forodhani night food market

Morning spice tour directly with a local guide (~£20) — taste vanilla, cloves and cardamom straight from the plant, the same tour the group trips include. Afternoon shared minibus to Jozani Forest to see red colobus monkeys (~£10 entry + ~£5 transport). Back to Stone Town for the evening.

🚌Shared minibus/dala-dala ~£3

🛏Stone Town budget guesthouse (~£18)

• →Spice plantation tour
• →Jozani Forest red colobus monkeys

Dala-dala north to Nungwi or Kendwa (~£2). Stay in a hostel or budget bungalow (~£18). Swim, read, watch the dhow builders at Nungwi boatyard. Optional: a scuba intro dive off Nungwi (~£60) or the Safari Blue sailing day trip (~£60) if you want a full day on the water — book direct with any Nungwi operator.

🚌Dala-dala ~£2

🛏Nungwi/Kendwa hostel or budget bungalow (~£18)

• →Beach day
• →Dhow boatyard visit
• →Optional scuba or Safari Blue

Ferry back to Dar (~£18), then the comfortable Kilimanjaro Express bus to Arusha (~£18, 9 hrs). Overnight in a budget guesthouse or hostel in Arusha (~£16). Book your Serengeti/Ngorongoro safari for the next few days with a local operator (this is where the big costs are — a 3-day shared camping safari with a group runs ~£320–450 depending on what you negotiate).

🚌Ferry ~£18 + bus to Arusha ~£18

🛏Arusha budget guesthouse (~£16)

• →Ferry back to Dar
• →Book Serengeti/Ngorongoro safari

Depart early in a shared 4x4 safari vehicle. Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for the morning — rhino, lion, hippo and zebra are all but guaranteed. Drive on to the Serengeti and camp inside or just outside the park (full-service camping included in your safari fee). Safari costs ~£350 for a 3-day shared camping trip including food, park fees and vehicle — book through a reputable local Arusha operator, not a street tout.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle (included)

🛏Safari camp (included in 3-day safari package ~£350)

• →Ngorongoro Crater game drive
• →Drive into the Serengeti

Full day of safari drives in the Serengeti — your driver-guide will chase sightings of lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo and, depending on season, the Great Migration. Optional hot-air balloon over the Serengeti, if your budget stretches (~£450 — book a week ahead), otherwise enjoy the same wildlife from the pop-top roof.

🚌Safari vehicle (included)

🛏Safari camp (included in package)

• →Full-day Serengeti game drives
• →Optional balloon safari

Morning game drive out of the Serengeti, then back to Arusha by evening. Shower, buy a proper Tanzanian dinner (kiti moto or chipsi mayai, ~£4) and regroup at a guesthouse (~£16).

🚌Safari vehicle back to Arusha

🛏Arusha budget guesthouse (~£16)

• →Final Serengeti drive
• →Arusha evening

Cross the Namanga border into Kenya by shuttle bus (~£18, 6 hrs) — get your Kenya eTA and mandatory inbound travel insurance online beforehand. Arrive Nairobi, stay in a hostel around Kilimani or Westlands (~£18). This town has some of the best street food in East Africa — go for nyama choma and ugali at a local spot (~£6).

🚌Shuttle Arusha–Nairobi ~£18

🛏Nairobi hostel (~£18)

• →Namanga border crossing
• →Nairobi evening

Book a day at the Giraffe Centre (~£12) and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage (~£15) directly online. Afternoon at the David Sheldrick/Karen Blixen Museum or a food tour (~£15). Evening at a local restaurant — this is a recovery day after 25 days on the road.

🚌Matatu/Uber ~£10

🛏Nairobi hostel (~£18)

• →Giraffe Centre
• →Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
• →Karen Blixen Museum

If time allows before your evening flight, wander the Nairobi National Museum (~£8) or relax in Uhuru Park. Your outbound flight should be after 21:00 if you're booking a same-day departure. Uber to JKIA (~£12). Trip total counts on the 27 days here.

🚌Uber to airport ~£12

• →Nairobi National Museum
• →Departure