Kenya & Tanzania travel guide

Neighbours Kenya and Tanzania share a border, but feel quite distinct. Many tours begin in the vast urban sprawl of Nairobi, but much of rural Kenya remains quite undeveloped, with northern Tanzania even more so. Only very basic English is spoken in Tanzania, particularly outside urban centers. In terms of a vacation experience, Kenya is an old hand when it comes to tourism, while Tanzania is significantly less economically advanced. 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. 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.

Find out more in our Kenya and Tanzania travel guide.

Many of Tanzania and Kenya’s celebrated attractions sit conveniently close to the border. The road network in northern Tanzania is less extensive than in Kenya, but main roads are as good as Kenyan roads, better in some cases. Weeklong tours provide an overview, but it’s worth spending longer here to create space between the bigger drives, experience some Maasai culture and perhaps push south to Lake Manyara, home to tree-climbing lions, or north, to the Great Rift Valley. If you hope to include parks further afield, such as Selous and Ruaha in Tanzania or Laikipia and Samburu in Kenya, or want to relax on the coast, factor in days of driving or a costly internal flight.