Kenya & Tanzania · Private or group · Mid-range safari
Lake Nakuru to Lake Manyara
Nine days with lodge stays: Lake Nakuru, two nights in the Maasai Mara, two in the Serengeti, then the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara before returning to Nairobi.
Price on request
The journey in brief
The experience
A full two-country safari at a comfortable pace. You begin at Lake Nakuru, spend two nights in the Maasai Mara and cross into the Serengeti for two more.
From the Ngorongoro Crater you continue to Lake Manyara, then Arusha, before the shuttle back to Nairobi on the last day.
Five parks across two countries
Full days in the Mara and Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara
Lodge accommodation throughout
The route
Nairobi
Lake Nakuru
Maasai Mara
Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Lake Manyara
Arusha
Nairobi
Nairobi → Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Lake Manyara → Arusha → Nairobi
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, past farmland and volcanic hills, to Lake Nakuru National Park. Your afternoon game drive explores a park built around an alkaline lake, with a rhino sanctuary, forests of yellow-barked acacia and a lakeshore that draws pelicans and, at times, flamingos. It is a gentle start to a nine-day journey through five parks in two countries. The night is at a lodge.
Day 2 / Nakuru → Maasai Mara
Leave Nakuru and drive south through the Rift Valley and on via Narok to the Maasai Mara, where the farmland gives way to wide, rolling grassland. Arrive at your lodge, then head out for an afternoon game drive. The Mara is known for its lions, cheetahs and leopards, and for the huge herds that move through the reserve during the migration months.
Day 3 / Maasai Mara National Reserve
A full day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve with packed lunches, so your guide can explore further than on a half-day drive. You might spend time with a lion pride resting in the shade, follow a cheetah scanning the plains from a termite mound or watch hippos jostling in the Mara River; what you find depends on the day and the season. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner.
Day 4 / Maasai Mara → Isebania → Serengeti
Leave the Maasai Mara for the long drive to the Isebania border, where you complete immigration on both the Kenyan and Tanzanian sides. Continue into Tanzania and on to the Serengeti, which shares its wildlife and its migration with the Mara across the border. You reach your lodge after a long but rewarding travel day, with the Serengeti plains waiting for tomorrow.
Day 5 / Serengeti National Park
A full day in the Serengeti, planned around the herds' location at that time of year. In some months the wildebeest and zebras are close by; in others they are far away, and the day focuses on the Serengeti's resident wildlife, including lions on the kopjes, leopards in the riverine trees and cheetahs on the open plains. Either way, your guide uses recent reports to make the most of the day.
Day 6 / Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater
Leave the Serengeti and drive east across the plains and up into the Ngorongoro highlands, then descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive on the crater floor. The caldera's grassland, swamps and soda lake support lions, hyenas, buffalo, elephants and black rhinos in a strikingly enclosed setting. Climb back out to your lodge in the Ngorongoro area for the night.
Day 7 / Ngorongoro → Lake Manyara
Leave the Ngorongoro highlands and descend the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive. After the open plains and the crater, Manyara feels intimate: shady groundwater forest with baboons and blue monkeys, open glades with elephants and giraffes, and an alkaline lake that attracts pelicans, storks and other waterbirds. Spend the night at a lodge in the Lake Manyara area.
Day 8 / Lake Manyara → Arusha
A morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, when the forest is cool and the birdlife is at its most active, gives you a second look at this varied park, perhaps with time to watch for the lions that sometimes rest in its trees. Then drive east to Arusha, the safari town at the foot of Mount Meru, for a relaxed final evening at a lodge.
Day 9 / Arusha → Nairobi
After breakfast, leave Arusha and travel back to Nairobi by road, crossing the border at Namanga, where you complete immigration formalities. The road runs north past Mount Meru and across the open plains of the Kenya–Tanzania border country, and on clear days Kilimanjaro may be visible to the east. Your journey ends in Nairobi, ready for onward flights or further travel.
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
Lake Manyara area · 1 night
Arusha · 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?
If this safari is close but not quite right, describe your ideal trip and we will suggest a route.
9 days · Kenya & Tanzania
Price on request
