Skip to content
Budget Holiday SafarisBudget Holiday Safaris
Plan

Explore East Africa

Smartly planned from Nairobi.

Plan My SafariWhatsApp us

14 days · Kenya & Tanzania · Budget

14 Days Kenya & Tanzania Budget Holiday Safari

Fourteen days on a budget holiday safari across both countries: the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha with Hell's Gate and Amboseli in Kenya, then Tarangire, two nights on the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.

  • 14 days
  • Kenya & Tanzania
  • Budget
  • Starts Nairobi
  • Ends Nairobi
Rhino white rhino golden light

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 · Lake Naivasha · Hell's Gate · Amboseli · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Manyara
Safari style
Budget
Price
Price on request
Starts
Nairobi
Ends
Nairobi

Best for

  • Travellers with more time
  • Two-country safaris
  • Travellers on a budget

The route

A round trip from Nairobi

  1. Stop 1Nairobi
  2. Stop 2Maasai Mara
  3. Stop 3Lake Nakuru
  4. Stop 4Lake Naivasha
  5. Stop 5Amboseli
  6. Stop 6Arusha
  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

  • Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli
  • Hell's Gate nature walk
  • Two nights on the Serengeti
  • Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara

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.

Greater kudu mating

Day 1

Nairobi → Maasai Mara

Across the valley to the Mara

At 8.30am, pick-up from the airport, your hotel or residence, then transfer to the office before departing for the Maasai Mara via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok, where lunch is taken. The road descends to the valley floor before crossing Maasai country to the reserve. On arrival, head out on a game drive with your driver-guide, tracking the reserve's animals and birds until evening.

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

Day 2

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Savannah, hills and hippo pools

After breakfast, set out for a full day of game viewing. The Mara's savannah grassland rolls over undulating hills, and its extensive track network allows close-range viewing and photography. Lion, elephant, buffalo and herds of zebra and topi are often part of the day. Break for a picnic lunch beside a hippo pool, looking out for hippos and crocodiles, then continue into the afternoon.

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

Day 3

Maasai Mara → Nakuru

An early drive and the road east

Start with an early game drive before breakfast, when the Mara's predators are often most active. Afterwards, leave the Mara region for Nakuru, with lunch on the way and views of Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha from the highway. The route crosses the Rift Valley past farmland and volcanic hills, a complete change of scene from the plains. Arrive for dinner and the night.

Overnight
Lake Nakuru · camp or lodge
Main activities
Early game drive

Day 4

Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha

Rhinos, flamingos and a lakeside evening

After breakfast, check out and drive into Lake Nakuru National Park. Rhino, flamingos, buffalo, antelope, zebra, Rothschild's giraffe and many birds live in and around the lake, and the compact park can be explored thoroughly in a morning. Continue to Naivasha for a hot lunch and an evening at leisure, with optional activities available through your guide.

Overnight
Lake Naivasha · camp or lodge
Main activities
Game drive
Hippo seen during an East African safari

Day 5

Lake Naivasha → Amboseli

A nature walk and the journey south

After breakfast, take a nature walk in Hell's Gate National Park among its cliffs and gorges, where zebra, giraffe and buffalo often graze on the open ground. Walking gives a very different perspective from a vehicle. Leave the park later and drive south to Amboseli National Park, with lunch on the way, passing Nairobi before reaching Kilimanjaro country. Arrive for dinner and the night.

Overnight
Amboseli · camp or lodge
Main activities
Hell's Gate nature walk

Day 6

Amboseli National Park

Elephants and swamps

A full day of game drives showcases the large numbers of animals that bathe and feed in Amboseli's swamps. Elephant and buffalo roam at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and cheetah, zebra and hyena are among the park's other residents. After a picnic lunch, continue with afternoon game viewing. When the clouds clear in the evening, look for Kilimanjaro's snow-capped peaks.

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

Day 7

Amboseli → Arusha

Into Tanzania

Take an early game drive, a final look at Amboseli's elephants and 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 week of the journey. On arrival, check in at your hotel on a bed-and-breakfast basis, ready for Tarangire.

Overnight
Arusha
Main activities
Early game drive · Border crossing

Day 8

Arusha → Tarangire

Elephants among the baobabs

Depart Arusha for Tarangire National Park with lunch on the way, crossing the Maasai steppe, and spend the afternoon game viewing. Tarangire 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 the park has over 500 recorded bird species among its baobabs.

Overnight
Tarangire · camp or lodge
Main activities
Afternoon game drive

Day 9

Tarangire → Serengeti National Park

Olduvai Gorge and the Serengeti

After breakfast, climb into the Ngorongoro highlands and head for the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge, where the optional museum visit covers early human discoveries. On arrival, enter Serengeti National Park, known for the migration and home year-round to elephant, cheetah, lion, giraffe and many birds. Dinner and the night in fixed tents in the Seronera area, in the heart of the park.

Overnight
Serengeti · camp or lodge
Main activities
Game drive
Leopard walking through grass

Day 10

Serengeti National Park

A full day in the majestic plains

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 can be seen in every season. A full day lets your guide explore the Seronera valley, the kopjes and the open grassland at an unhurried pace.

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

Day 11

Serengeti → Ngorongoro

To the crater rim

After breakfast, take your final game drive in Serengeti National Park, a last chance to look for big cats and the season's herds. Then depart 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.

Overnight
Ngorongoro · camp or lodge
Main activities
Morning game drive

Day 12

Ngorongoro Crater → Lake Manyara

A day on 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 among black rhino, big cats, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and elephant. The enclosed caldera's grassland and swamps make it one of Africa's great game drives. Later, climb out and drive 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

Groundwater forest and hot springs

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, raptors hunt along the escarpment and the park is known for tree-climbing lions. It is a compact, varied park and a gentle final game drive. Later, drive to Arusha for the night.

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

Day 14

Arusha → Nairobi

Back to Kenya

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. Fourteen days have covered the Mara, the Rift Valley lakes, Amboseli and northern Tanzania's finest parks. Thank you for travelling with Budget Holiday Safaris.

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 · Lake Naivasha · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Amboseli · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight in Arusha

Arusha · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Tarangire · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Serengeti · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Ngorongoro · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · 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 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

Boat ride on Lake Naivasha

Optional · extra cost

Verified guest voices

Proof, connected to its source.

We only show traveller stories that link directly to the published review.

External review source

SafariBookings

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

Read our reviews on SafariBookings

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 14 Days Kenya & Tanzania Budget Holiday Safari cost?

The 14 Days Kenya & Tanzania Budget Holiday 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.

Keep exploring

You may also like

Similar routes compared with the same practical details.

Destinations on this route

Start planning with a local expert

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.

Plan My Safari WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp)
PricingPrice on request
Request Safari