13-Day Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha → Amboseli → Arusha → Lake Manyara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Tarangire → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Masai Mara

   The morning starts in Nairobi, from where you continue overland to Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, depending on movement and conditions on the day. 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

   The day is set aside for Masai Mara, with drives timed around the first and last hours of light. Much of the day is spent among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. 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

   The day opens in Masai Mara with a morning departure for Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife. 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. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Nakuru.

4. Day 4

   Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Lake Nakuru bound for Lake Naivasha, following the Rift Valley escarpment road with its long views over the valley floor. Once you reach Lake Naivasha there is time to check in before heading out among a freshwater Rift Valley lake fringed by papyrus, fever trees and flower-farming country. This is good country in which to look for hippo, waterbuck, colobus and an exceptional range of resident and migratory waterbirds. Naivasha is one of the few freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley, which is why boat trips and walking safaris are possible here rather than vehicle drives alone. Dinner is served at your Lake Naivasha camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

5. Day 5

   Lake Naivasha to Amboseli

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Lake Naivasha for the drive to Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. This is good country in which to look for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. 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. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Amboseli.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   Today is spent entirely in Amboseli, beginning with a game drive shortly after first light. 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. Dinner and overnight are again at your Amboseli camp or lodge.

7. Day 7

   Amboseli to Arusha

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Amboseli 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. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Arusha.

8. Day 8

   Arusha to Lake Manyara

   You leave Arusha after breakfast and head for Lake Manyara, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Look for elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo as the light softens through the afternoon. 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. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Manyara.

9. Day 9

   Lake Manyara to Serengeti

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Lake Manyara 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. Dinner is served at your Serengeti camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

10. Day 10

    Full-Day Serengeti Safari

    A full day in Serengeti allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Much of the day is spent among vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. 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. The evening returns you to your Serengeti accommodation for dinner and overnight.

11. Day 11

    Serengeti to Ngorongoro

    After breakfast you leave Serengeti and travel on toward Ngorongoro, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen as the light softens through the afternoon. 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.

12. Day 12

    Ngorongoro Crater to Tarangire

    After breakfast you leave Ngorongoro Crater and travel on toward Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through 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. The evening is spent at your Tarangire accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

13. Day 13

    Tarangire to Arusha

    After breakfast you leave Tarangire and travel on toward Arusha, 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. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. You are dropped at your Nairobi hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.