Travel advisory: Walkers should consult the official notices before setting out. The US advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania, and the UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Mozambique (Cabo Delgado) border. None of the walks below lie near it. Check the US State Department and UK FCDO pages. Tanzania rewards slow movement, and how far you walk is a matter of choice. Here are the routes from a flat stroll to a four-day mountain trek, with costs where reported.

Kenya is a driving country, yet a surprising amount of it opens up on foot, from a lunchtime city loop to a gorge that takes all day. The easiest way to choose a walk is by the time you have. One hour: central Nairobi Marabou storks roost in the acacias along Kenyatta Avenue and Parliament Road, and the walk is free. City Market has flower and spice stalls, and Jamia Mosque is a short stroll away.

Travel advisory: Plan the romance after the paperwork. The US advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania, and the UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Mozambique frontier at Cabo Delgado, far from the lodges and beaches below. Read the latest on travel.state.gov and the UK foreign travel advice . Some couples want a hammock and a book, and others want a reef at dawn. Tanzania suits both, so choose your pace first and book the hotels afterwards.

Kilimanjaro rising behind a line of elephants is the picture most people have of Kenya, but the country offers four distinct landscapes within a few days of each other. Choosing by landscape keeps the route short and the photographs varied. Open savannah The Maasai Mara is the place for golden grassland, lions, cheetahs and the wider Big Five. Non-resident adults pay US$100 a day from January to June and US$200 from July to December, and ages 9 to 17 pay US$50.

Travel advisory: Long itineraries cross more of the map, so check the latest notices. The US currently advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania, and the UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado border. Read the US State Department page and the UK FCDO guidance. Keep routes away from the southern border belt around Mtwara and Ruvuma. First visits to Tanzania usually share a pattern, and return visits usually break it.

Kenyan romance comes in two settings, the bush and the beach, and the calendar decides which one works best. A sunrise balloon over the Mara in August is a different trip, and budget, from a quiet lagoon in February. January to June: lower fees, quieter plains Mara gate fees for non-resident adults are US$100 a day in this half of the year, against US$200 from July. A sunrise balloon flight is the headline splurge, with secondary sources putting prices between about US$450 and US$635 per person.

Kenya trips are easiest to plan by the number of nights you can spare. Three nights buy the Mara, five days buy a circuit, and a week adds the coast. Three nights: the Mara Plan 2 to 3 nights. The road from Nairobi is 225 to 260 km, 5 to 6 hours each way, and the last 65 km past Narok is rough. The alternative is a roughly 45-minute flight from Wilson Airport to a Mara airstrip.

Travel advisory: Parents should read both governments’ notices before booking. The US advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania, and the UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Cabo Delgado border with Mozambique. Current text is at travel.state.gov and on the UK FCDO page . Children change the maths of a Tanzania trip: long drives feel longer, lodges set age floors, and sunburn arrives early. The number of nights you have is the best way to decide what to include.

A four-year-old and a sixteen-year-old want very different things from Kenya, and park fees change at both ends of that range. Matching the day to the child’s age keeps both the budget and the mood intact. Under 3: short and close Under-threes are free at the Giraffe Centre in Karen, open 9:00 to 17:00. Pellet-feeding from the raised platform is calm and close to the car. Aim for before 11:00, since weekday crowds peak between 11:00 and 13:00.

Travel advisory: Check two official notices first. The US advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania. The UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Mozambique border at Cabo Delgado, a long way from the places below. Find the latest text on the US State Department site and at UK FCDO . A day trip works when the driving takes less than a quarter of the day. Measure outings by travel time, and Tanzania sorts neatly into short hops, two-hour drives and journeys that need a night.

Kenya’s day trips sort themselves by the clock. A lion with city towers behind it is 20 minutes from downtown Nairobi, a volcano rim is about 1.5 hours out, and the famous reserves are too far for one day. 20 minutes: Nairobi National Park Non-resident adults pay US$80 and children US$40, prepaid on eCitizen . Lions, rhinos and giraffes graze within sight of the skyline. A private 4x4 with a guide typically runs US$150 to US$250 per vehicle for the day.

Kenya’s best-known attractions split into two kinds: the ones that sell out and the ones you walk into. Sorting your list that way saves a wasted morning in Nairobi. Book ahead: the Sheldrick elephant orphanage The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust opens its nursery to the public for one hour, 11:00 to 12:00 daily except 25 December. Visits are arranged by advance request to the Trust, up to 3 months ahead, and there is no same-day entry.

The same Mara gate ticket costs US$100 in May and US$200 in October, and the herds only add to the drama in the second half of the year. In Kenya the calendar sets the budget, so it helps to pick the month before you pick the activities. January to June: the lower fee months Non-resident adults pay US$100 a day at the Maasai Mara from January to June, and ages 9 to 17 pay US$50.

Travel advisory: Costs are only half of the planning. The US government advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania, and the UK government advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Cabo Delgado border with Mozambique. Read the current notices at travel.state.gov and the UK foreign travel advice before paying deposits. Tanzania’s headline attractions span a price range from nothing to well over USD 500, and the sensible way to choose is by how much each one costs.

Travel advisory: Before you lock in dates, read the official pages. Washington advises reconsidering travel to Tanzania, and London advises against all but essential travel in the 20 km belt beside Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province. Open the US State Department and UK FCDO pages for current wording. The wildebeest never stop walking, so the best month to visit Tanzania depends on which part of the Serengeti you want to stand in.