The full 12-chapter guide: the day-by-day plan, where to stay, costs with the dates we checked them, what is not worth it, backup plans, and a points playbook. You read it online in your PerkJolt library.

Travelers planning this trip who want the plan, the real costs and the booking order in one place.

Does it cover points and miles?

Yes. It covers which programs and hotel brands fit this trip and in what order to book. It does not quote card offers.

Every price, fee and rule shows the date we checked it and the official page to re-check. Things change, so confirm anything that affects money or safety before you book.

Can I get every guide instead?

Yes. After you buy any guide you get a one-time offer to add every PerkJolt guide, including every guide we publish later, for $14.99.

Kenya + Tanzania: Safari Basics

Kenya + Tanzania: Safari Basics: free sample chapter

Read the first chapter free. No email or account required.

Start here

Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. Park tariffs, entry rules and advisories in Kenya and Tanzania are revised without much warning. Each fee below is stamped with the day we read it and the page we read it on. Where an official page would not open, we say so, tell you what is typical, and name the page to check.

Cover block

One-line promise: understand every line of a safari bill, then pick a 10-day Kenya and Tanzania route you can price yourself.
Trip length: 10 days (sample), plus 3 to 4 optional days for Zanzibar.
Best months: general pattern only. June to September is the dry season on the Mara; ask about the herds for your week.
Budget band: you fill it in; see the cost sheet in chapter 8. We do not publish lodge or tour prices.
Best for: first-time safari planners comfortable with early mornings and long days in a vehicle.
Advisories: Kenya Level 2, "Exercise increased caution," with Level 4 areas listed for parts of Nairobi, the northeast, coast, northwest and north (full list in chapter 6). Tanzania Level 3, "Reconsider Travel," with terrorism risk "most common in the Mtwara Region" (chapter 6).

At a glance

A safari bill = park or conservancy fees + a place to sleep + a vehicle and driver-guide + extras and tips.
Verified here: Giraffe Centre admission and the Ngorongoro entry, crater and vehicle fees. Everything else priced is "check this page."
Kenya eTA: submit before departure; usually processed in 3 days; apply at least 2 weeks ahead (as read on etakenya.go.ke, stamped in chapter 6; fee (We could not confirm this on the official site when we checked — confirm it there before you book.)).
Tanzania e-Visa: via https://visa.immigration.go.tz/ only (fee (We could not confirm this on the official site when we checked — confirm it there before you book.)).
Health: CDC page for yellow fever and malaria; talk to a travel clinic early.
Airports: NBO, JRO, ZNZ.
Sample route: Nairobi, Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro.
LGBTQ+ travelers: both advisories carry specific cautions, quoted in chapter 6.