Single female backpacking from Kenya to Tanzania

Safe - yes, as much as anywhere is.
Feasible - not sure, if it is, it will certainly be pretty rushed.

You can organise your safari in advance in Nairobi, the safari company will arrange both transport and accomodation. If you also want to include a couple of days on Zanzibar, you can't really spend more than 4 or 5 days on safari, including travelling time.

You don't really need to go to both Masai Mara and Serengeti, it's the same park, just different names in each country. If you are prepared to skip Masai Mara, you could take a shuttle bus from Nairobi to Arusha and start your safari from there, visiting the crater and Serengeti.

You can get a bus from Arusha to Dar, but you will most likely arrive too late for the last ferry to Zanzibar. An alternative option which will give you a bit more time but cost much more would be to fly from Arusha direct to Zanzibar.

The Zanzibar Dorm Lodge probably has the cheapest rooms in Stone Town, if your budget is really tight. A simple, clean single room with shared toilet (also clean) was quoted at US$15 with breakfast, but I was able to negotiate it down to $12.

For wonderful, cheap food, just eat at the stalls that open every evening on the waterfront, in front of the House of Wonders (the big colonnaded building with the clock tower).

Elsewhere in Tanzania, you never need to pay more than US$10-12 just to sleep in a private room. The next level of comfort, which would mean a TV and your own toilet, can be had for $15-20 and up.

kaz is right about your wish list being a little too big for the 10 days. You should look at a 3 day/2 night Serengeti/Ngorongoro package which would start and finish in Arusha. If your budget permits, make it a 4 day/3 night. It's hard to go wrong with these parks. With that done, you have a few days to spend in Zanzibar.

Hi Christopher,

Thank you for the recommendations!

At this point, I have a few more questions if you would be so kind as to entertaining them...
*How would you recommend I travel from Kenya to Zanzibar - if I didn't want to fly into DAR? Is it possible to catch a ferry boat off the coast of Kenya somewhere?

*I heard that a year ago they were having US citizens leave Mombasa due to threat... should I stay away from there still?

*If I do go to Zanz, and do not cross into mainland Tanzania, do I need to go through customs/border check somewhere still?

*A Kenyan visa allows you to enter Tanzania for free, correct?

*As a single female backpacker, would you recommend that I try to buddy up with other travelers on this forum prior to my arrival in Kenya, or do you think I should just meet people in a hostel?

Thank you so much!

Hi Kaz,

Thank you for your reply! I asked Christopher a few questions below - I'm curious what your opinion is on them as well if you don't mind.

Also, I heard that safari's are generally cheaper in Kenya than in Tanzania - do you agree?

I'm trying to find a way to do a safar for about 3-5 nights for $500... I keep seeing prices in the thousands. Do you think I can book one at a cheaper price if I wait until I get to Kenya?

Thank you!

Icstegh:

I notice you have started another thread with some of the same questions, but I'll try to deal with them here:

Mombasa threats: Don't lose any sleep over them.

Entering Zanzibar: The island has its own immigration control which you must pass no matter where you are arriving from. If you are arriving from Tanzania you do not need to buy another visa, but if you are coming from anywhere else you will need to buy a tourist visa from Zanzibar immigration.

Kenyan visas do not cover entry into any other country. But if you have bought Tanzanian and Kenyan visas, you can shuttle between the countries as often as you want until they expire.

On the matter of transport to Zanzibar, I recommend doing a search on the Thorn Tree because this topic has been much discussed. There is no point trying to summarize it here.

Safaris: kaz will have lots of advice about this too, but the best 2 or 3-night packages for budget travelers are probably Maasai Mara and Tsavo West/East in Kenya. Tsavo can also be done in one night, though this is not usual in Maasai Mara.

Kenyan safaris are cheaper on average than in Tanzania, but TZ still has some good deals, notably Mikumi National Park. This tour leaves from Dar.

Christopher is far better placed to advise on safaris than me, as although I've been visiting Africa for years, I haven't been on an official safari for years.

But I do know that you can visit Tsavo from Mombasa, and if you decide to do that then my favourite way to get there from Nairobi is to take the overnight train - see the man in Seat 61 website for details.