In this article, we share our own personal and totally subjective opinion about Kenya and Tanzania having visited them both at least twice at different times of the year. We write this article out of our limited experience and if anyone disagrees, we totally respect that but then again, our experience is our truth and we don’t write to please anyone, that’s the beauty of blogging and not promoting anything 🙂 If you want to share a different experience, you’re welcome to do so in the comments as we’re sure others would love to hear different perspectives.

It’s hard to believe an article authored by wildlife experts or safari companies. We know because we’ve been there! So we wrote this because we just want to focus on the things that matter to people who don’t know much about wildlife and Africa in general and don’t want to be fed with nitty-gritty facts, history, and statistics they don’t understand. We simply want to share our experience and hopefully help people who just want to visit Africa for the first time, go on a safari and have a great time. For people whose knowledge of wildlife goes just as far as the cast of Lion King, this is for you.

So what is a Safari?

A safari, and in this case, an African safari is an activity where you get to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. There are different types of safari such as hot-air balloon, and walking safari. The most common, which will also be the focus of this comparison is what we call a guided game-drive safari. The word game refers to animals that are not domesticated, the so called wildlife. With this, you drive with a guide in a safari vehicle, often a 4×4 Land Rover with a pop-up roof, stopping at the sighting of animals.

For starters…
It’s not really about Kenya vs. Tanzania but “which one should I pick first?” Then you can always see the other on your next trip because after being in Africa, you would likely want to go back. If not, it won’t be the end of the world and you’d be happy in either destination because they’re both amazing and you’ll see what you came to see.

Both have an amazing variety of wildlife, period. Let’s admit it, do you really care what wildlife is there exactly? You don’t even know half of what you’ll see so don’t overthink it. You would want to see the famous game such as Lions, Giraffe, Elephants, Zebras, Buffalo, etc… and they are aplenty in both.

IN A NUTSHELL

A popular landscape in Serengeti, Tanzania

Choose Tanzania

If you have at least 7 days just for the safari alone, you have the budget, if coming with your family and/or prefer a private safari, we would recommend Tanzania. The game drives are longer but this is part of the overall authentic safari experience where you will spot animals when you least expect them and some days, you will only see a few but then you will have the chance to admire the different landscapes and sceneries instead. Tanzania has a more in-depth wilderness feel to it from the parks and endless plains to how the array of accommodations are built to complement the experience. Also worth mentioning is that Tanzania is home to the world-famous wildebeest migration. This is an annual thing and the most awaited event called the River Crossing from June to October happens here where millions of wildebeest cross the Mara River while predators lurk and easily prey on them.

Landscape in Masai Mara, Kenya

Choose Kenya

If you only have a few days to spare, if you want more affordable options, and if you want to combine your safari with other small activities here and there, we recommend Kenya. The game drives are amazing but as the parks are smaller, it’s easier and faster to spot animals. The distance between the parks is also shorter. They have more activities as part of the safari by default (short guided safari in some areas and cultural visit to the Maasai) whereas in Tanzania, it’s more wildlife concentrated and you often need to request for other activities if you want that added in your itinerary.

Other Deciding Factors:

Game drive in Serengeti, Tanzania

1. Safety

All the safari places covered in both Kenya and Tanzania are safe destinations for all types of travellers including a family with small children.

2. Cost

Group joining is more common in Kenya so we would recommend this to budget travellers. The park entrance fees can be more affordable in Kenya too, which affects the overall prices.

Kenya

A 3 nights 4 days in top parks such as Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru for a group-joining safari of at least 4 pax in standard lodging will cost around 450 USD per person including all meals and accommodation.

Tanzania

The equivalent in Tanzania visiting Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and/or Tarangire will cost around 900 USD.

3. No. of Days Needed

Kenya

In Kenya, you can go on a safari in Maasai Mara for as short as 2 nights 3 days and you’ll likely return home happy seeing enough wildlife.

Tanzania

In Tanzania, parks are bigger so they will take longer game drives to spot animals. You would want to allot at least 3 days in the Serengeti park alone.

4. Service Standards

Tanzania Wins!

From our experience, Tanzania has higher service standards overall than Kenya. We noticed this judging from the services all throughout the different accommodation we’ve tried, from the skills and conduct of tour guides, etc… Kenya is not bad at all but since we need to choose then we would pick Tanzania.

5. Vehicles

A typical safari van used in Kenya

A typical safari vehicle in Tanzania

Tanzania Wins!

For the vehicles, Tanzania safaris always use 4×4 Land Cruiser vehicles whereas in Kenya, it’s more common to use 4×4 safari vans though you can request for Land Cruisers at an additional price. Though they’re both customized for optimal game drives, we find the Land cruisers to be the most suitable and comfortable vehicle for game drives.

6. Safari Lunch Boxes

Lunchbox in Tanzania Safari Game Drive

Tanzania Wins!

In a safari, it’s common to bring packed lunch as you stop for picnic in a designated area, and continue with your game drive afterwards. Maybe we were just unlucky but we really find Kenya safari lunchboxes to be of low quality and the one in Tanzania to be much better. Not always healthy, but better in taste and variety.

7. Safari Accommodation

Lodge in Masai Mara, Kenya

It’s a Tie!

Tanzania has more tented camping options whereas, in Kenya, it’s usually lodges. Both are equally good but we personally like tented camping for an authentic wilderness feels.

8. Safari Activities

Kenya Wins!

We find Kenya has more activities naturally incorporated as a standard apart from the usual game drives. These include walking safari, boat cruise, visit to a tribe, a trek up to a certain spot, etc…

Tanzania

There’s a lot of activities to do in Tanzania also but often, you need to ask for it to be included in your tour and this can considerably increase the price. The usual itinerary is dominantly game drives.

9. Pre and Post Safari Activities

Nightlife in Nairobi

Kenya Wins!

If you’re doing the usual northern circuit safari in Tanzania, then your base is in Arusha city whereas in Kenya, the base would be its capital, Nairobi. If you only plan to do a short safari and explore neighbouring cities afterwards for a few more days, then you should choose Kenya. Nairobi is a modern capital with malls, vibrant nightlife scenes and where Mombasa beach, if that interests you, is accessible by an 8hr bus ride or a short flight. There are tons of accommodation too including hostels and Airbnb.

Our favorite coffee shop in Arusha, Africafe

Tanzania

Arusha, on the other hand, is a much smaller and laidback town and you’d soon run out of interesting things to do. If you want to escape to Zanzibar beach from there and you can afford to fly, then that option is readily available. But if you have budget constraint and prefer a cheaper option, you’d have to take a 12 hr bus ride to Dar Es Salaam and from there, take another 3 hr. ferry ride. In terms of accommodation, there’s not a lot of Airbnb options and a few hostels that are not up to the standards of what you’ll find in Kenya. There is also the option of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and the base is conveniently also in Arusha but this is a major trip rather than a pre or post safari activity. You don’t wake up one day feeling like climbing Africa’s highest mountain. A climb to Mt. Kilimanjaro takes at least 7 days, you need to be on a certain fitness level, and it cost a couple of thousand dollars, more or less.

10. Accessibility and Connectivity

Kenya Wins!

Nairobi is the capital and the major hub of all flights. It is very well connected internationally and also within the African continents. Also from Nairobi, you can easily take an Uber everywhere. So even if you book with a tour operator for the safari part, you can easily get by via DIY for the rest of your trip. There’s a lot of coffee shops with wifi, Airbnb, hostels and hotels all have reliable wifi.

Tanzania

To get to Arusha, you’d fly to Mt. Kilimanjaro airport and from there, it takes 1.5 hr drive to the city proper. There’s no Uber in Arusha so you’d have to rely on local car or motorbike taxis though often when you book with a safari tour operator, airport pick-up and drop-off is included (same with Kenya). On your own, getting from one point to another is certainly doable, though there are much more planning and logistics you need to worry about due to the scarcity of options. Wifi is scarce too and not a lot of options for cozy restaurants and coffee shops.

Other Random Tips

• If you are open to either Kenya or Tanzania, you can let the cost of flight help you decide especially if there’s a huge difference.
• Cost of visa is about the same and you need a yellow fever certificate for both.

We have been to both Kenya and Tanzania safari twice as of this writing both in peak and even rainy season. Our opinions are based on our experience and it can be different for everybody. Kenya or Tanzania will make a trip of a lifetime so if you’re not an avid wildlife fanatic, don’t beat yourself up deciding which one is better. If you chose one over the other, you won’t really miss out on anything because you don’t know what you’ve missed until you see the other. At that point, you have seen both and it doesn’t matter anymore. Problem solved.

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