12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari: Classic Mara to Ngorongoro Route
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About This 12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari
This 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari follows the classic East African route through five of the region’s greatest wildlife areas: the Maasai Mara and Amboseli in Kenya, then Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. Known as our Kenya Tanzania classic safari, it gives you the big cats, the elephants beneath Kilimanjaro and the endless plains of the Serengeti in one unforgettable journey.
Quick Answer
This 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari is an 11-night road safari from Nairobi with The Out Of Africa Experience. It includes 1 night in Nairobi, 3 nights in the Maasai Mara, 2 nights in Amboseli, 1 night at Lake Manyara, 2 nights in the Serengeti and 2 nights in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, crossing from Kenya into Tanzania at the Namanga border. All safari nights are full board, and park and conservancy fees are included.
Three nights in the Mara and two in the Serengeti give you plenty of time for this Maasai Mara and Serengeti safari, the two halves of the same great ecosystem. The trip finishes with a full day in the Ngorongoro Crater before you return to Arusha. The Out Of Africa Experience is a Nairobi-based safari operator that has run private safaris since 2005, and we can adjust this itinerary to your dates and interests.
Duration
12 Days / 11 Nights
Start / End
Nairobi / Arusha
Parks
Mara · Amboseli · Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Travel Style
Classic road safari
12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari Highlights
🦁 Three nights in the Maasai Mara for big cats and plains game
🐘 Free-ranging elephants beneath Mount Kilimanjaro in Amboseli
🦩 Flamingos and 400+ bird species at Lake Manyara
🐃 Two nights on the endless plains of the Serengeti
🦏 A full day in the Ngorongoro Crater, home to black rhino
🌍 Two countries in one trip, crossing at Namanga
12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari Itinerary: Day by Day
Tap each day to see the details.
Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi
🛏 Overnight: Tamarind Tree Hotel or similar (Bed & Breakfast)
On arrival at the airport in Nairobi, our representative meets you and, after a pre-safari briefing, transfers you to your city hotel.
Day 2: Nairobi – Maasai Mara National Reserve
🛏 Overnight: Ashnil Mara Camp or similar (Full Board)
After breakfast, your 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari heads for the Maasai Mara through the Great Rift Valley, crossing the vast savannah plains with a few brief stops along the way. Arrive in time for lunch, followed by an early afternoon at leisure, then set out on an evening game drive until dusk.
Days 3–4: Maasai Mara National Reserve
🛏 Overnight: Ashnil Mara Camp or similar (Full Board)
Spend two full days in the reserve, choosing early-morning and evening game drives, or half-day and full-day drives with picnic lunches, to look for lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants and the Mara’s abundant plains game.
Optional (extra cost): A Maasai village visit, or a sunrise hot air balloon safari over the Mara.
Day 5: Maasai Mara – Nairobi – Amboseli National Park
🛏 Overnight: Ol Tukai Lodge or similar (Full Board)
After breakfast, drive back through Nairobi for lunch (included), then continue to Amboseli National Park, with a game drive on the way to your lodge. Check in at Ol Tukai Lodge in the late evening.
Day 6: Amboseli National Park
🛏 Overnight: Ol Tukai Lodge or similar (Full Board)
Spend the day in Amboseli, with early-morning and evening game drives or half-day and full-day drives with picnic lunches. A Maasai village visit is available at extra cost.
About Amboseli National Park: On the border of Kenya and Tanzania, Amboseli National Park is known as one of the best places in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants. It also offers spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and the chance to meet the Maasai.
Day 7: Amboseli – Namanga Border – Lake Manyara National Park
🛏 Overnight: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge or similar (Full Board)
After breakfast, drive to the Kenya–Tanzania border at Namanga. Once you’ve completed the Namanga border crossing formalities, your 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari continues into Tanzania to Lake Manyara National Park, arriving in time for lunch, followed by a late-afternoon game drive until dusk.
About Lake Manyara National Park: Famous for the flamingos that gather on the lake’s edges in their thousands during the wet season. More than 400 bird species live in the park, many of them year-round, and visitors can expect to see upwards of 100 species in a single day, making it a birdwatcher’s paradise.
Day 8: Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park
🛏 Overnight: Katikati Tented Camp or similar (Full Board)
After breakfast, drive to Serengeti National Park, arriving at camp in time for lunch. The early afternoon is at leisure, followed by an evening game drive until dusk.
About the Serengeti: The Serengeti is known for its annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and around 250,000 zebra, and for its large Nile crocodiles. Its name comes from the Maasai word siringet, meaning “the place where the land runs on forever”. The park is usually divided into three regions: the Serengeti Plains, the Northern Serengeti and the Western Corridor.
Day 9: Full Day in the Serengeti
🛏 Overnight: Katikati Tented Camp or similar (Full Board)
Spend the day exploring the Serengeti, choosing a half-day or full-day game drive, or separate morning and afternoon drives.
Day 10: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
🛏 Overnight: Kitela Lodge or similar (Full Board)
After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving for lunch, with the afternoon at leisure to take in this remarkable landscape.
About the Ngorongoro Crater: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its centrepiece, the Ngorongoro Crater, is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera, about 610 metres deep with a floor covering around 260 km². It formed two to three million years ago when a large volcano exploded and collapsed. The crater is home to black rhino, lions, hyenas, wildebeest, zebra and buffalo, while Lake Magadi on the crater floor often attracts thousands of lesser flamingos. Giraffes and topi are absent from the crater floor.
Day 11: Full Day in the Ngorongoro Crater
🛏 Overnight: Kitela Lodge or similar (Full Board)
Spend a full day on a Ngorongoro Crater game drive, with a picnic lunch, looking for black rhino and the crater’s dense wildlife. A Maasai village visit is available at extra cost.
Day 12: Ngorongoro – Arusha – Departure
After breakfast, transfer to Arusha in time for your shuttle to Nairobi, or to the airport for your flight to Nairobi to connect with your flight home or your chosen extension. The shuttle or flight to Nairobi is not included.
End of your 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari.
What’s Included
✓ Accommodation as listed
✓ Meals as per the itinerary and each lodge’s meal plan
✓ Park fees and conservancy fees
✓ Safari vehicle with a pop-up roof for game viewing and photography
✓ Airport transfers
✓ Lunch in Nairobi on Day 5
✓ Professional English-speaking driver-guide
✓ 1 litre of bottled water per person per day
Not Included
✗ Visas
✗ International flights
✗ Shuttle or flight to Nairobi on the last day
✗ Lodge services such as laundry, massage and drinks
✗ Balloon safaris and Maasai village visits
✗ Items of a personal nature
✗ Tips and gratuities
Meal plans: Bed & Breakfast includes accommodation and breakfast. Full Board includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Easter and festive season supplements apply; contact us for details.
12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari: Frequently Asked Questions
How many nights are spent in each park?
1 night in Nairobi, 3 nights in the Maasai Mara, 2 nights in Amboseli, 1 night at Lake Manyara, 2 nights in the Serengeti and 2 nights in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area: 11 nights in total.
How do you cross from Kenya into Tanzania?
By road at the Namanga border between Amboseli and Lake Manyara on day 7. Visas are not included, so arrange your Kenya and Tanzania entry documents before you travel.
Can you see both the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti on one trip?
Yes. This 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari includes 3 nights in the Maasai Mara and 2 nights in the Serengeti, the Kenyan and Tanzanian halves of the same great ecosystem.
Is the hot air balloon safari included?
No. Balloon safaris and Maasai village visits are optional extras at additional cost.
How do I get home from Arusha?
On day 12, we take you to Arusha for a shuttle to Nairobi or to the airport for a flight to Nairobi to connect with your flight home. The shuttle or flight is not included in the package.
Explore more combined itineraries on our Kenya and Tanzania safaris page.
Book Your 12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari
Contact our Nairobi team or use the Plan My Trip form. Every itinerary can be adjusted to your dates, group size and budget.
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