If you’re planning an African safari in the near future, let our comparative guide help you choose between Kenya and Tanzania.
People in the west are notorious for looking at Africa as a one homogenous land and not a series of distinct countries. This becomes even worse when people try to tell the difference between two countries in the same region, as is the case with Kenya and Tanzania. That’s why comparative guides are so useful to figure out the truth about the incredible nations in Africa.
Here, we’ve broken down the essential differences between two of Africa’s most popular safari destinations:Kenya and Tanzania. We’ve focused on landscape and climate, expenses and infrastructure, landmarks, food and culture, and wildlife.
Expenses and Infrastructure
Both Kenya and Tanzania are affordable countries when compared to the vast majority of European or North American nations. However, there is a notable difference between the two in terms of costs.
Kenya is a wealthier nation than Tanzania, so it’s generally more expensive. Your flight will be one of your most expensive costs, with an economy flight from North America to Nairobi costing around $1,800 CAD on average. Once you’re there, you’re looking at around $100 CAD for a 3-star hotel in Nairobi, although you can get substantially cheaper options if you look outside the cities. That being said, more expensive hotels are generally safer. Food is fairly cheap, with street food costing around $1 CAD per plate and a sit-down meal at a restaurant running between $6 and $12 a person.
Tanzania is the larger country, but it’s not as wealthy as Kenya and is generally cheaper. However, an economy flight from North America to Dar es Salaam will be slightly more expensive than to Nairobi, costing around $1,900 CAD on average. Otherwise, food and accommodations are cheaper. A 3-star hotel in Dar es Salaam costs around $63 CAD on average, and a meal will cost you under $10 in a restaurant, with street food significantly cheaper.
In terms of infrastructure, Kenya has a larger tourism industry with more hotels and guesthouses. You can easily exchange US dollars into shillings in any of the major banks, and taxis and matatus abound in the cities. There’s a large network of trains between the big cities, and flights can take you most anywhere, although they are the most expensive way of getting around. Trains and flights are also the safest and most comfortable way of getting around Tanzania, but the transit networks are less reliable than in Kenya.
So in general, Tanzania is more affordable while Kenya has a better travel infrastructure. That being said, most people go to East Africa to head on safari… and safaris are never cheap. Kenya has the larger tourism infrastructure and has more lodges to accommodate globetrotters heading on an African safari, so the cost of a safari in Kenya will likely be less than one in Tanzania. However, the fact that Tanzania is relatively more exclusive in terms of safari lodges means that you’ll likely end up having fewer fellow tourists to jockey alongside. No matter which country you to head for an African safari, you’ll be spending thousands of dollars per person for the chance to see lions and elephants on the African savannah.