Kenya & Tanzania · Private or group · Mid-range safari
Nakuru, the Mara, the Serengeti and the crater
Seven days from Lake Nakuru to the Maasai Mara, across the border into the Serengeti and on to the Ngorongoro Crater.
Price on request
The journey in brief
The experience
This route starts with Lake Nakuru's rhinos and lakeshore before two nights in the Maasai Mara. You then cross into Tanzania for two nights in the Serengeti.
It finishes on the Ngorongoro Crater rim and floor before ending in Arusha, which makes it easy to add Kilimanjaro or the coast afterwards.
Lake Nakuru's rhino sanctuary
Full days in the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti
Cross-border drive via Isebania
Ngorongoro Crater game drive
The route
Nairobi
Lake Nakuru
Maasai Mara
Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Arusha
Nairobi → Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Arusha
Day by day
Timings are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day around road and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 / Nairobi → Lake Nakuru National Park
Leave Nairobi and drive north-west into the Great Rift Valley, stopping at the viewpoint for a first view across the valley floor. Continue to Lake Nakuru National Park for an afternoon game drive. This compact park around a soda lake is one of Kenya's most important rhino sanctuaries, and its acacia woodland and lakeshore are also home to Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and large numbers of waterbirds. Spend the night at a lodge.
Day 2 / Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara
Game drive on your way out of Lake Nakuru National Park in the morning, then head south through the Rift Valley, with an optional boat ride on Lake Naivasha to look for hippos and fish eagles. Continue via Narok to the Maasai Mara, where the land opens into wide, rolling grassland. Arrive at your lodge for the first of two nights in the reserve.
Day 3 / Maasai Mara National Reserve
A full day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve with packed lunches. Your guide explores the open plains, where lions, cheetahs and herds of grazers are often active in the cooler hours, and the route reaches the Mara River area in the afternoon. Hippos fill the river pools and crocodiles wait along the banks, and in the migration months herds may gather nearby before attempting to cross.
Day 4 / Maasai Mara → Isebania → Serengeti
Game drive across the Maasai Mara to Ololoo Gate on the reserve's western side, making the most of the final hours on the Kenyan plains. From there, continue to the Isebania border, where you complete immigration formalities for both countries, then drive on into Tanzania and the Serengeti. It is a long travel day, but crossing between the two reserves by road shows you the full sweep of this cross-border ecosystem. Spend the night at a lodge in the Serengeti.
Day 5 / Serengeti National Park
A full day in the Serengeti, following the herds and the predators that move with them. Your guide plans the day around the season, which may mean heading for the migrating wildebeest and zebras or concentrating on the central Serengeti, where lions, leopards and cheetahs are resident around the kopjes and the Seronera River. Expect long hours in the vehicle, rewarded by big skies and a constant sense of space.
Day 6 / Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Game drive through the Serengeti on your way east, with a last chance to scan the plains and kopjes for big cats. Stop at Olduvai Gorge if you wish, one of the most important sites in the world for understanding human origins, then continue into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai herders share the highlands with wildlife. Spend the night at a lodge near the crater.
Day 7 / Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive on the crater floor, where lions, hyenas, buffalo, elephants and black rhinos share a volcanic caldera about 20 km wide. After the open spaces of the Serengeti, the crater's walls give the day a very different atmosphere. Climb out and drive to Arusha, a convenient finishing point if you plan to add Kilimanjaro or the coast.
Where you stay
Lodges for this safari are agreed with you after you enquire, based on your dates, preferences and availability.
Lake Nakuru · 1 night
Maasai Mara · 2 nights
Serengeti · 2 nights
Ngorongoro · 1 night
Accommodation pattern: Mid-range · Overnight at the lodge.
This safari is priced for your exact dates. Lodge rates, park fees and availability vary through the year, so we confirm a written price once we know 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.
Prices for this safari depend on your dates, party size and accommodation availability, so we quote for your exact trip.
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.
Use Plan My Safari to send your dates, travellers and preferences for this safari. It takes about two minutes.
Still deciding?
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7 days · Kenya & Tanzania
Price on request
