7-Day Kenya & Tanzania Safari: Mara + Serengeti
Two countries, one ecosystem: Mara, Serengeti and crater.
From $3,250
Kenya & Tanzania | 12 days | combo, beach
12-day Kenya & Tanzania + Zanzibar
The grand two-country arc with a Zanzibar finale.
Duration12 days
Stylecombo, beach
StartsNairobi
EndsNairobi
Green season from$5,950 pp
Peak season from$7,250 pp
Two-country East Africa: Mara plus Serengeti with Isebania/Namanga border handling, crater included from seven days, Amboseli and Zanzibar on longer formats. The ultimate unhurried format: everything, slowly, with contingency days built in. Route: Masai Mara - Central Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater - Zanzibar over 12 days. Season logic:
Highlights
- Private throughout - own vehicle and guide, departing on your dates, with no group to join.
- Safari route - Masai Mara, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar.
- Season-smart routing - camp zone set by your month, not by a fixed template.
- Honest pricing - park and concession fees line-itemed on every quote.
- Masai Mara - the July to October migration and year-round big-cat density.
- 7 nights in Zanzibar - beach nights are the point of the combination, so anything under three reads as a taster.
- Beach and bush - game drives first, Indian Ocean afterwards, reached by a short flight rather than a long drive.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Nairobi
Morning: Land at Nairobi; meet your private guide for a full safari briefing.
Midday: Lunch and gear check; rest after the flight.
Afternoon: Introductory game drive in Masai Mara where routing allows, else lodge pool and early rest.
Evening: Dinner and overnight near Nairobi. (Add a pre-night after long-haul arrivals.)
Meals: Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Nairobi.
Day 2 - Masai Mara
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Afternoon game drive in Masai Mara: Marsh Pride lions, river crossings in season and big-cat density at its peak.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Tented camp or lodge in the Masai Mara.
Day 3 - Central Serengeti
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Afternoon game drive in Central Serengeti: Resident big cats around Seronera - lions, leopards and cheetahs at close range. Transfer from Masai Mara (a scenic road transfer).
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Permanent tented camp in the Central Serengeti.
Day 4 - Ngorongoro Crater
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Afternoon game drive in Ngorongoro Crater: Gate-open descent for lions, black rhino, hyena clans and flamingo lakes on the crater floor. Transfer from Central Serengeti (a scenic road transfer).
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Crater-rim lodge or permanent camp in the Ngorongoro highlands.
Day 5 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Afternoon game drive in Zanzibar: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip. Transfer from Ngorongoro Crater (a scenic road transfer).
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 6 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Second full day for deeper territories with picnic lunch out: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 7 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Second full day for deeper territories with picnic lunch out: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 8 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Second full day for deeper territories with picnic lunch out: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 9 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Second full day for deeper territories with picnic lunch out: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 10 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Second full day for deeper territories with picnic lunch out: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 11 - Zanzibar
Morning: Early departure for a dawn game drive when predators are still active, returning for brunch.
Midday: Picnic lunch at a designated site or lodge lunch, then rest through the midday heat while wildlife dozes.
Afternoon: Second full day for deeper territories with picnic lunch out: Spice farms, Stone Town and white-sand beach days to close the trip.
Evening: Sundowner at a scenic stop, dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Beach hotel or boutique stay on the Zanzibar coast.
Day 12 - Depart
Morning: Final sunrise activity around Zanzibar with bush breakfast.
Midday: Brunch, then transfer to Nairobi for onward connections.
Afternoon: Day rooms available on late flights; souvenir stop if time allows.
Evening: End of safari services at Nairobi airport.
Meals: Breakfast and brunch.
Accommodation: Departure day - no overnight stay.
Why this 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari itinerary
12 days on the Kenya and Tanzania circuit: Masai Mara, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar. Every day below is a real day on the ground, not a transfer with a game drive attached.
Why Masai Mara comes first
It is the wildlife payoff of the Kenyan circuit, so the route builds toward it - and that is where the route opens.
Zanzibar gets 7 nights
Zanzibar holds 7 of the 12 days, and that is deliberate: beach nights are the point of the combination, so anything under three reads as a taster.
What 12 days buys
12 days is the unhurried format. With this many nights the itinerary can absorb a closed road, a slow morning or a sighting that runs long, and still finish with everything covered.
Getting around Kenya and Tanzania
A cross-border circuit moves in one direction: the Kenyan parks south, then over the border into the northern Tanzania circuit, so the driving is spent once rather than twice. The Mara and the Serengeti are the same ecosystem split by a line, and the route is built to follow the wildlife across it.
Accommodation
Hand-picked lodges and tented camps matched to your tier - mid-range comfort or luxury suites, always positioned for short game-drive starts. Family rooms, honeymoon suites and triple options on request.
Safari vehicle and guide
Extended 4x4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof, fridge, charging ports and window seats for all. Your English-speaking driver-guide averages a decade in these parks and is assigned by specialty - Migration positioning, photography, birding or family pacing.
Who this safari is best for
Two-country travelers - one ecosystem, zero repeated parks.
Pricing
| Season | Per person (2 travelers) |
|---|---|
| Green season | from $5,950 |
| Peak season | from $7,250 |
| Tier | What you get |
|---|---|
| Budget | Camping and simple camps, with departures in the green season to hold the rate down. The private vehicle, your guide and the park fees stay exactly the same - the cut is beds and season, never guiding or positioning. |
| Mid-range | Comfortable lodges and tented camps with full board, positioned for short game-drive starts. This is the standard the from-price on this page assumes. |
| Luxury | Top-end suites and private villas in the best position in camp, private guiding throughout and flexible meal times. The highest season surcharge applies. |
Best time to book
Kenya and Tanzania runs on two seasons. The one you pick changes what you see, what the camps cost and how far ahead you need to commit.
Dry season
June to October is the shared dry window across both countries: comfortable days, thinning vegetation and wildlife concentrated on the remaining water. July to August is the busiest stretch, when the migration is in the Mara and northern Serengeti.
Green season
The short rains arrive in November and the long rains in March to May. The parks green up, rates fall and the crowds thin, and the January to March calving season in the southern Serengeti is the outstanding wildlife event of the green months.
What actually drives the timing
The migration does not recognise the border: it is in the Mara from July to October and in the southern Serengeti for calving from January. The itinerary positions camp on whichever side the herds are on for your dates.
How far ahead to book
June to August and the migration months want six to twelve months of notice across both countries, because you are booking two countries' camps at once. Green-season departures usually work on two to four months.
What is included and excluded
Every price on this page is a full-cost quote. Park and concession fees are line-itemed, so the total you compare against another operator is the total you pay.
Included
- Transport and guiding - private extended 4x4 safari vehicle with a dedicated driver-guide for your group only.
- Park and conservation fees - entry to Masai Mara, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, paid on your behalf and shown as line items on the quote.
- Accommodation - 11 nights in lodges, tented camps or seasonal camps matched to your tier.
- Meals - most meals as listed day by day: breakfast at camp, a picnic or lodge lunch, and dinner, with bottled water in the vehicle throughout.
- Transfers - every road transfer in the day-by-day, including airport pick-up and drop-off.
- Game drives - morning and afternoon drives in your own vehicle, on no schedule but yours.
- Taxes - government taxes and VAT on everything quoted.
Not included
- International flights - into Jomo Kenyatta International, Nairobi (NBO); we route the connections but do not issue tickets.
- Visas - One decision per country, and they differ: Kenya issues only the eTA since 2024 at US$32.50 online at least three days ahead, Tanzania sells visas on arrival at US$50 and US$100 for United States citizens. We confirm every rule for your nationality before you commit to flights.
- Travel insurance - required, and it must include medical evacuation.
- Premium drinks - premium wines, spirits and cocktails at lodges and camps.
- Tips - driver-guide and camp staff gratuities.
- Optional extras - balloon or scenic flights, extra nights, luxury camp tier, beach or trekking extensions.
Parks and guides
Masai Mara | Central Serengeti | Ngorongoro Crater
Back to hub | Style hub | Customize any itinerary
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FAQs
Traveling solo - how do single supplements work?
All itineraries run solo. Expect a 20 to 50 percent supplement where lodges charge per room; vehicles cost the same whether one or six ride. Ask for the honest supplement math per trip.
Is a balloon flight worth adding?
Once, yes: a dawn flight over the Serengeti or Mara with a bush breakfast runs 550 to 600 dollars and minimum ages apply. Book at proposal stage - seats sell out months ahead in season.
How far ahead should we book?
Peak Migration and gorilla-permit months need 6 to 12 months. Green season often works with 2 to 4 months notice.
Is this trip suitable for children?
With a private vehicle and pools at stops, yes for most routes. Gorilla trekking has a strict minimum age of 15.
How much should we tip?
As a guideline: 15 to 25 dollars per day for your driver-guide (per group, not per person), 10 to 15 dollars per day into camp communal tip boxes, and 20 to 30 dollars for a gorilla porter. Restaurants 10 percent where service is not included.
Can dietary needs be handled in bush camps?
Yes - vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and most allergies are routinely catered with advance notice. Remote camps need 30 days notice for specialist supplies; tell us at proposal stage.
Camps cook from scratch, so most requests are a kitchen question rather than a supply one. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are routine; halal and kosher products have to be imported in the remotest valleys, which is where the 30-day notice applies - Skeleton Coast, northern Uganda, the deeper Okavango camps. Menus are planned per group before the first grocery run, so tell us at proposal stage rather than on arrival. Guides carry your dietary notes on every drive, and camps refill filtered water wherever possible instead of trucking in bottles.
Can older travelers or limited mobility join?
Often yes: game drives are vehicle-based, many lodges have ground-floor rooms with walk-in showers, and we grade walking and trekking honestly. Tell us constraints and we design around them - except gorilla trekking, which demands real hill fitness.
What is included in the from-price?
Private 4x4 and driver-guide, accommodation, park and concession fees, listed transfers and most meals. International flights, visas, insurance and tips are excluded.
On our quotes the from-price covers the private 4x4 and driver-guide, accommodation, park and concession fees, listed transfers and most meals; it excludes international flights, visas, insurance, tips and premium drinks. Balloon flights, night drives and gorilla permits appear as optional line items you switch on.
Can we add a beach extension?
Yes - Zanzibar, Diani and Mozambique links are routine. Say the word and the flights slot into your proposal.
Request this safari
Your dates, your camp tier - reply within 24 hours.