The 775-kilometer border between Kenya and Tanzania is one of Africa’s classic safari routes, a passage that connects some of the continent’s most iconic national parks and wildlife reserves. It is a friendly and well-traveled frontier, familiar to thousands of tourists who combine the attractions of both countries into a single trip.
The most famous and frequently used crossing is at Namanga, located on the main highway between Nairobi and Arusha. This is the primary gateway for travelers heading to Mount Kilimanjaro or the Serengeti. On the coast, the Lunga Lunga-Horohoro crossing serves those traveling between Mombasa and Dar es Salaam. Another key crossing is at Isebania, for those coming from the Maasai Mara region.
The major crossings like Namanga operate as One-Stop Border Posts, simplifying the process by allowing you to handle both countries’ formalities in one place. Visas are generally available on arrival for many nationalities, making overland travel relatively easy to arrange.
This border is more than just a line on a map; it is part of a larger ecosystem. The great wildebeest migration, for example, famously crosses this border every year between Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti, ignoring the human formalities. It is a seamless passage for wildlife and a straightforward one for you.