Before I tell you about my journey across Tanzania and Kenya, I think it’s important to explain why I ended up in East Africa in the first place. It wasn’t a lifelong dream or a destination I had planned for years. Like many of my travels, it was a mix of practical decisions, curiosity, and a little bit of spontaneity.
The first reason was simply my budget.
Funny enough… I think this is actually the most expensive trip I’ve ever planned! 😅
I know what some of you are probably thinking: “But isn’t travelling in Africa supposed to be cheap?”
Well… not really.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Africa is that it’s an inexpensive destination just because many countries have lower average incomes. In reality, travelling around Africa can be surprisingly expensive. In many places, there are fewer budget accommodation options than in Southeast Asia, transport between destinations can be more complicated, domestic flights are often costly, and tourism infrastructure isn’t always designed for backpackers or even standard tourists.
Thankfully, Kenya and Tanzania offer plenty of options for different budgets, which is one of the reasons they appealed to me. But overall, don’t underestimate the cost of travelling across Africa, it might surprise you.
Anyway, back to my story.
After losing my job, I wasn’t sure what my next step would be. Should I move back to France immediately? Should I stay in Ghana? Should I travel?
Nah, I’m joking ! Travelling was never really the question. Just how long and where.
My apartment in Accra was already paid for until mid-September, so after thinking about leaving earlier, I realized it made more sense to keep Ghana as my base. I still wanted to work in Ghana or more broadly in West Africa and, if I’m being honest, there were also one or two things that I wasn’t quite ready to leave behind just yet. “Le cœur n’a pas d’os” (new expression I recently learned expressing how soft we can be around people we love).
So staying there while looking for my next opportunity simply felt like the right decision.
But I also knew one thing: I wasn’t going to spend three months sitting at home.
If life had given me some free time, I wanted to make the most of it.
My initial plan was completely different. I was planning a trip to Senegal and Cape Verde. Cape Verde had been on my bucket list for years and, after watching the World Cup, I wanted to visit even more. And no, it’s not because of the footballers. I know a lot of people started getting interested in this country after seeing footballers and female supporters 👀👀
Unfortunately, July to September is the rainy season across much of West Africa. Flooding is common, and I didn’t want my first experience of either destination to be affected by bad weather. I wanted to discover both countries in the best possible conditions, so I decided to postpone that adventure.
Back to square one.
As always, I opened Skyscanner and Google Flights and started searching for affordable destinations from Ghana. I wasn’t just looking for the cheapest ticket, I also wanted somewhere I had never explored before.
Here’s a little travel tip that one of my loved ones shared with me: always check flights departing from Lomé, Togo. Sometimes they’re significantly cheaper than flying from Accra. Since the two capitals are only a few hours apart by road, one extra border crossing can save you quite a bit of money. It won’t always be worth it once you factor in transport costs and travel time, but it’s definitely something I now check whenever I plan a trip from Ghana. Sometimes the cheapest flight starts in another country!
That’s when East Africa appeared again.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time travelling around West Africa, and I’ve often told myself that one day I might even work in Nairobi. But then I asked myself a simple question:
How could I imagine living somewhere I’d never experienced?
At the same time, I also had another trip to plan. A few weeks later, my younger sister would be joining me, so I needed an itinerary that would work for both of us.
Kenya immediately stood out. Tourism is well developed, travelling is relatively easy, and for her first trip to sub-Saharan Africa, it felt like a good starting point. Tanzania would be a little more adventurous, and together they seemed like the perfect combination for me.
Of course, I looked at other options too.
Malawi was high on my list, but reaching it would have complicated the logistics and increased my budget significantly.
Uganda also tempted me, but with concerns surrounding the Ebola outbreak at the time, I wasn’t comfortable taking the risk of possible travel restrictions later on.
Little by little, the choice became obvious:
Tanzania and Kenya.
Then came my favourite part: planning.
I spent hours scrolling through Instagram, reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, talking to friends, comparing itineraries, and saving hundreds of places. I changed my mind countless times before finally putting together a route that I was genuinely excited about. I actually changed my plans again today 😅
I won’t spoil what’s coming next, you’ll discover each destination with me here and on my social media (@talla_ig), but I can already say that I think this itinerary reflects exactly the kind of traveller I am.
I love nature.
I love taking the road less travelled.
I enjoy finding hidden gems just as much as visiting iconic places. After all, how can you have an opinion about somewhere if you’ve never experienced it yourself?
One thing was different this time, though.
Usually, I love planning my own trips from A to Z. But organising a journey across two countries, coordinating with my sister’s arrival, and doing everything at the last minute quickly became overwhelming.
This wasn’t really a slow-travel adventure. It was more like an extended holiday. I still wanted authentic experiences, but unlike my usual trips, I couldn’t just decide every morning where to go next. This time, I needed a plan.
That’s why I decided to ask Melanin Travels for help.
And here’s a fun little bonus: the founder is actually my Caribbean sister! We’re both from the same island, so from one island girl to another, it just felt right. 🌴
More seriously, she already had plenty of local connections in both Kenya and Tanzania, so having her expertise made the whole planning process much easier. It took a lot of stress off my shoulders and gave me confidence that I wasn’t missing any hidden gems.
Looking back, I couldn’t be happier with that decision.
And now that all the planning is done…
It’s finally time to start the adventure.
Talla
tallaadventures.com 
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