12 days · Kenya & Tanzania · Budget
Twelve days that cover the best of Kenya and Tanzania at an affordable price: the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, then Tarangire, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara before returning to Nairobi.
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Day by day
The plan is a guide: timings may change with road and park conditions and your group's interests. Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed.
Day 1
Nairobi → Maasai Mara
After an early hotel pick-up, set off for the Maasai Mara, stopping above the spectacular Rift Valley escarpment for photographs. Arrive at camp for lunch, then enjoy an evening game drive until late afternoon that introduces the Maasai plains and their residents — from grazing herds to the predators that follow them — before dinner.
Day 2
Maasai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, spend a full day on a game-viewing adventure within the reserve. The Mara offers a varied experience, and you may see lions, elephant herds, rhino, giraffe and much more. Following the tracks, reach the Mara River to watch hippos and crocodiles and, in the migration season, perhaps herds crossing from the Serengeti in search of fresh grazing.
Day 3
Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru
After an early breakfast, visit a Maasai village to learn about the community's culture and hear their stories (optional). Then leave the Mara and drive to Lake Nakuru, crossing the Rift Valley past farmland, escarpments and volcanic hills. The change of scenery marks the move from the Mara's plains to the Rift Valley lakes. Arrive in the evening for dinner and the night.
Day 4
Lake Nakuru → Amboseli
After breakfast, take a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its birdlife and flamingos, and a sanctuary for white and black rhino. Tree-climbing lions, buffalo and zebra are also found here. Then set off for Amboseli National Park with a hot lunch on the way, a long drive south past Nairobi into the dry country below Kilimanjaro, arriving in the evening at camp.
Day 5
Amboseli National Park
Enjoy a full day of game drives in Amboseli, where large numbers of animals gather to bathe and feed in the swamps. Elephant and buffalo roam at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and cheetah, zebra and hyena are among the other species you may encounter. After a picnic lunch, the afternoon drive continues. When the clouds clear, look for the snow-capped summit.
Day 6
Amboseli → Arusha
Take an early morning game drive, when Amboseli's elephants are often on the move and Kilimanjaro may be clear, then return to camp for a hot breakfast. Drive to the Namanga border, where your shuttle meets you for the transfer to Arusha, crossing the Maasai plains of northern Tanzania. On arrival, check in at your hotel on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Day 7
Arusha → Tarangire
Head to Tarangire National Park with lunch on the way, and spend the afternoon game viewing. Tarangire is home to a large elephant population, and the Tarangire River is a magnet for lion, cheetah, buffalo, impala, greater and lesser kudu, giraffe and eland. Fringe-eared oryx are occasionally seen, and the park has over 500 recorded bird species.
Day 8
Tarangire → Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, climb into the Ngorongoro highlands and head to the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge, where early human remains were found; the museum visit is optional. On arrival, enter Serengeti National Park, known for the migration and home to elephant, cheetah, lion, giraffe and many birds. Game viewing begins on the way in. Dinner and the night in fixed tents in the Seronera area.
Day 9
Serengeti → Ngorongoro
After breakfast, take your final game drive in the Serengeti, known for the migration and the variety of its animals, from big cats on the kopjes to herds on the open plains. Then leave for the Ngorongoro highlands with lunch on the way, arriving in the afternoon for the night in basic tents on the crater rim, where the air is cool and the views across the caldera are remarkable.
Day 10
Ngorongoro Crater → Lake Manyara
After breakfast, take a packed lunch and descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive of up to six hours. The crater's woodland, grassland and swamps support endangered black rhino, big cats, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and elephant. Later, climb out of the caldera and descend the escarpment to the Lake Manyara area for dinner and the night.
Day 11
Lake Manyara → Arusha
After an early breakfast, head into Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive. Its groundwater forest, fed by springs, supports elephant herds, baboon troops, giraffe and hippo, with flamingos on the lake and raptors along the escarpment. The park is also known for tree-climbing lions and hot springs. Later, drive to Arusha for the night.
Day 12
Arusha → Nairobi
After breakfast at your Arusha hotel, board the shuttle bus for Nairobi, crossing the Namanga border and the Maasai plains on the way back to Kenya. On arrival you will be met and transferred to the airport or your Nairobi hotel. Twelve days on the road have covered seven parks across two countries. Thank you for travelling with Budget Holiday Safaris.
Recommended accommodation
Named properties are the ones used for this package. Nights listed by category are confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.
Accommodation category
Budget · Maasai Mara · 2 nights
Accommodation category
Budget · Lake Nakuru · 1 night
Accommodation category
Budget · Amboseli · 2 nights
Accommodation category
Arusha · 2 nights
Accommodation category
Budget · Tarangire · 1 night
Accommodation category
Budget · Serengeti · 1 night
Accommodation category
Budget · Ngorongoro · 1 night
Accommodation category
Budget · Lake Manyara · 1 night
What’s included
What’s not included
Your written quotation confirms the exact inclusions for your dates.
Flexible pricing
The final price depends on when and how you travel: season, group size, accommodation level and private or shared transport.
Published price
Prices are per person. Your written quotation confirms the price for your travel dates.
Made around you
Where operationally possible, a local planner can help adapt the journey without losing the route’s natural rhythm.
Optional experiences
Availability, location, age limits and extra costs are confirmed for your final itinerary.
Optional · extra cost · pre-arrangement required
Optional · extra cost
Optional · extra cost
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Read our reviews on TripadvisorBefore you travel
Published prices are USD 1,830 per person (low season) and USD 2,030 per person (high season). Your quotation confirms the price for your travel dates.
It starts and finishes in Nairobi. Your planner can advise on arrival and departure arrangements.
Nights are listed as “overnight at the camp/lodge”: the specific property is confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.
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