Travelling from Nairobi to Arusha by land
Art in the Arusha Art Gallery
Back in December 2024 we travelled from Kenya to Tanzania overland. We realised this was possible when we looked at the map and found that Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, was just a stone's throw away from Arusha in Tanzania–well, it was in terms of the size of Africa! Compared to other journeys we’d considered by land, this was actually not far at all.
When we looked up flights between the two and found they were around $200 per person, we thought it was worth getting a quote for a one-way transfer by private taxi instead. When the quote came back at $200 for us both, and obviously included unlimited baggage, we were sold. These two cities lie just 274km apart, and share a land border at Namanga.
Company used: Impala Shuttles Services
Distance: 274km
Time: 5.5 hours (including border stop)
Visa: Note that some citizens must apply for their Tanzanian visa online in advance—make sure you research this before you arrive at the border!
Rating: 10/10 would recommend over flying
The journey:
We left Nairobi as early as possible to avoid the heavy traffic that builds up in the city. Our driver was a nice and friendly man (I can’t remember his name!) and we made a stop at the company office and then at a garage for petrol before we got on the road.
He drove fairly steadily compared to some of the other taxi’s we’d been in during our time in Africa, and specifically Kenya, where people drove particularly haphazardly. We were happy and comfortable and had enough room with most of our bags in the back. The vehicle was a fairly large car, and would have fit 6 people, but we had it to ourselves which was great. The seats were comfy and we enjoyed our drive as we left the city of Nairobi and it started to get light outside.
I asked the driver if we should be keeping an eye out for wildlife and he said yes–you often see giraffes, zebras, and sometimes even elephants on the roads here. We were excited by this and kept an eye out. We did see some impala but nothing else, but it passed the time to search the bush as we drove through it.
Once you get past the city limits the scenery quickly transforms into a vast emptiness, which is how I would describe the entire route between Nairobi and Arusha. It’s beautiful and impressive to see the scale of these countries and how much openness there is for the wildlife.
There aren't many places to stop on the way, but there are a few garages to fill up the tank, get drinks and use the bathrooms. We stopped at the Blue Sky garage in Bisil: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3ZZDCurXobqFAXY89. The coffee was pretty awful but beggars can’t be choosers. We got one for our driver too and he appreciated it.
Around 2 hours after we left Nairobi we got to the border at Namanga. Our stop there wasn’t too long–it took us around 30 minutes to get our passports stamped and documents checked. At the border it’s one big building for everything which made it easier for us. We went in and queued to officially ‘leave’ Kenya, and at the next counter down, after a long queue, we ‘entered’ Tanzania.
Whilst we did this our driver was trying to get the papers stamped for the exit/entry of our vehicle, which actually took much longer, around an hour in total. Whilst he got this sorted we went to use the bathrooms and walked around to stretch our legs. There are some other facilities here like shops and places to get coffee.
Once all the paperwork for our driver and vehicle was sorted out, we got back on the road. We stopped again at Kuringe Petrol Station: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wxt3FsjxPQiBQc7s5 to use the bathrooms (thanks coffee!) and then went all the way to Arusha. It’s worth noting that Kuringe is the last place to stop before Arusha, around 1.5 hours away. Make use of the facilities if you need to!
Our drive after that was again full of stark and beautiful empty bushlands until we reached the outskirts of Arusha. It was without a doubt, one of the most chaotic cities we’ve ever been to. It is small, but on arrival it appeared as though the entire population of Tanzania were living and working there. Not only that, but they were all out on the street in vehicles or on foot. So, expect the last 20 minutes of your drive to be sat in traffic.
Safely dropped off at our hostel by our driver and helped inside with our luggage, he left us to drive back to Nairobi. We had done it, we had crossed between Kenya and Tanzania by land.
Arrival beers in our hostel in Arusha
Would we recommend travelling between Nairobi and Arusha by land?
Yes! It was cheaper, greener and more interesting than air travel.
Did you save any time travelling by land between Kenya and Tanzania?
We estimated the journey by land took around the same time as by air, if you factor in the travel to and from the airports, as well as the necessary early arrival time at the airport for check-in of baggage and security processes. So, we were more than happy with that!