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14 days · Kenya & Tanzania · Budget

14 Days Combined Kenya & Tanzania Budget Safari

Fourteen days across nine parks and reserves: the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Samburu, the Aberdares and Amboseli in Kenya, then Tarangire, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara in Tanzania.

  • 14 days
  • Kenya & Tanzania
  • Budget
  • Starts Nairobi
  • Ends Nairobi
Wildebeest herd seen during an East African safari

Safari snapshot

At a glance

The essentials for comparing this journey before you enquire.

Duration
14 days
Country
Kenya & Tanzania
Destinations
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Samburu · Aberdare · Amboseli · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Manyara
Safari style
Budget
Price
Price on request
Starts
Nairobi
Ends
Nairobi

Best for

  • Travellers with more time
  • Wildlife enthusiasts
  • Travellers on a budget

The route

A round trip from Nairobi

  1. Stop 1Nairobi
  2. Stop 2Maasai Mara
  3. Stop 3Lake Nakuru
  4. Stop 4Samburu
  5. Stop 5Aberdare
  6. Stop 6Amboseli
  7. Stop 7Tarangire
  8. Stop 8Serengeti
  9. Stop 9Ngorongoro Crater
  10. Stop 10Lake Manyara
  11. Stop 11Arusha
  12. Stop 12Nairobi

Safari highlights

What shapes the journey

  • Nine parks and reserves in two countries
  • Samburu's northern specials and the Aberdare forest
  • Two nights near Amboseli
  • The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Day by day

14 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.

Giraffe portrait

Day 1

Nairobi → Maasai Mara

A sundowner drive on the Mara

After an early pick-up from your hotel, drive to the Maasai Mara via the Rift Valley escarpment, with lunch in Narok. The road descends to the valley floor and crosses Maasai country before the reserve's grassland opens out. Check in at camp, then set off on a sundowner game drive that introduces the Maasai plains and their residents, from grazing herds to lion prides.

Overnight
Maasai Mara · camp or lodge
Main activities
Sundowner game drive

Day 2

Maasai Mara National Reserve

A thrilling full day

After breakfast, spend a full day on a game-viewing adventure across the reserve. Lion prides, elephant herds, rhino and giraffe are all possible, and the tracks lead to the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles live and — depending on your timing — migrating wildebeest may cross from the Serengeti in search of greener pasture.

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

Day 3

Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru

Culture and the Rift Valley

Early in the morning, there is the option of visiting a Maasai village. After breakfast, leave the Mara region for Nakuru, with lunch on the way and views of Lake Naivasha from the highway. The route crosses the Rift Valley past farmland and volcanic hills, a scenic change after two days on the plains. Arrive in the evening for dinner and the night.

Overnight
Lake Nakuru · camp or lodge

Day 4

Lake Nakuru → Samburu

Across the equator to the north

Take a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its birdlife and flamingos and a sanctuary for white and black rhino. Then set off north for Samburu with a hot lunch on the way, stopping on the equator line near Nanyuki. The landscape changes steadily from green highlands to dry, open country as you approach the reserve. Arrive in the evening at your accommodation.

Overnight
Samburu · camp or lodge
Main activities
Game drive · Equator stop
Oryx antelope dry country

Day 5

Samburu National Reserve

Grasslands and acacia woodland

Spend a full day in Samburu National Reserve, where elephant, lion, leopard and cheetah thrive among grassland and acacia woodland along the Ewaso Ng'iro River. Look for the reserve's dry-country specials — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich — rarely seen further south. The red earth and rugged hills make Samburu one of Kenya's most distinctive parks.

Overnight
Samburu · camp or lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive

Day 6

Samburu → Aberdare

Into the forested highlands

After a short morning game drive, leave Samburu and head south into the Aberdare highlands, climbing from dry scrub into cool, green forest. The forest is dense, so wildlife is often best seen from your accommodation's waterhole viewing area, where elephant, buffalo and occasionally rarer forest species such as giant forest hog come to drink. Evenings at the waterhole can be especially rewarding.

Overnight
Aberdare · camp or lodge
Main activities
Short game drive · Waterhole viewing

Day 7

Aberdare → Amboseli

From the forest to Kilimanjaro's foot

After breakfast, leave the Aberdares for the long drive south to Amboseli National Park, passing Nairobi on the way and arriving in the late afternoon or evening. As you approach the park, the land flattens into the dusty basin below Kilimanjaro, where elephant herds are a common sight. The journey trades mountain forest for open plains in a single day.

Overnight
Amboseli · camp or lodge
Main activities
Long transfer

Day 8

Amboseli National Park

Swamps and the snow-capped summit

A full day of game drives showcases the large numbers of animals that gather in Amboseli's 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, continue into the afternoon, watching for the summit when the clouds clear.

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

Day 9

Amboseli → Tarangire

Across the Namanga border

After a final breakfast in Kenya, leave for the Namanga border, crossing the Maasai plains between Amboseli and the frontier. Complete the formalities and continue into Tanzania, passing Arusha on the way south towards Tarangire. The day is mainly travel, linking the Kenyan and Tanzanian halves of the journey. Arrive in the evening for dinner and the night.

Overnight
Tarangire · camp or lodge
Main activities
Border crossing
Impala antelope seen during an East African safari

Day 10

Tarangire → Serengeti

Morning in Tarangire, afternoon on the plains

After breakfast, enjoy a game drive in Tarangire National Park among its baobabs and elephant herds. Then head for the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge, where the museum visit is optional, climbing through the Ngorongoro highlands before descending onto the grassland. On arrival, explore the plains, known for the migration and home to elephant, cheetah, lion, giraffe and many birds.

Overnight
Serengeti · camp or lodge
Main activities
Game drive · Game drive en route

Day 11

Serengeti → Ngorongoro

Final Serengeti drive

After breakfast, take your final game drive in Serengeti National Park, known for the migration and its wealth of animals, from lion prides on the kopjes to herds grazing on the open plains. Then depart for the Ngorongoro highlands with lunch on the way, climbing into cooler, forested country. Arrive in the afternoon for the night on the crater rim, with views across the caldera as evening falls.

Overnight
Ngorongoro · camp or lodge
Main activities
Morning game drive

Day 12

Ngorongoro Crater → Lake Manyara

Six hours in the crater

Take a packed lunch and descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive of up to six hours among black rhino, big cats, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and elephant. The caldera's grassland, swamps and soda lake concentrate wildlife within its steep walls. Later, climb out and descend the Rift Valley escarpment to the Lake Manyara area for dinner and the night.

Overnight
Lake Manyara · camp or lodge
Main activities
Crater game drive

Day 13

Lake Manyara → Arusha

Forest, flamingos and tree-climbing lions

After an early breakfast, take a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, set beneath the steep wall of the Rift Valley. Springs feed its groundwater forest, which supports elephant herds, baboons, giraffe and hippo, and flamingos may gather on the lake. Raptors hunt along the escarpment, and the park is known for tree-climbing lions. Later, drive to Arusha for the night, the last before the return to Kenya.

Overnight
Arusha
Main activities
Game drive
Impala antelope seen during an East African safari

Day 14

Arusha → Nairobi

Shuttle back to Nairobi

After breakfast at your Arusha hotel, board the shuttle bus 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. This marks the end of your fourteen-day Kenya and Tanzania safari, a journey through nine parks and reserves from Samburu's dry north to the Ngorongoro Crater.

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 camp/lodge

Budget · Maasai Mara · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Lake Nakuru · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Samburu · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Aberdare · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Amboseli · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Tarangire · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Serengeti · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Ngorongoro · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Lake Manyara · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight in Arusha

Arusha · 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
  • One night's accommodation in Arusha
  • Three meals per day while on safari
  • Services of a professional driver-guide
  • All park entrance fees
  • Scheduled game drives
  • Transport between Nairobi and Tanzania
  • One litre of mineral water per person per day

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 on 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

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External review source

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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 14 Days Combined Kenya & Tanzania Budget Safari cost?

The 14 Days Combined Kenya & Tanzania Budget Safari is quoted individually (price on 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 camp/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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