Kenya & Tanzania · Private or group · Budget safari
The Mara, the Serengeti and back to Amboseli
A budget loop that crosses from the Maasai Mara into the Serengeti, visits the Ngorongoro Crater and returns to Kenya for two nights in Amboseli.
Price on request
The journey in brief
The experience
This loop starts and ends in Nairobi. From the Maasai Mara you cross into the Serengeti, then continue to the Ngorongoro Crater.
After the crater, a long drive via Arusha and the Namanga border brings you back into Kenya for two nights in Amboseli before returning to Nairobi.
Maasai Mara and the Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater game drive
Full day in Amboseli
Starts and ends in Nairobi
The route
Nairobi
Maasai Mara
Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Arusha
Amboseli
Nairobi
Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Arusha → Amboseli → Nairobi
Day by day
Timings are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day around road and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 / Nairobi → Maasai Mara
This loop through two countries begins and ends in Nairobi. Leave the city in the morning, stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and drive across the valley floor and through Narok to the Maasai Mara. After checking in at Miti Mingi Eco Camp, head into the reserve for an afternoon game drive, a first chance to look for lions, elephants and the herds that roam the Mara's open plains.
Day 2 / Maasai Mara National Reserve
A full day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve with packed lunches, giving your guide time to explore well beyond camp. The Mara's landscape is varied: rolling grassland, scattered acacias, thickets along seasonal streams and the riverine forest of the Mara and Talek rivers, each attracting different wildlife. Spend as long as the group wishes at good sightings, then return to camp for dinner.
Day 3 / Maasai Mara → Isebania → Serengeti
A morning game drive takes you right across the Maasai Mara, from Ololaimutia Gate in the east to Ololoo Gate in the west, a chance to see how the reserve changes from one side to the other. Continue to the Isebania border for immigration formalities, then drive on into Tanzania and the Serengeti. Arrive at Seronera Camp for the night, after a long day that links two of Africa's great wildlife areas.
Day 4 / Serengeti National Park
Spend more than eight hours game viewing in the Serengeti, setting out from the central Seronera area. This part of the park is known for its resident lions, leopards and cheetahs, and depending on the season, the migrating herds of wildebeest and zebras may be within reach. Your guide plans the route around the latest sightings, with a packed lunch so you can stay out on the plains.
Day 5 / Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Game viewing through the central Serengeti, then leave the plains and drive east into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The road climbs through the highlands to the crater rim, where the air is cool and the views drop away into the caldera. Spend the night at Simba Campsite on the rim, ready for an early descent.
Day 6 / Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha → Amboseli
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive on the crater floor, looking for black rhinos, lions and the herds that graze the caldera, followed by an early picnic lunch. Then begin the long drive back to Kenya: via Arusha to the Namanga border, where you clear immigration, and on to Amboseli, where Kilimanjaro rises above the plains. Arrive at Nyati Safari Camp for two nights.
Day 7 / Amboseli National Park
A full day in Amboseli National Park with picnic lunches. The park's swamps, fed by water from Kilimanjaro, draw elephant families throughout the day, and the surrounding plains are grazed by zebras, wildebeest and gazelles. Visit Observation Hill for a view over the swamps, and watch for hippos and waterbirds in the marshes. When the clouds lift, Kilimanjaro's summit dominates the skyline.
Day 8 / Amboseli → Nairobi
An early drive for sunrise in Amboseli, when Kilimanjaro is most often clear and elephants are on the move across the plains. Return to camp for breakfast, then drive back to Nairobi, completing a loop that has taken you through four of East Africa's great wildlife areas in two countries.
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
Serengeti · 2 nights
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 Campsite
Amboseli · 2 nights
The budget camp used for Amboseli nights, with views towards Kilimanjaro on clear days.
About Nyati Safari CampAccommodation pattern: Budget · Miti Mingi Eco Camp + Seronera Camp + Simba Campsite + Nyati Safari Camp.
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.
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