Dreaming of an African safari? Combining Kenya and Tanzania in a single trip offers a unique opportunity to experience diverse landscapes, unforgettable wildlife encounters, and rich cultural experiences. Neighbours Kenya and Tanzania share a border, but feel quite distinct. This interesting contrast is one reason for traveling in both countries, another is the chance to experience a variety of unforgettable locations, including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Masai Mara and Lake Victoria in one trip.
This guide provides essential information for planning your dream safari, from booking tips and cost considerations to must-see destinations and cultural insights.
Why Go on Safari in Kenya and Tanzania?
Kenya and Tanzania offer some of the best safari destinations on the planet. Happily, they form a loop encircling the border, with distances between each manageable by road. It means you can tick off the Big Five, spot the Great Migration somewhere at any time of year, and meet the Maasai, all without taking a flight so long as you can handle some long drives on bumpy roads.
Besides the wildlife, the countries’ landscapes are equally breathtaking. Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, whereas Kenya offers Mount Kenya, the continent’s second-highest peak. Picture this: witnessing millions of wildebeest charging across the Serengeti plains, then days later, watching elephants silhouetted against the iconic backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. Your adventure spans some of Africa’s most celebrated ecosystems.
Each country offers distinct wildlife experiences. Tanzania’s Serengeti wildlife is exceptional when it comes to big cat encounters, particularly when the migration is in town and the predators lurk on the fringe. Southern Tanzania (including Ruaha wildlife and Nyerere), the country’s best-kept secret, is known for wild dog sightings, elephant herds, and lions aplenty. Kenya’s diverse parks offer everything from massive elephant herds in Amboseli to flamingo spectacles in Lake Ndutu. Both countries are home to the proud Maasai people, offering authentic cultural encounters to complement your wildlife encounters.
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Your journey encompasses an incredible range of landscapes: golden savannahs stretching to the horizon, the dramatic walls of ancient craters, shimmering lakes dotted with wildlife, wetlands brimming with birdlife, towering baobabs, and majestic mountains providing stunning backdrops.
Planning Your Trip
Planning a trip to East Africa can seem really tough, especially if it’s your first time. Ideally, spending at least around 5 days in Kenya and another 5 days in Tanzania if time allows is recommended. Smart planning begins with choosing the right entry points to maximise your time on safari. Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is East Africa’s major hub, offering the most international connections and convenient access to Kenya’s premier parks.
Strategic use of local connections and charter flights can transform your safari experience. Rather than spending hours on roads between destinations, scheduled charter flights allow you to maximise game viewing time while enjoying spectacular aerial views of the landscapes below. Cross-border travel between Kenya and Tanzania is straightforward and requires proper planning. There are two major land crossing points, which are well-established and regularly used by safari vehicles.
At the border, you’ll need your passport, visa, and yellow fever certificate ready for the officials. My experience with crossing land borders into Tanzania and back into Kenya was incredibly smooth-no queues and the process took about 10 minutes. However, I travelled during the quieter short rainy season.
Usually, crossing at airports is quicker because there are fewer people. Safari operators from Kenya can’t operate in Tanzania, and the same goes the other way. This rule helps local businesses thrive. Your safari will be handled by separate companies in Kenya and Tanzania, but don’t worry-these companies usually work closely with partners across the border.
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Visa and Health Requirements
Most travellers will need a single-entry visa, costing $50 per person. On the other hand, from 2024, Kenya has introduced visa-free entry, meaning you no longer need a visa to visit. However, you will need to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) before your trip.
Kenya is listed as a country where Yellow Fever can occur, so you’ll need to be vaccinated against it. In contrast, Tanzania is considered to have a lower risk of Yellow Fever. If you’re moving between Kenya and Tanzania, you’ll need to show your Yellow Fever vaccination certificate.
While other vaccinations aren’t compulsory, they are strongly advised, including for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Typhoid, among others. Alongside antimalarial medication, it’s always a good idea to put together a travel health kit. Make sure your prescription containers are clearly marked, and if you can, bring along a note from your doctor explaining what each medication is for and why you’re taking it.
Best Time to Visit
Understanding East Africa’s seasonal patterns is crucial for ensuring your combined safari experience is ideal. There are two main dry seasons in East Africa. The longer dry season, from June to mid-October, is often seen as the best time for a visit. This period offers the most predictable weather and concentrated wildlife viewing around permanent water sources. Game viewing is excellent as vegetation is sparse and animals gather around rivers and waterholes.
Then there’s a shorter dry season from mid-December to late February. This period is the warmest, though it can still get a bit of rain. This season is special because the landscape is green and full, perfect for photography. Tanzania’s southern Serengeti becomes the stage for nature’s renewal during the calving season when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest give birth. This period offers incredible predator action as big cats take advantage of the abundance of vulnerable newborns.
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The rainy season from March to May is often less popular for visits since it can get very wet. These periods offer excellent value, fewer crowds, and special pricing at many lodges. While you might encounter some rain, it’s typically as brief afternoon showers that don’t significantly impact activities. A brief rainy season occurs from mid-October to mid-December when you might see some evening showers, but generally, it stays dry and sunny.
The Mara River crossing is part of the Great Migration in Northern Serengeti / Southern Masai Mara around September. Timing your visit to catch the highlights of great wildebeest migration is highly recommended if you can, as this is considered one of the best wildlife experiences on the planet. The most popular time to see the great migration is from mid-July to mid-September. Another fantastic time to visit is mid -January and late February in southern Serengeti when thousands of wildebeest calves are born each day.
The Great Migration - Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, Crossing Mara River
Wildlife Calendar
How to Book Your Kenya and Tanzania Safari
The complexity of coordinating a multi-country safari makes selecting the right partner crucial to your success. When booking safaris, you usually have the choice between private and group tours. If it’s within your budget, a private safari is always suggested for more flexibility and a tailored experience, unless you’re travelling solo and keen to meet new people. Group tours often don’t offer the same level of choice regarding accommodation, park visits, or safari timings.
Choosing a local tour operator over an international travel agency also saves you money. International agencies mark up the price significantly and then hand off the actual trip planning to local firms. Local operators handle everything for you - from hotel bookings and park entry fees to providing full board, vehicles, fuel, and an experienced driver-guide.
DIY vs. Guided Tours
Going on a self-drive safari in Kenya and Tanzania seems like a great idea if you want to be in charge of your trip. First off, the big costs such as park entrance fees are the same regardless of whether you drive yourself or go on a tour. Also, you won’t get a better deal on hotels and lodges if you book them on your own as tour operators can actually get better deals on hotels. Meanwhile, a good-quality 4×4 vehicle rental- a necessity for travelling the terrains of Kenya and Tanzania’s national parks-comes with its own set of daily costs, which are often pretty steep.
The requirements to enter Tanzania’s parks are quite strict and regular 4×4 vehicles are often turned down. Self-driving can quickly become hazardous due to deep hidden potholes. But most of all, while not having to pay for a guide might seem like a way to save money, you’ll likely miss out on seeing a lot of wildlife that only local guides can spot. Although I loved the independence of self-driving when I was in Namibia, even I would find driving around East Africa’s huge parks tough.
How to Book a DIY Self-Drive Tanzania Safari
- Option 1: Comparison sites which provide multiple quotes from verified suppliers such as Safaris By Ella. Make sure to write you want to self drive in the notes when requesting a quote. (This is a hybrid approach where you’ll drive yourself but they will arrange everything)
- Option 2: Research and book all elements of the trip yourself using Google and online travel agents.
Hotel-Provided Safaris
Many lodges and tented camps offer their own safari experiences, which can be ideal if you’re planning to stay in one place for a while. Flying is often the easiest way to get from one hotel to another, especially when they’re in different parks. Many parks have their own airstrips, and hotels near or inside the national parks usually can arrange to pick you up and drop you off, though they might charge extra for this service.
If your journey includes going from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti, or any two parks across the border, you’ll likely need to take two flights. The first flight will bring you to an international airport where you can go through immigration, and the second will take you to your final destination. Another point to bear in mind is that safaris organised by lodges often aren’t private and you’ll be sharing the vehicle with other lodge guests.
How to Book a Hotel-Provided Safari
- Option 1: Recommended tour operators on Safaris By Ella can arrange hotels and air or road transport to and from the hotels. If you opt for the more cost-effective road transport, since they have driven you to the hotel, you might find it cheaper to use the safari company for safaris rather than using the hotel-provided safaris.
- Option 2: Check with your chosen accommodation whether they provide this service and the booking requirements.
How Much Does a Kenya and Tanzania Safari Cost?
Kenya safari costs and Tanzania safari costs are very similar. The most expensive part of an East African safari is the park fees. For example, it costs $200 + 18% tax per person to enter the Maasai Mara in peak season for a 12 hour period. Park fees are similar in Tanzania with it costing $70 +18% tax per person per day to enter the Serengeti plus an additional $60 + 18% tax concession fee to spend the night in the park (staying outside the park isn’t an option with the Serengeti).
The next biggest cost on your safari will be your lodges and tented camps. Even budget camps in Serengeti cost around $150 per person per night (this price excludes the nightly concession fee). Prices for camps bordering the Masai Mara in Kenya are similar. Perhaps the biggest factor is your accommodation comfort level.
Another huge factor is the time of year that you choose to visit. For example, park fees for peak season in the Maasai Mara (July to December) are $200 + 18% tax per person. This is double the fees in low season (January to June) which are $100 + 18% tax per person. Your mode of transportation for game drives will also have an impact on your safari cost. In Kenya you have several options, the cheapest being a minivan.
Land Cruisers typically cost $50 more per day than minivans and you can pay even more to have a photographic Land Cruiser with dropped sides. The final key factor that can affect your cost is how you choose to journey between parks. The cheapest and most popular way to travel is by road in the same vehicle that you’ll be using for your game drives. This doesn’t cost you any extra on top of your safari as you’re already paying per day for your vehicle. However, you may wish to fly between parks which saves you a lot of time.
Essential Packing Tips
East Africa’s diverse landscapes mean varied climates and altitudes that require thoughtful packing. Essential packing tips include layered clothing for temperature variations, neutral-coloured clothing for optimal wildlife viewing, comfortable walking shoes for camp activities, and a warm jacket for chilly early morning game drives and higher altitude destinations.
Whether you're journeying through the sweeping plains of East Africa or the diverse landscapes of South Africa, having the right items packed ensures a comfortable, convenient, and effortless travel experience. Focus on packing earth-toned colors such as khaki, olive, and tan to help blend into the natural surroundings as well as to help keep cool under the African sun. Avoid dark colors such as black and navy, not only do they absorb heat, they can also attract tsetse flies.
Other Essentials:
- Sunscreen (SPF 30+)
- Camera with extra memory cards and batteries (a 200mm+ telephoto lens is ideal for wildlife photography)
- Charger and adapters
- Small denominations of U.S. dollars (widely accepted)
Suggested Itinerary: 10 Days in Kenya and Tanzania
This itinerary is perfect for getting close to each country’s varied wildlife. Many tours begin in the vast urban sprawl of Nairobi. This trip begins in bustling Nairobi.
Day 1: Nairobi
Today’s drive time: dependent on what activities you choose to do on this day Nairobi is a bustling modern city where nature is only ever a stone’s throw away, giving you a sneak peek of what’s to come in Kenya. If your plane gets in early, you might have time to check out some cool places in the city.
You could visit the Nairobi National Museum to learn about the area’s history or walk around Karura Forest for a gentle start to your trip. If you land later in the day, there’s still lots to do. Evening is a great time to try some local food (Nairobi has an excellent food scene!) or check out the vibrant nightlife. However, no one will blame you if you prefer to relax at your hotel to prepare for the days ahead! Whether you spend your first day exploring or just relaxing and enjoying the vibe, it’s the beginning of a trip you’ll always remember.
About Nairobi
Known as the ‘Green City in the Sun’, Nairobi is special because it has Nairobi National Park right in the city, where you can see animals like lions, giraffes, and rhinos - a very unique experience mixing wildlife with city buildings in the background. If you’re interested in Kenya’s stories and past, places like the Nairobi National Museum and the Karen Blixen Museum are also great to visit. Getting around in Nairobi is pretty easy. You can use taxis, matatus (which are like small buses), Uber, or even motorbike taxis if you’re feeling brave.
Most people here speak English and Swahili, so it’s usually easy to talk to locals. Just like in any big city, it’s important to be careful, especially at night, and keep your things safe. For food lovers, Nairobi is exciting because the thriving food scene offers a great mix of local restaurants where you can try traditional dishes like roasted meat and maize alongside top-notch international eateries.
Where to Stay in Nairobi
In Nairobi, choosing the right area to stay in can make your visit even better. For first-timers, areas like Westlands and Karen are top picks. Westlands is bustling with shops, restaurants, and nightlife, making it perfect for those looking to experience Nairobi’s urban side. Karen, on the other hand, offers a more relaxed vibe with its ...
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