Wildlife Safari in Kenya
Easy
Safari
12 Days Kenya & Tanzania Classic Safari
The two great safari countries in one trip — Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Amboseli, crossing at Isebania with no doubling back.
12 Days / 11 Nights
Maasai Mara Safaris
2-7 People
From
$3,950
per person
Child: $2,760
Group discount: 10%
Single Supplement
+$620
Overview
Most travellers who come to East Africa want both countries and are told to pick one. This is the itinerary that does not make you choose. Twelve days runs the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti as what they actually are — one ecosystem either side of a line on a map — then adds the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire's elephant herds and Amboseli under Kilimanjaro on the way home.
We drive it rather than fly it, crossing at the Isebania/Sirari border, because the ground between the parks is where a great deal of the trip happens. Between July and October the migration herds are moving through both reserves, which is the single best reason to run the two together. A flying option between the Mara and northern Serengeti is available on request.
Highlights
Day-by-Day Itinerary
We collect you in Nairobi after breakfast and drive south-west through the Rift Valley escarpment to the Mara, arriving in time for a late-afternoon game drive when the cats begin to move.
Activities
Rift Valley viewpoint stop
Drive Nairobi–Mara (~5 hrs)
Afternoon game drive
Mara camp, Talek or Sekenani area
Lunch, Dinner
A full day in the reserve with a packed lunch, working the Mara and Talek rivers. In migration season this is crossing country.
Activities
Dawn game drive
Packed lunch in the reserve
River crossing points (July–October)
Mara camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
West into the Mara Triangle, the quieter, better-managed side of the reserve, with the Oloololo escarpment as a backdrop.
Activities
Mara Triangle game drive
Optional Maasai village visit
Sundowner on the plains
Mara camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
An early start west to the Isebania/Sirari border. Formalities done, we continue into the northern Serengeti — the same grassland, a different country.
Activities
Border crossing at Isebania/Sirari
Entry into the Serengeti
Evening game drive in the Kogatende area
Serengeti tented camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The Mara River from the Tanzanian side, where the herds cross back and forth through the dry months.
Activities
Full-day game drive
Mara River crossing points
Big-cat tracking with your guide
Serengeti tented camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
South through the corridor into Seronera, the year-round heart of the park and the best leopard country in East Africa.
Activities
Transfer to Seronera (~4 hrs, game-viewing en route)
Afternoon game drive
Leopard and lion territory
Seronera lodge or camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A full day at your guide's discretion, following what the park is actually doing rather than a fixed route.
Activities
Dawn and late-afternoon game drives
Optional balloon safari at first light
Hippo pool and kopje circuits
Seronera lodge or camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Out through Naabi Hill Gate and up onto the crater rim, with the whole caldera opening up below you as you arrive.
Activities
Olduvai Gorge stop (optional)
Drive to the crater rim
Sunset over the caldera
Ngorongoro rim lodge
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Down onto the crater floor at first light for the descent game drive — black rhino, big-tusked bulls and the densest lion population anywhere — then on to Tarangire.
Activities
Crater floor game drive (~5 hrs)
Picnic lunch by Lake Magadi
Transfer to Tarangire
Tarangire lodge or camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A morning among Tarangire's baobabs and elephant herds, then the road north to the border and Amboseli.
Activities
Morning game drive in Tarangire
Border crossing at Namanga
Arrival in Amboseli
Amboseli lodge
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Amboseli's swamps hold elephants all day, and on a clear morning Kilimanjaro stands behind them — the photograph everyone comes for.
Activities
Dawn game drive with Kilimanjaro views
Observation Hill
Afternoon among the swamp elephants
Amboseli lodge
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A last morning game drive, then the road back to Nairobi for your onward flight.
Activities
Morning game drive
Drive to Nairobi (~4 hrs)
Airport or hotel drop-off
Breakfast, Lunch
What's Included
- All park and conservancy entry fees for both countries
- 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and a professional driver-guide
- 11 nights accommodation as listed (lodge and permanent tented camp)
- All meals from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 12
- Border crossing assistance at Isebania/Sirari
- Drinking water throughout the safari
- Airport transfers in Nairobi
What's Not Included
- International flights
- Kenya eTA and Tanzania visa fees
- Balloon safari over the Mara or Serengeti (from $450 per person)
- Travel and medical insurance
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Drinks other than the water provided
What to pack
Our packing list covers all 38 items worth carrying — why neutral colours matter, why binoculars are one pair per person, what we already provide, and the two things that are actually against the law to pack here.
Pack soft, not a hard suitcase — safari vehicle lockers and light-aircraft holds are an awkward shape.
Also bring on this trip
Binoculars
Camera with a long lens
Neutral-coloured clothing
A warm fleece for early mornings on the crater rim
Sunscreen and a hat
Where to stay
Curated places to stay near Maasai Mara Safaris — handy for the nights before and after your 12 Days Kenya & Tanzania Classic Safari.
Budget Hotel
Lenchada tourist camp maasai mara
Budget camp accomodation
- Hot showers
- Restaurant
- Wifi
Cancellation Policy
Free to move your dates up to 60 days before departure. Cancel more than 60 days out and the deposit is refunded less any non-recoverable permit, park or internal flight costs already paid on your behalf; between 60 and 30 days, 50% of the trip price; inside 30 days, 100%. We will always tell you exactly what has already been committed and why. Trips are quoted per person on a shared basis — the single supplement applies only if you want your own room or tent throughout.
$3950
per person
Child: $2760
10% group discount
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