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A male lion resting in tall grass.

Wildlife safari · Kenya & Tanzania

8-Day Kenya Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru & Tanzania Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater

Both halves of the migration country in eight days: a full day in the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru in Kenya, then the Serengeti around Seronera and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, returning to Nairobi.

  • 8 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.

Both halves of the migration country in eight days: a full day in the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru in Kenya, then the Serengeti around Seronera and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, returning to Nairobi.

Maasai MaraLake NakuruSerengetiNgorongoroNairobiArusha
Duration
8 days
Countries
Kenya & Tanzania
Trip style
Wildlife safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Nairobi
End
Nairobi
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 48
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 85
Enquire about the midrange option

Luxury: 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

  • Premium camps and lodges with elevated service, delivered in a private-style format with a 4x4 Land Cruiser.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 106
Enquire about the luxury option

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Maasai Mara

  • 02

    Lake Nakuru

  • 03

    Serengeti

  • 04

    Ngorongoro

  • 05

    Nairobi

  • 06

    Arusha

Your route

Across Kenya & Tanzania.

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

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

KENYATANZANIANairobiMaasai MaraLake NakuruArushaSerengetiNgorongoro

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 is from the airport on arrival at 6:30am, with a transfer to our office to meet the group before departing for the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The road passes the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok town for refuelling, and you reach camp in time for lunch. After a short siesta, the 4x4 Land Cruiser heads out for the first introductory game drive in the reserve as the afternoon cools. Return after the afternoon game drive for dinner and the night.

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

  2. Day 2

    Maasai Mara Full Day Game Viewing

    After breakfast, a full day of game viewing within the reserve. The landscape is scenic savanna grassland on rolling hills, and the Mara's extensive road and track network allows close-range viewing and photography from the 4x4 Land Cruiser, which is why it is regarded as Kenya's best park for game. Break for a picnic lunch at the hippo pool, watching for hippo and crocodile in the river, then continue into the afternoon. Return for dinner and settle in for the evening.

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

  3. Day 3

    Maasai Mara- Nakuru

    An early pre-breakfast game drive catches the predators while they are still active and the light is soft over the plains. After breakfast, leave the Mara region for Nakuru with lunch en route; the main highway gives views of Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha in the distance as it climbs through the Rift Valley. Arrive in Nakuru town in the afternoon and check in for dinner and the night.

    Overnight
    Buraha Zenoni, Lake NakuruLake Nakuru Sopa LodgeThe Cliff Nakuru
    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. The park holds a sanctuary for white rhino, and buffalo and waterbuck are common near the shoreline. Then drive to Nairobi with lunch en route, arriving at about 1:30pm in time for the shuttle bus to Arusha. After the four-hour drive across the Namanga border you are met in Arusha and transferred to your hotel, booked on a bed-and-breakfast basis; dinner is on your own account.

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

  5. Day 5

    Arusha – Serengeti National Park

    The Tanzanian half of the safari begins this morning. Set out from Arusha on the scenic four-hour drive over the Ngorongoro highlands and down onto the endless open plains and wide skies of the Serengeti. A full day of game viewing follows from the 4x4 Land Cruiser, with lion, elephant, giraffe and plains game the usual company, before a late evening game drive brings you to camp at Seronera for dinner and overnight.

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

  6. Day 6

    Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater

    An early morning game drive around Seronera, when leopard and lion are most active, then return to camp for breakfast and pack up. Depart across the Serengeti's short-grass plains to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving on the crater rim in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the public campsite on the rim, in tents with beds and bedding provided; nights here are cool at over 2,000 metres.

    Overnight
    Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro Serena Safari LodgeNeptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    An acacia tree above grassland at sunset.
    Serengeti plains, where the next stage of the route takes you.

  7. Day 7

    Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha

    After breakfast the 4x4 Land Cruiser takes you 2,000 feet down into the Ngorongoro Crater, viewing animals from the descent road and across the crater floor, where lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena and, with luck, black rhino live year-round. Picnic lunch is taken in the crater before ascending to the rim and driving back to Arusha, arriving at about 5:30pm. Overnight is on a bed-and-breakfast basis; dinner is on your own account.

    Overnight
    Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel ArushaGran Melia Arusha
    Meals
    Breakfast and picnic lunch

  8. Day 8

    Arusha – Nairobi

    After breakfast in Arusha, our partner takes you to the shuttle bus for Nairobi. On arrival you are met and transferred to the airport or your Nairobi hotel. If you are flying out of Kilimanjaro instead, you can be transferred directly from the hotel to the airport for your flight home or onward to another destination. Let us know your flight details when booking so the right 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 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, Luxury, 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 Kenya Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru & Tanzania Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater 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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