Kenya & Tanzania · Private or group · Budget safari
A full loop of the two countries' great parks
Ten days from Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara into the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara, then back into Kenya for Amboseli.
From USD 1,960 pp
The journey in brief
The experience
This loop covers six of East Africa's best-known parks. It starts at Lake Nakuru, crosses from the Mara into the Serengeti and loops back via Lake Manyara and Arusha to Amboseli.
It is a long journey with several big travel days, rewarded by real variety: Rift Valley lakes, the Serengeti–Mara plains, a volcanic crater and Kilimanjaro's foothills.
Lake Nakuru, the Mara and the Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara
Full day in Amboseli
Starts and ends in Nairobi
The route
Nairobi
Lake Nakuru
Maasai Mara
Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Lake Manyara
Amboseli
Nairobi
Nairobi → Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Lake Manyara → Amboseli → Nairobi
Day by day
Timings are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day around road and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 / Nairobi → Lake Nakuru National Park
Your ten-day loop through Kenya and Tanzania begins with the drive north-west from Nairobi into the Great Rift Valley. At Lake Nakuru National Park, an afternoon game drive explores the lakeshore and acacia woodland of one of Kenya's most important rhino sanctuaries, home to both black and white rhinos and to Rothschild's giraffe. Spend the night in Nakuru at Buraha Zenoni.
Day 2 / Nakuru → Maasai Mara
Drive from Nakuru back along the Rift Valley and on via Narok, the last major town before the Maasai Mara, to Miti Mingi Eco Camp. In the afternoon, head into the reserve for a game drive across the grasslands, looking for lions, cheetahs, elephants and the herds of wildebeest, zebras and topi that make the Mara one of Africa's richest wildlife areas.
Day 3 / Maasai Mara National Reserve
With packed lunches on board, spend the whole day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Your guide may cross the open plains in search of big cats, follow the tree-lined course of the Talek River or head for the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles live and, in the migration months, herds may gather. A full day means you can stay with a sighting rather than hurrying back to camp.
Day 4 / Maasai Mara → Isebania → Serengeti
Leave the Mara for one of the journey's big travel days. Drive to the Isebania border, complete immigration on both sides, then continue into Tanzania and on to the Serengeti. The landscape changes from Kenyan farmland to the open plains and kopjes of Tanzania's best-known national park. Arrive at Seronera Camp in the central Serengeti for the night.
Day 5 / Serengeti National Park
A full day of game viewing in the Serengeti, setting out from the central Seronera area. The Seronera River and its kopjes are home to resident lions, leopards and cheetahs, and depending on the month, the migrating herds may be nearby. Your guide plans the route around the season and the latest reports, with lunch out on the plains so the day is not cut short.
Day 6 / Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater
Leave the Serengeti, watching for wildlife on the way out, and drive east across the plains into the highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The road leads up to the crater, where you spend the night at Simba Campsite on the rim, looking down into the caldera you explore tomorrow morning. Evenings at this altitude are cool, so keep a warm layer to hand.
Day 7 / Ngorongoro Crater → Lake Manyara
Spend the morning on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, a volcanic caldera where lions, hyenas, buffalo, elephants and black rhinos live alongside herds of zebras and wildebeest. Then climb out and descend the Rift Valley escarpment to the Lake Manyara area, a warmer, greener setting at the foot of the escarpment. Spend the night at Fanaka Campsite.
Day 8 / Lake Manyara → Arusha → Amboseli
A long day returns you to Kenya. Drive from Lake Manyara to Arusha and north past Mount Meru to the Namanga border, where you clear immigration, then continue to Amboseli. As you approach the park, Kilimanjaro dominates the southern skyline when the cloud lifts. Arrive at Nyati Safari Camp for two nights.
Day 9 / Amboseli National Park
A full day in Amboseli National Park, known for its swamps, its elephant families and its views of Kilimanjaro. Spend time at the swamps, where elephants feed and bathe alongside buffalo and hippos, cross the dusty plains where zebras and wildebeest graze, and take in the view from Observation Hill. The mountain is often clearest early and late in the day.
Day 10 / Amboseli → Nairobi
A morning game drive in Amboseli gives you a final look at the elephants and, cloud permitting, Kilimanjaro in the early light. Return to camp, then drive back to Nairobi with lunch on the way, completing your loop through six parks in two countries, from the rhino sanctuary at Lake Nakuru to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Where you stay
This budget safari uses the camps and hotels listed below. Where a stop says 'camp/lodge', we confirm the property with your quote.
Nakuru · 1 night
The Nakuru hotel used for overnight stays before or after a Lake Nakuru National Park game drive.
About Buraha Zenoni
Maasai Mara · 2 nights
The budget tented camp used for Absolute's Maasai Mara budget safaris, close to the reserve.
About Miti Mingi Eco Camp
Serengeti · 2 nights
The budget tented base used for selected nights in the central Serengeti.
About Seronera Camp
Ngorongoro · 1 night
The public campsite used for selected budget itineraries around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
About Simba Campsite
Lake Manyara area · 1 night
The budget base used for selected Tarangire and Lake Manyara stops.
About Fanaka Campsite
Amboseli · 2 nights
The budget camp used for Amboseli nights, with views towards Kilimanjaro on clear days.
About Nyati Safari CampAccommodation pattern: Budget · Buraha Zenoni + Miti Mingi Eco Camp + Seronera Camp + Simba Campsite + Fanaka Campsite + Nyati Safari Camp.
Prices are in US dollars per person. Your written quote confirms the final price for your dates and party size.
Prices can depend on travel dates, party size, accommodation availability and changes to park fees. All terms are confirmed in writing before you book.
The details
Before you travel
Kenya–Tanzania safaris cross at Namanga or Isebania/Sirari. Allow time for immigration on both sides and carry your passport, visas or eTA and any vaccination certificates required for your nationality and route. Check current entry requirements before you travel.
Your vehicle and guide arrangements for each country are confirmed in writing with your booking, including where any change takes place.
Pack in a soft bag where possible; space is shared and you may move between vehicles at the border.
Check passport validity and entry requirements for every country on your route with official government sources before you travel.
Ask a travel-health professional about vaccinations and malaria precautions, and take out travel insurance that covers your activities.
A soft bag is easiest in safari vehicles. If any part of your trip includes light-aircraft flights, baggage limits apply.
Weather and wildlife movement change through the year. Tell us your dates and we will explain what to expect.
Questions travellers ask
Often, yes. Tell us what you would like to change and we will confirm what is possible for your dates.
Yes. Prices are in US dollars per person, as published in our catalogue. Your written quote confirms the final price for your dates and party size.
We reply with availability, any suggestions for your dates and a written quote. Nothing is booked until you have agreed the quote and booking terms.
No. Wildlife is free-ranging and sightings vary. Your guide will plan each day around conditions to give you the best chances.
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The next step
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability and send a written quote; nothing is booked until you agree.
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10 days · Kenya & Tanzania
From USD 1,960 pp
