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A male lion resting in tall grass.

Wildlife safari · Kenya & Tanzania

12-Day Group Joining - Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti & Lake Manyara

A twelve-day scheduled departure through both countries for travellers who want the full circuit at a shared price: the Maasai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli, then Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Lake Manyara.

  • 12 days
  • Kenya & Tanzania
  • Wildlife safari
  • Quoted to your dates
Get a free quoteAsk on WhatsApp
4.9/5 from 31 traveller reviews on SafariBookings (opens in a new tab)

The journey

A closer look at your trip.

A twelve-day scheduled departure through both countries for travellers who want the full circuit at a shared price: the Maasai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli, then Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Lake Manyara.

Maasai MaraLake NakuruAmboseliSerengetiNgorongoroLake ManyaraTarangireArushaNairobi
Duration
12 days
Countries
Kenya & Tanzania
Trip style
Wildlife safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Nairobi
End
Confirmed in your quotation
Price
On Request

Choose your safari style

The same route, at the level you want to travel.

This journey follows the same wildlife route whichever style you choose. What changes is where you sleep, the level of service and how the trip is quoted.

Choose your safari style

Budget: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Practical camps and lodges, and public campsites inside the Tanzanian parks. The wildlife itinerary, the guiding and the 4x4 Land Cruiser are the same as on the upgraded styles of this route.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 56
Enquire about the budget option

Midrange: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Upgraded rooms, dining and a higher service level throughout, with a 4x4 Land Cruiser for game drives.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 93
Enquire about the midrange option

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Maasai Mara

  • 02

    Lake Nakuru

  • 03

    Amboseli

  • 04

    Serengeti

  • 05

    Ngorongoro

  • 06

    Lake Manyara

Your route

Across Kenya & Tanzania.

Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Amboseli → Arusha → Tarangire → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Lake Manyara → Arusha → Nairobi

We will confirm the day-by-day sequence and overnight stops in your detailed proposal.

KENYATANZANIANairobiMaasai MaraLake NakuruAmboseliArushaTarangireNgorongoroSerengetiLake Manyara

Schematic route · See the day-by-day programme for travel details.

Day by day

12 days in East Africa.

  1. Day 1

    Nairobi – Maasai Mara

    Pick-up from your hotel between 7:30 and 8am, then depart for the Maasai Mara National Reserve via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok town for refuelling and lunch. Continue to the reserve, arriving at the lodge or camp at about 2pm. After a short siesta, set out in the 4x4 Land Cruiser for the first introductory game drive in the reserve, returning to camp for dinner and overnight.

    Overnight
    Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara Camp
    Meals
    Lunch and dinner

  2. Day 2

    Maasai Mara National Reserve

    After breakfast, a full day of game viewing within the reserve. The scenery is savanna grassland over rolling hills, and the extensive road and track network lets the vehicle get close for viewing and photography, which is why the Mara is regarded as Kenya's best park for game. Break for a picnic lunch at the hippo pool, looking out for hippo and crocodile, then continue through the afternoon. Return for dinner and settle in for the evening.

    Overnight
    Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara Camp
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

  3. Day 3

    Maasai Mara – Nakuru

    An early pre-breakfast game drive while the predators are still active. After breakfast, depart the Mara region for Nakuru with lunch en route, with scenic views of Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha in the distance from the main highway as it climbs through the Rift Valley. Arrive in the afternoon for dinner and the night.

    Overnight
    Buraha Zenoni, Lake NakuruLake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    A male lion and lioness resting in grass at sunset.
    The Maasai Mara — the heart of this journey.

  4. Day 4

    Lake Nakuru – Amboseli

    After breakfast, a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, known for its prolific birdlife including flamingo and for its white rhino sanctuary, with buffalo and waterbuck near the shoreline. Then the long drive south via Nairobi to Amboseli National Park, arriving in the late evening with game viewing en route to camp, where elephant are often seen near the swamps in the last light. There is time to settle in before dinner and the night.

    Overnight
    Nyati Safari Camp, AmboseliKibo Safari Camp, Amboseli
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  5. Day 5

    Amboseli Full Day

    A day of game drives in Amboseli, a park of swamp grounds in which elephant and hippo bathe in abundance. A variety of plains game, antelope and birds share the drier ground, and Mount Kilimanjaro's peak shows above the park when the weather permits, usually early in the morning. Picnic lunches are provided so the day can be spent inside the park. Head back for the night when the day's game viewing is done.

    Overnight
    Nyati Safari Camp, AmboseliKibo Safari Camp, Amboseli
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

  6. Day 6

    Amboseli – Arusha

    Early morning game viewing, then return to camp for a full breakfast and check-out. Proceed to the Namanga border post, complete immigration formalities and board the shuttle bus to Arusha, passing Mount Meru on the way in. You are met on arrival and transferred to your hotel, booked on a bed-and-breakfast basis; dinner is on your own account.

    Overnight
    Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel Arusha
    Meals
    Breakfast
    Elephants on open grassland with a snow-capped mountain behind them.
    Amboseli, and its elephant herds beneath Kilimanjaro.

  7. Day 7

    Arusha – Tarangire National Park

    After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon of game viewing in the 4x4 Land Cruiser. The park is noted for its multitude of baobab trees and its tree-climbing lions, and lesser kudu, eland, gerenuk and lion can all be found here, along with the elephant herds that gather along the Tarangire River in the dry season. The day ends with dinner and time to unwind.

    Overnight
    Fanaka Campsite, TarangireTarangire Simba Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  8. Day 8

    Tarangire – Ngorongoro

    After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In the afternoon, descend 2,000 feet (over 600 metres) to the crater floor for a crater tour with picnic lunches. Explore the forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephant, the soda lake where flamingo may be seen, and the open savanna where the lions hunt, with hyena, buffalo and zebra never far away. Return after the day's game viewing for dinner and your overnight stay.

    Overnight
    Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

  9. Day 9

    Ngorongoro – Serengeti

    Drive to Serengeti National Park via Olduvai Gorge, the site of Louis and Mary Leakey's renowned archaeological discoveries; the museum, whose findings include some of the earliest known ancestral human remains, can be visited at extra cost. Lunch at Seronera camp, then an afternoon game drive on the endless plains for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight
    Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  10. Day 10

    Serengeti – Lake Manyara

    Enjoy an early morning game drive before breakfast, when the Serengeti's predators are most active, then return to camp for a late breakfast and a relaxed mid-morning. Depart for Lake Manyara with lunch en route, crossing the Ngorongoro highlands and descending the escarpment. On arrival, take an evening game drive in the park until sunset. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight
    Fanaka Campsite, Lake ManyaraLake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    An acacia tree above grassland at sunset.
    Serengeti plains, where the next stage of the route takes you.

  11. Day 11

    Lake Manyara – Arusha

    After breakfast, a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, whose inhabitants include hippo, monkeys, tree-climbing lions, flamingo and a wide variety of other birdlife, in a setting of groundwater forest and lakeshore beneath the Rift Valley wall. Lunch at camp, then drive back to Arusha for drop-off at your hotel, where the evening is free.

    Overnight
    Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel Arusha
    Meals
    Breakfast and lunch

  12. Day 12

    Arusha – Nairobi / Airport

    After breakfast in Arusha, our partner takes you to the shuttle bus for Nairobi, where you are met and transferred to the airport or your Nairobi hotel. If you are flying out of Kilimanjaro or Arusha airport instead, you are transferred directly from the hotel for your flight home or to another destination. Tell us your flight details when booking so the correct transfer is arranged.

    Meals
    Breakfast

What is included

Your written quotation itemises every one of these for your dates, so you can compare it line by line with any other:

  • Park, reserve and conservancy entry fees
  • Accommodation for each night, named
  • Meals on each day
  • Game drives in the 4x4 Land Cruiser, with its seating
  • Driver-guide and fuel
  • Airport or hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Whether the vehicle is private or shared

What to allow for

Most travellers also budget separately for the items below. Your quotation confirms which apply to this trip.

  • International flights
  • Kenya eTA and any Tanzania visa
  • Travel and medical insurance (Tanzania now requires inbound cover)
  • Optional activities such as a balloon flight
  • Drinks and tips for guides and camp staff
How safari prices and park fees work →

When to travel

Seasonal considerations.

Game viewing across Kenya and Tanzania is at its most reliable in the dry months, roughly June to October and again in January and February, when the grass is shorter and animals concentrate around permanent water. The long rains fall around April and May and the short rains in November; both bring green country, fewer vehicles and lower rates, at the cost of some unpredictability on the roads. There is no month in which this journey cannot run.

Read the full season guide →

Who it suits

Is this the right journey?

  • Travellers with time to spend and a wish to see the region properly rather than in outline.
  • Anyone who would rather see both countries on one trip than choose between them. Expect a border crossing and separate entry requirements for each.
  • Travellers at different budgets — this route is sold as Budget, Midrange, with the same wildlife itinerary throughout.
  • Solo travellers and couples happy to share a vehicle on a scheduled departure, or any group wanting the journey privately on request.

Pricing

Plan with the details in view.

On Request

Published catalogue reference rate. Confirm availability and the final quotation for your travel dates.

This itinerary can also be arranged privately in a 4x4 Land Cruiser on request. A private departure is quoted separately and confirmed with your dates and group size.

Request a quotation

Free quotation

Get a quote for this trip.

Tell us when and how many. We will reply with a written quotation for the 12-Day Group Joining - Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti & Lake Manyara in the style you selected above, and adjust the pace, parks or accommodation if you would like something different.

4.9/5 from 31 traveller reviews on SafariBookings (opens in a new tab)
  1. 01

    Tell us your dates

    Send the quick form or a WhatsApp message. It is free and commits you to nothing.

  2. 02

    Get a written quotation

    Our Nairobi team checks availability and sends a quotation stating the route, accommodation and exactly what is and is not included.

  3. 03

    Adjust it until it fits

    Change the pace, the style of accommodation or the parks. Ask anything before you decide.

  4. 04

    Book when you are ready

    Nothing is reserved or charged until you accept the quotation in writing.

Rather talk it through? Ask on WhatsApp

Free and without obligation. Nothing is booked or charged until you accept a written quotation.

Your questions, answered.

How do I request a quotation?

Send your travel dates, party size and accommodation preferences. We will confirm availability and send a written quotation before you book.

Can I customise this trip?

Ask our team about adjustments to the itinerary, accommodation and pace. We will explain what is practical for your dates and confirm any price changes.

What is the published price for this 12-day trip?

On Request. Ask us to confirm the quotation for your dates and group size.

What vehicle is used for game drives?

Safari game drives use a 4x4 Land Cruiser. Your quotation will confirm whether your trip is private or shared and specify any separate transfer arrangements.

Before you choose

Understand the places, stays and practical details.

Read the destination guides alongside this itinerary to compare access, wildlife habitat and accommodation position. The named comfort option and written quotation confirm the actual overnight stays, meals and activities.

Places on this route

Useful preparation

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