Kenya or Tanzania?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 20 20
UNESCO listings among them 4 6
Cost level Mid-range Mid-range
Busiest month in our write-ups January June
Currency Kenyan shilling (KES) Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Plugs and voltage G - 240 V D, G - 230 V
Everyday languages Swahili, English Swahili, English
Driving side left hand side left hand side
Region Eastern Africa Eastern Africa
Capital Nairobi Dodoma
Kenya
Safari heartland with entrepreneurial buzz; Hakuna matata is real but so is hustle.
What we have written up
- Amboseli National Park national park
- Diani Beach and the Coast beach
- Fort Jesus, Mombasa fortress
- Hell's Gate National Park national park
- Kakamega Forest forest
- Kenyan Coffee coffee culture
Worth knowing before you go
- Park fees are significant and card-paid - factor them into budgets
- The SGR train links Nairobi and Mombasa comfortably
- Nairobi traffic is legendary - schedule around it
Tanzania
Pole pole - slowly slowly - is advice and identity; Swahili courtesy opens everything.
What we have written up
- Bagamoyo old town
- Kilwa Kisiwani ruins
- Kondoa Rock Art Sites archaeological site
- Lake Manyara National Park lake
- Mafia Island island
- Mahale Mountains National Park national park
Worth knowing before you go
- Cash US dollars (newer bills) plus cards cover most travel
- Park fees are premium - the Serengeti is worth every cent
- The migration is in Tanzania roughly November to July - opposite calendar to Kenya's Mara
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.