Two great safari countries in ten days: the Masai Mara and Amboseli in Kenya, then across the border to Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.
This ten-day safari combines the best of Kenya and Tanzania. It starts in the Masai Mara and Amboseli, crosses the border at Namanga, and continues through Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, ending in Arusha.
You see two countries and five famous parks, from the Mara’s big cats and Amboseli’s elephants to Tarangire’s baobabs, the Serengeti’s plains and the crater. The border crossing is straightforward with your guide’s help, and flights can replace the longest drives.
Tented camps in the Mara and the Serengeti, lodges in Amboseli, Arusha, near Tarangire and in Karatu, all on full board.
The direct border between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti is closed to tourists, so this route crosses at Namanga, between Amboseli and Arusha. Your Kenyan guide takes you to the border, helps with formalities and hands you over to your Tanzanian guide, who stays with you for the rest of the safari.
Drive from Nairobi through the Great Rift Valley to the Masai Mara, or fly from Wilson Airport in 45 minutes.
In the afternoon, set out on your first game drive across the grassland. The Mara has Africa’s highest concentration of predators, and even a first drive often brings lions, elephants, giraffes, zebra and herds of antelope against the backdrop of the Oloololo escarpment. Return to camp as the sun sets.
Spend a full day exploring the reserve with a picnic lunch. Leave at sunrise, when lions and cheetahs are most active, and follow your guide’s knowledge of the prides and their territories across the open plains. Look for elephants and buffalo along the rivers, topi standing sentry on termite mounds, and leopards resting in the riverine forest. In migration season (usually July to October) you head for the Mara River, where great herds of wildebeest and zebra gather and, if you are patient, plunge across the crocodile-filled water. Return to camp at sunset.
After an early game drive, fly from the Mara to Amboseli via Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, or drive back through Nairobi. Arrive in Amboseli in the afternoon for a game drive as the light softens on Kilimanjaro.
Spend the day in Amboseli National Park. Begin at sunrise, when Kilimanjaro is most often clear and elephant families walk out across the plains in front of it. Drive to Observation Hill for a view over the swamps, where elephants, buffalo and hippos feed among pelicans and crowned cranes, and look for lions, cheetahs and hyenas on the open plains. Return to the lodge for lunch and a rest, then head out again in the late afternoon for the golden light.
After an early game drive in Amboseli, drive west to the Namanga border, about 1.5 hours, where your guide helps with formalities. On the Tanzanian side, a new guide and vehicle meet you for the drive to Arusha, about 2 hours, with Mount Meru rising ahead. Spend the afternoon relaxing at your lodge among coffee gardens.
Drive south-west to Tarangire National Park.
Spend the afternoon on a game drive along the Tarangire River, the park’s lifeline. In the dry season (June to October) herds of elephants, sometimes hundreds strong, gather to drink and dig for water in the sandy riverbed, alongside zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffes and impala. Look for lions resting in the shade, leopards in the sausage trees, and the colourful yellow-collared lovebirds that are found only in northern Tanzania.
Drive up through the cool highland forest of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a stop at the rim viewpoint, then descend past Maasai villages to the plains. Stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important sites for human origins, where a small museum overlooks the gorge. Enter the Serengeti at Naabi Hill gate and game drive across the short-grass plains to the Seronera area in the afternoon, arriving at camp by sunset.
Spend a full day exploring the Serengeti with a picnic lunch. In the central Seronera valley, permanent water supports resident wildlife all year: lions on the kopjes, leopards in the sausage trees along the rivers, cheetahs on the open plains, and herds of giraffe, buffalo, topi, hartebeest and gazelles. Your guide follows the latest sightings and positions the vehicle for the best views and light, returning to camp at sunset.
After a final morning game drive in the Serengeti, cross the short-grass plains to Naabi Hill gate and climb into the Ngorongoro highlands, stopping at the crater rim viewpoint for a first look into the caldera. Continue to your lodge in Karatu among coffee farms and gardens for a relaxed evening.
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater as soon as the gates open, dropping 600 metres down the steep crater wall to the floor of the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. In about six hours on the crater floor you can see lions and spotted hyenas, herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo, old elephant bulls with huge tusks and, with luck, one of the crater’s protected black rhinos. Stop for a picnic lunch by the Ngoitokitok hippo pool, then visit the soda lake, often pink with flamingos, before climbing back up to the rim in the afternoon. Then drive back to Arusha for your flight from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
No. The direct border crossing between the two is closed to tourists, so itineraries cross at Namanga or fly via Nairobi, Kilimanjaro or Arusha.
Kenya (eTA or East Africa Tourist Visa) and Tanzania (e-visa or visa on arrival).
Yes. Kenyan and Tanzanian safari vehicles and guides operate in their own countries, so you change at Namanga.
July to October for the migration in the Mara and northern Serengeti; January to March for calving in the south.
Yes. Flights connect the Mara, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti, saving long drives.
Comfortable tented camps and lodges throughout, with upgrades to luxury camps available in every park.
Adventure 6 daysAfrica’s second-highest mountain, with far fewer people than Kilimanjaro: up through the Mackinder Valley to the foot of the jagged peaks, sunrise on Point Lenana, and down the dramatic lakes and gorges of the Chogoria side.
Adventure 7 daysThe only route from the north, close to the Kenyan border: quiet, drier trails, wide views over the plains and a night beneath the jagged spires of Mawenzi before the climb to Uhuru Peak.
Adventure 8 daysThe quiet western approach to Africa’s highest mountain: eight days from remote rainforest across the Shira Plateau and round the southern slopes, with the slow ascent that gives climbers the best chance of reaching Uhuru Peak.
Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
