Kenya & Tanzania · Group joining · Budget safari
Mara, lakes, Amboseli and the northern circuit
Twelve days: the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate, Amboseli, then Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.
From USD 2,230 pp
The journey in brief
The experience
The fullest Kenyan section in our collection: the Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha with Hell's Gate, and Amboseli. You then cross into Tanzania for Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the crater.
The journey ends in Arusha with a departure transfer on the final day.
Seven destinations across two countries
Hell's Gate by bicycle or vehicle
Full days in the Mara and Amboseli
Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
The route
Nairobi
Maasai Mara
Nakuru
Lake Naivasha
Amboseli
Arusha
Lake Manyara
Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Arusha
Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Nakuru → Lake Naivasha → Amboseli → Arusha → Lake Manyara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Arusha
Day by day
Timings are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day around road and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 / Nairobi → Maasai Mara
Leave Nairobi in the morning on the first leg of a twelve-day journey through seven destinations in two countries. After a stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint, cross the valley floor to Narok and continue to the Maasai Mara. Check in at Miti Mingi Eco Camp and head out for an afternoon game drive, as the plains come alive in the late light.
Day 2 / Maasai Mara National Reserve
A full day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where your guide follows the wildlife across the grasslands. The Mara is known for its big cats and for the herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles that graze its plains, especially during the migration months, when their numbers swell. Along the rivers, look for hippos, crocodiles and elephants. Return to camp in the evening.
Day 3 / Maasai Mara → Nakuru
An early game drive in the Mara, then the drive north through Narok and along the floor of the Rift Valley to Nakuru, passing farmland, volcanic hills and small market towns. The early start is worth it: the first hours of daylight are often the most active in the reserve. Spend the night at Buraha Zenoni, well placed for tomorrow morning in Lake Nakuru National Park.
Day 4 / Lake Nakuru National Park → Lake Naivasha
A morning game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, looking for rhinos, Rothschild's giraffe and the pelicans and other waterbirds along the shore. Then drive south to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake fringed with papyrus, where hippos live in the shallows and fish eagles call from the acacias. Spend the night at Leisure Apex.
Day 5 / Hell's Gate → Amboseli
Start the day in Hell's Gate National Park, cycling or driving beneath its towering cliffs and volcanic towers, among grazing zebras, giraffes and buffalo. Then begin the long drive south-east to Amboseli, leaving the Rift Valley behind for the dry plains near the Tanzanian border, and arrive at Nyati Safari Camp for two nights.
Day 6 / Amboseli National Park
A full day in Amboseli National Park, where elephant families move between the dusty plains and the green swamps fed by Kilimanjaro's underground water. Watch for buffalo, hippos and herons in the marshes, and for zebras, wildebeest and gazelles on the open ground. On clear days, Kilimanjaro fills the southern horizon, a backdrop that makes Amboseli one of Africa's most photographed parks.
Day 7 / Amboseli → Namanga → Arusha
Leave Amboseli and drive to the Namanga border, where you complete Kenyan and Tanzanian immigration formalities. Continue south through the plains, with Mount Meru ahead and Kilimanjaro to the east on a clear day, to Arusha, the gateway to Tanzania's northern parks. Spend the night at Charity Hotel.
Day 8 / Arusha → Lake Manyara National Park
Drive west from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park, at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western wall, for a game drive. Explore the groundwater forest, where baboons and blue monkeys move through the fig trees, then the open grassland and the lakeshore, where elephants, giraffes and a wide range of waterbirds can be seen. Spend the night at Fanaka Campsite.
Day 9 / Lake Manyara → Serengeti
Climb the escarpment from Lake Manyara and cross the Ngorongoro highlands, passing close to the crater rim, before descending to the Serengeti. The plains open out as far as the eye can see, broken only by granite kopjes and acacias. Continue across the park to Seronera Camp in the central Serengeti, watching for wildlife along the way.
Day 10 / Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Spend the morning in the Serengeti, where your guide searches the kopjes and river valleys around Seronera for lions, leopards and cheetahs and, depending on the season, looks for the migrating herds. Then drive back east and climb to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater for the night at Simba Campsite, high above the caldera.
Day 11 / Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
From the rim, a steep track leads down to the crater floor for your game drive. The caldera's grassland, swamps and soda lake hold one of Africa's densest concentrations of wildlife, including lions, hyenas, buffalo and elephants, and black rhinos are seen here more regularly than almost anywhere else in Tanzania. Afterwards, drive back to Arusha, where Charity Hotel is your base for the final night.
Day 12 / Arusha
After breakfast, your safari comes to an end in Arusha. Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha airport for your flight, or begin your onward journey, perhaps to the beaches of Zanzibar or a climb on Kilimanjaro. It is a fitting end to a journey that has taken you from the Maasai Mara to 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.
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
Nakuru · 1 night
The Nakuru hotel used for overnight stays before or after a Lake Nakuru National Park game drive.
About Buraha Zenoni
Lake Naivasha · 1 night
The Naivasha base for budget safaris that include Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate.
About Leisure Apex
Amboseli · 2 nights
The budget camp used for Amboseli nights, with views towards Kilimanjaro on clear days.
About Nyati Safari Camp
Arusha · 1 night
The Arusha hotel used before or after selected budget safaris on Tanzania's northern circuit.
About Charity Hotel
Lake Manyara area · 1 night
The budget base used for selected Tarangire and Lake Manyara stops.
About Fanaka Campsite
Serengeti · 1 night
The budget tented base used for selected nights in the central Serengeti.
About Seronera Camp
Ngorongoro crater rim · 1 night
The public campsite used for selected budget itineraries around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
About Simba CampsiteArusha · 1 night
The Arusha hotel used before or after selected budget safaris on Tanzania's northern circuit.
About Charity HotelAccommodation pattern: Budget · Miti Mingi Eco Camp + Buraha Zenoni + Leisure Apex + Nyati Safari Camp + Charity Hotel + Fanaka Campsite + Seronera Camp + Simba Campsite.
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
Group-joining safaris follow the published route so everyone travels together. If you want changes, ask us about running the route privately.
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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12 days · Kenya & Tanzania
From USD 2,230 pp
