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A male lion resting in tall grass.

Budget safari · Kenya & Tanzania

8-Day Combined Kenya & Tanzania - Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Arusha · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater Safari

Kenya first, then Tanzania: the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru, then from Arusha to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, ending in Arusha.

  • 8 days
  • Kenya & Tanzania
  • Budget 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.

Kenya first, then Tanzania: the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru, then from Arusha to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, ending in Arusha.

Maasai MaraLake NakuruSerengetiNgorongoroLake ManyaraArushaNairobi
Duration
8 days
Countries
Kenya & Tanzania
Trip style
Budget safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Nairobi
End
Arusha
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 50
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 87
Enquire about the midrange option

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Maasai Mara

  • 02

    Lake Nakuru

  • 03

    Serengeti

  • 04

    Ngorongoro

  • 05

    Lake Manyara

  • 06

    Arusha

Your route

Across Kenya & Tanzania.

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

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

KENYATANZANIANairobiMaasai MaraLake NakuruArushaLake ManyaraSerengetiNgorongoro

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

Day by day

8 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, arriving at camp in time for lunch. After a short siesta, set out in the 4x4 Land Cruiser for an introductory game drive in the reserve as the afternoon cools and the animals move out to graze; giraffe, zebra and elephant are usually the first sightings. Return after the day's game viewing for dinner and your overnight stay.

    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 in the reserve. The scenery is savanna grassland over rolling hills, and the extensive track network lets the 4x4 Land Cruiser get close for viewing and photography, which is why the Mara is considered Kenya's best park for game. Stop for a picnic lunch at the hippo pool and watch for hippo and crocodile, then continue game viewing through the afternoon. The day ends with dinner and time to unwind.

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

  3. Day 3

    Maasai Mara – Nakuru

    Start with an early pre-breakfast game drive while the light is soft and the cats are still on the move. After breakfast, leave the Mara for Nakuru with lunch en route, with Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha visible in the distance from the main highway as it climbs out of the Rift Valley. Arrive in the afternoon and check in at Nakuru town for dinner and the night, with the evening free.

    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 – Arusha

    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 along the shoreline. Then drive to Nairobi with lunch en route, arriving at about 1:30pm to catch the shuttle bus to Arusha. The four-hour drive crosses the Namanga border; on arrival you are met and transferred to your Arusha accommodation on a bed-and-breakfast basis, with dinner on your own account.

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

  5. Day 5

    Arusha – Manyara

    After breakfast, meet the group in Arusha and drive west to Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive. The park's groundwater forest, hot springs and soda lake sit beneath the Rift Valley wall and hold elephant, hippo, giraffe, buffalo and large baboon troops, with flamingo on the lake in season and a chance of the tree-climbing lions it is known for. Return for dinner and settle in for the evening.

    Overnight
    Fanaka Campsite, Lake ManyaraLake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast and dinner

  6. Day 6

    Manyara – Serengeti National Park

    After breakfast, depart for the Serengeti over the Ngorongoro highlands, passing Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey family found fossils of human and animal ancestors dating back almost two million years. Descend onto the plains with game viewing from the 4x4 Land Cruiser as you go, looking for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and the great herds of zebra and wildebeest. All meals are included, with the evening free before the night.

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

  7. Day 7

    Serengeti Np – Ngorongoro Crater

    An early morning game drive in the Serengeti, then return to camp for breakfast and pack up before the drive back across the short-grass plains to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Arrive on the crater rim in the afternoon and take an evening nature walk along the rim with a ranger, looking down into the caldera as the light fades and the mist settles. Dinner follows, and the night is cool at this altitude, so bring warm layers.

    Overnight
    Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro 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.

  8. Day 8

    Ngorongoro – Arusha

    After breakfast the 4x4 Land Cruiser descends 2,000 feet into the Ngorongoro Crater for a morning on the floor among lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, zebra, wildebeest and, with luck, black rhino. Picnic lunch is taken in the crater, then ascend to the rim and drive back to Arusha, where you are transferred to the airport for your flight. Tell us your flight time when booking so the crater tour and transfer are timed to suit it.

    Meals
    Breakfast and picnic lunch

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 who want more than a sampler: enough days to settle into each area rather than moving on every morning.
  • 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 8-Day Combined Kenya & Tanzania - Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Arusha · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater Safari 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 8-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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