Kenya & Tanzania · Midrange
A 7-day midrange safari through Lake Nakuru, the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
Price
Price on request
Places as named in the journey title. Nights in each are set out in your itinerary.
Starts in Nairobi · finishes in Arusha
The route, days and named stays are as planned. What is included at each stop, from food, park fees and drinking water to room types, permits and border arrangements, and any camp or lodge not named here, is set out in your written quotation. Game drives on travel days depend on arrival and departure times, timings can change with road and park conditions, and wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. Photographs illustrate each day’s destination; they are not pictures of a particular departure.
Nairobi → Lake Nakuru
The first day is a short drive from Nairobi north-west along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway to Lake Nakuru National Park, where the 4×4 Land Cruiser enters through one of the park’s gates. Buraha Zenoni, which our catalogue names for Lake Nakuru, is the base for the night. An afternoon game drive looks for the park’s black and white rhinos and for the waterbirds on the lake shore, where flamingos may gather in numbers that vary from season to season.
Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara
Where time allows, after a morning drive at Lake Nakuru, the journey turns south-west to the Maasai Mara. It is a long drive, but it brings the safari to the Kenyan half of the great Mara–Serengeti ecosystem, which the journey will follow across the border in two days’ time. A lodge in the Mara is the base for two nights, and if the timing allows, an afternoon drive gives a first look at the grassland.
Maasai Mara
A full day in the Mara shows the Kenyan side of the migration story. The Mara Conservancy describes the herds arriving around June or July and staying until November, crossing the Mara River and spreading across the plains. At other times of year, the reserve’s own wildlife takes centre stage, and the Conservancy notes that before the herds arrive, the red oat grass, elephants, giraffes and lions give the reserve a quieter beauty of its own.
Maasai Mara → Kenya–Tanzania border → Serengeti
This is the day the journey changes country. Leaving the Mara, the Land Cruiser heads for the Tanzanian border and the Serengeti beyond; the crossing point is confirmed in your quotation, and entry requirements should be checked in advance on official sites. The Serengeti has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, and arriving on its plains after the Mara shows how the two parks form one landscape divided by a border.
Serengeti
A full day in the Serengeti is a chance to look for the animals that make it famous: the migrating herds when they are in the area, and at any time the lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos that live here. TANAPA notes that guides in the park must be certified and that drones are not allowed without special permission. With more than 500 bird species, from ostriches to eagles, there is something to see even between the big sightings.
Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Where time allows, an early drive in the Serengeti is followed by the journey to the Ngorongoro highlands. The crater, formed about 2.5 million years ago when a massive volcano collapsed, takes its name from the Maasai phrase “orgirra le kkorongorro”, meaning “big bowl”. The night is spent at a lodge on or near the rim, with the crater floor to explore in the morning and the view down into the caldera as a preview this evening.
Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
The final day descends into the Ngorongoro Crater, where the NCAA counts more than 25,000 animals, including the Big Five, on a floor of grassland, swamps and rivers. Only four-wheel-drive vehicles may enter, and the Land Cruiser carries you across the floor in search of rhinos, lions, elephants and buffalo. Afterwards, the journey finishes in Arusha, where onward travel is arranged with you.
Like the shape of these days? Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and our team will set out the stays, meals and inclusions in a written quotation.
Lake Nakuru
Overnight at the lodge. The camp or lodge is discussed with you during planning and confirmed with your itinerary, subject to availability. How accommodation works on our safaris
Big Time pick
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Nyati Safari Camp (Amboseli), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
Big Time pick
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Nyati Safari Camp (Amboseli), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
Samburu · Aberdares · Nakuru · Maasai Mara · Amboseli · Ngorongoro · Serengeti · Manyara
Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and anything you would like to change. Our team will tell you what this journey can include.
