13-Day Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Amboseli → Namanga / Arusha → Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Lake Manyara → Arusha → Nairobi / Onward

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Masai Mara

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Nairobi for the drive to Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner is served at your Masai Mara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   A full day in Masai Mara allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Much of the day is spent among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Keep watch for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game as you move between the different habitats. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Masai Mara.

3. Day 3

   Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru

   You leave Masai Mara after breakfast and head for Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. Look for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife as the light softens through the afternoon. The park operates as a sanctuary and is one of Kenya's more reliable places to look for rhino; flamingo numbers on the lake rise and fall with water levels. Dinner is served at your Lake Nakuru camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

4. Day 4

   Lake Nakuru to Amboseli

   The morning starts in Lake Nakuru, from where you continue overland to Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. There is the possibility of seeing large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps, depending on movement and conditions on the day. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Amboseli.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   A full day in Amboseli allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Much of the day is spent among open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Keep watch for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps as you move between the different habitats. The swamps stay green through dry months, drawing elephants and plains game into concentrated, highly photographable groups. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Amboseli.

6. Day 6

   Amboseli to Arusha via Namanga

   The morning starts in Amboseli, from where you continue overland to Arusha via Namanga, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. The crossing involves border formalities on both sides and an operating-team handover between the Kenyan and Tanzanian crews. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Dinner is served at your Arusha via Namanga camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

7. Day 7

   Arusha to Tarangire

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Arusha bound for Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Once you reach Tarangire there is time to check in before heading out among rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. This is good country in which to look for large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. Dinner is served at your Tarangire camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

8. Day 8

   Tarangire to Serengeti

   The morning starts in Tarangire, from where you continue overland to Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Once you reach Serengeti there is time to check in before heading out among vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra as the light softens through the afternoon. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Serengeti.

9. Day 9

   Full-Day Serengeti Safari

   You spend the day in Serengeti, heading out early and returning as the light goes. You travel through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Keep watch for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra as you move between the different habitats. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Serengeti.

10. Day 10

    Serengeti to Ngorongoro

    Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Serengeti bound for Ngorongoro, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Once you reach Ngorongoro there is time to check in before heading out among a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. This is good country in which to look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

11. Day 11

    Ngorongoro to Lake Manyara

    The morning starts in Ngorongoro, from where you continue overland to Lake Manyara, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. Once you reach Lake Manyara there is time to check in before heading out among groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo, depending on movement and conditions on the day. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. The evening is spent at your Lake Manyara accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

12. Day 12

    Lake Manyara to Arusha

    Breakfast is taken before you set out from Lake Manyara for the drive to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Dinner is served at your Arusha camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

13. Day 13

    Arusha to Nairobi or Onward Departure

    Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Arusha bound for Nairobi or Onward Departure, returning through the highland approaches to the city. Once you reach Nairobi or Onward Departure there is time to check in before heading out among Kenya's highland capital and the usual start and end point for road safaris. Nairobi is the arrival and departure hub for most Kenyan safari itineraries. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport.