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13 days · Kenya & Tanzania · Mid-range

13 Days Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari

Thirteen days on a mid-range route through the best of Kenya and Tanzania, with two full days on the Serengeti: the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, then Tarangire, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.

  • 13 days
  • Kenya & Tanzania
  • Mid-range
  • Starts Nairobi
  • Ends Nairobi
Elephant kilimanjaro amboseli

Safari snapshot

At a glance

The essentials for comparing this journey before you enquire.

Duration
13 days
Country
Kenya & Tanzania
Destinations
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Manyara
Safari style
Mid-range
Price
Price subject upon request
Starts
Nairobi
Ends
Nairobi

Best for

  • Travellers with more time
  • Two-country safaris
  • Couples

The route

A round trip from Nairobi

  1. Stop 1Nairobi
  2. Stop 2Maasai Mara
  3. Stop 3Lake Nakuru
  4. Stop 4Amboseli
  5. Stop 5Arusha
  6. Stop 6Tarangire
  7. Stop 7Serengeti
  8. Stop 8Ngorongoro Crater
  9. Stop 9Lake Manyara
  10. Stop 10Arusha
  11. Stop 11Nairobi

Safari highlights

What shapes the journey

  • Two nights each in the Maasai Mara and Amboseli
  • Two nights on the Serengeti with a full day on the plains
  • Ngorongoro Crater game drive
  • Lake Manyara before returning via Arusha

Day by day

13 days, 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.

Impala zebra nairobi skyline

Day 1

Nairobi → Maasai Mara

Down the Rift Valley

After an early pick-up from your hotel, begin with the drive to the Maasai Mara, stopping above the Rift Valley escarpment for photographs and in Narok for anything you need. The road descends to the valley floor and crosses Maasai country before the reserve's grassland opens out. Arrive for lunch and check-in, then head out on an evening game drive introducing the Mara plains and their residents.

Overnight
Maasai Mara · lodge
Main activities
Evening game drive

Day 2

Maasai Mara National Reserve

A full day of game viewing

After breakfast, set out for a full day in the reserve. The Mara offers a varied experience — great numbers of animals, stunning savannah scenery and a strong Maasai cultural presence. Your guide will search for lion prides, elephant herds, rhino and giraffe, and may follow the tracks to the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles live and, in season, migrating herds cross from the Serengeti.

Overnight
Maasai Mara · lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive

Day 3

Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru

Maasai culture and the Rift Valley

After breakfast, visit a Maasai village to learn about the community's culture, listen to their stories and join in their dances (optional). Then leave the Mara region for Lake Nakuru, crossing the Rift Valley with views of Lake Naivasha from the highway. The drive is a chance to see rural Kenya between the parks. Arrive in the evening for dinner.

Overnight
Lake Nakuru · lodge

Day 4

Lake Nakuru → Amboseli

Birdlife and the long road south

Take a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its birdlife, including flamingos, and a sanctuary for white and black rhino. Tree-climbing lions, buffalo and zebra are also found along the shoreline. Then drive south to Amboseli with a hot lunch on the way, passing Nairobi and crossing into the dry, open country below Kilimanjaro, arriving in the evening.

Overnight
Amboseli · lodge
Main activities
Game drive · Long transfer
Cheetah trio seen during an East African safari

Day 5

Amboseli National Park

Swamps and snow-capped peaks

A full day of game drives showcases the large numbers of animals that gather in Amboseli's swamps. Watch elephants and buffalo roam at the base of Kilimanjaro, and look for cheetah, zebra and hyena. After a picnic lunch in the shade, continue with the afternoon drive. When the clouds clear in the evening, the mountain's snow-capped summit often appears.

Overnight
Amboseli · lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive · Picnic lunch

Day 6

Amboseli → Arusha

Morning drive and the border

Take an early game drive, a last look at Amboseli's elephants against the mountain, then return for a hot breakfast. Drive to the Namanga border, where your shuttle meets you for the transfer to Arusha, crossing into Tanzania for the second half of the journey. Arrive at your hotel for the night on a bed-and-breakfast basis, ready for Tarangire in the morning.

Overnight
Arusha · hotel
Main activities
Early game drive · Border crossing

Day 7

Arusha → Tarangire

Baobabs and elephant herds

Leave Arusha for Tarangire National Park, with lunch on the way, and spend the afternoon on a game drive. The park is home to a large elephant population, and the Tarangire River draws lion, cheetah, buffalo, impala, kudu, gazelle, giraffe and eland. Fringe-eared oryx are occasionally seen, and more than 500 bird species live here.

Overnight
Tarangire · lodge
Main activities
Afternoon game drive

Day 8

Tarangire → Serengeti National Park

Olduvai Gorge and the plains

After breakfast, climb into the Ngorongoro highlands and head for the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge, where the optional museum visit tells the story of early human discoveries. On arrival, explore Serengeti National Park, known for the migration and home year-round to elephant, cheetah, lion, giraffe and many birds. The view as the plains open out below the highlands is unforgettable.

Overnight
Serengeti · lodge
Main activities
Game drive
Mount kenya forest landscape

Day 9

Serengeti National Park

A full day in the Serengeti

Leave early with picnic lunches for a full day on the plains. The migration moves across the ecosystem through the year, following the rains, while lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, warthog and serval cat are present in every season. A full day gives your guide time to explore different areas, from the kopjes to the river valleys where leopards are sometimes seen.

Overnight
Serengeti · lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive · Picnic lunch

Day 10

Serengeti → Ngorongoro

Final drive to the crater highlands

After breakfast, take your final game drive in the Serengeti, a last chance to watch the plains' predators and grazing herds. Then leave for the Ngorongoro highlands with lunch on the way, climbing from open grassland into cool, forested hills. You arrive in the afternoon for the night, with the crater floor planned for the following morning.

Overnight
Ngorongoro · lodge
Main activities
Morning game drive

Day 11

Ngorongoro Crater → Lake Manyara

The crater floor

After breakfast, take a packed lunch and descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive of up to six hours. Endangered black rhino, big cats, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and elephant all live on the crater floor, and the enclosed caldera makes them easy to follow. Later, climb out and descend the escarpment to the Lake Manyara area for the night.

Overnight
Lake Manyara · lodge
Main activities
Crater game drive

Day 12

Lake Manyara → Arusha

Forest and flamingos

After an early breakfast, take a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, where springs feed a groundwater forest that shelters elephants, baboons, giraffe and hippo. Flamingos may gather on the lake, and the park is known for tree-climbing lions. The compact park makes a relaxed final game drive of the journey. Later, drive to Arusha for the night.

Overnight
Arusha · hotel
Main activities
Game drive
Hippo lake seen during an East African safari

Day 13

Arusha → Nairobi

Farewell to East Africa

After breakfast at your Arusha hotel, board the shuttle for Nairobi, crossing the Namanga border and the Maasai plains back into Kenya. On arrival you will be met and transferred to the airport or your hotel. Your Kenya and Tanzania safari ends here, after thirteen days that linked the Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli with Tarangire, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara.

Recommended accommodation

Where you stay.

Named properties are the ones used for this package. Nights listed by category are confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Maasai Mara · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Lake Nakuru · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Amboseli · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the hotel

Arusha · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Tarangire · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Serengeti · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Ngorongoro · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Lake Manyara · 1 night

What’s included

Clear from the start.

  • Safari van for the Kenya section and Land Cruiser for the Tanzania section
  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • Three meals a day while on safari
  • Services of a professional driver-guide
  • All park entrance fees
  • All game drives
  • Transport between Nairobi and Tanzania
  • One litre of mineral water per person per day
  • Two nights' accommodation in Arusha

What’s not included

No hidden assumptions.

  • Personal insurance
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Alcoholic and soft drinks
  • Optional activities, including the Maasai village and Olduvai Gorge visits
  • Visa fees
  • Tips and gratuities

Your written quotation confirms the exact inclusions for your dates.

Flexible pricing

A clear quote for your journey.

The final price depends on when and how you travel: season, group size, accommodation level and private or shared transport.

Pricing

Price subject upon request

We quote this journey individually because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change it significantly.

What affects the final price?

  • Travel dates and season
  • Group size
  • Accommodation availability
  • Private or shared vehicle
Request Exact Quote Ask on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp)

Made around you

Make this safari yours.

Where operationally possible, a local planner can help adapt the journey without losing the route’s natural rhythm.

  • Travel dates and pace
  • Adding or removing nights where the route allows
  • Accommodation choices, subject to availability
  • Combining with another destination
Customise This Safari

Optional experiences

Add a different perspective.

Availability, location, age limits and extra costs are confirmed for your final itinerary.

Hot-air balloon safari over the Maasai Mara

Optional · extra cost · pre-arrangement required

Maasai village visit

Optional · extra cost

Olduvai Gorge museum visit

Optional · extra cost

Verified guest voices

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External review source

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External review source

Tripadvisor

Read independent traveller feedback at its original source. Ratings and review totals remain on Tripadvisor, where they stay current.

Read our reviews on Tripadvisor

Before you travel

Safari questions, answered clearly.

How much does the 13 Days Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari cost?

The 13 Days Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari is quoted individually (price subject upon request), because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change the cost. Share your dates and a planner will send an exact quotation.

Where does this safari start and finish?

It starts and finishes in Nairobi. Your planner can advise on arrival and departure arrangements.

Where will I stay?

Nights are listed as “overnight at the lodge”: the specific property is confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.

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Your safari starts with a conversation.

Tell us your dates, travel style and what matters most. A Nairobi-based planner can shape the details with you.

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PricingPrice subject upon request
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