11 Days Kenya & Tanzania Safari

11 Days Kenya & Tanzania Safari

This 11 Days Kenya & Tanzania Safari opens with a scenic flight from Nairobi straight into the Masai Mara, skipping the long overland drive most Kenya itineraries require, before crossing into Tanzania overland for a complete tour of the northern circuit: Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire.

Three full days in the Masai Mara with an optional hot air balloon safari — are followed by a border crossing at Isebania and two full days of game drives in the Serengeti. From there, the trip visits Olduvai Gorge and takes a crater rim walking safari before descending into Ngorongoro itself, then finishes with a day in Tarangire’s baobab-studded landscape, including a guided walking safari.

This itinerary suits travelers with time for a comprehensive Kenya-Tanzania trip, who want the convenience of a flight into the Mara balanced against a full, unhurried tour of Tanzania’s four headline destinations.

Quick Facts

Highlights

• Day 1: Arrival and pick-up
• Day 2: Fly to Masai Mara Game Reserve
• Days 3 & 4: Experience the Masai Mara, optional hot air balloon safari
• Day 5: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
• Days 6 & 7: Full day in Serengeti National Park
• Day 8: Transfer to Ngorongoro, crater rim walking safari, Olduvai Gorge
• Day 9: Full day Ngorongoro Crater game drive
• Day 10: Transfer to Tarangire National Park, full day game drive
• Day 11: Morning game drive and departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Pick-Up

On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Nairobi for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Best Western Hotel

Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 2: Fly to Masai Mara Game Reserve

After breakfast, your guide will transfer you to Wilson Airstrip for your flight to the Masai Mara, flying over the endless savannah plains. On landing, your driver-guide will meet you for a morning game drive.

Head to your lodge to check in and have lunch, then return to the reserve in the afternoon for a further game drive, watching for lions, leopards, cape buffaloes, gazelles, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, hippos, and colorful birdlife. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Julia’s River Camp or Mara Sopa Lodge (subject to availability)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Days 3 & 4: Experience the Masai Mara, Optional Hot Air Balloon Safari

Spend two days exploring the Masai Mara, known for its endless savannah, the Big Five, and the Great Wildebeest Migration. Game drives take you across nearly every corner of the reserve, with sightings of lions, leopards, buffaloes, gazelles, zebras, cheetahs, and — with the right timing — the migrating herds of wildebeest, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, and zebra.

On one of these mornings, add an optional hot air balloon safari, flying over the plains for a bird’s-eye view of the reserve’s landscape. The experience closes with a Champagne breakfast served in the bush before you rejoin the day’s game drives.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Transfer to Serengeti National Park

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge before meeting your guide for the drive to Serengeti National Park, with a game drive en route. Cross into Tanzania at the Isebania border and continue to your lodge in the Serengeti. Check in and relax before dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Central Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Days 6 & 7: Full Day in Serengeti National Park

After a hearty breakfast, head into Serengeti National Park for morning and afternoon game drives, with sightings of lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, elands, hyenas, gazelles, and hippos, among others. Enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the park’s picnic sites and continue game driving until sunset. Return to your lodge each evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Central Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp

Serengeti National Park

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Transfer to Ngorongoro, Crater Rim Walking Safari, Olduvai Gorge

Enjoy breakfast before heading out with a packed lunch for the transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a game drive en route. Along the way, visit the renowned Olduvai Gorge, the archaeological site where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey discovered some of the earliest known human remains, now on display at the site.

Continue to the Ngorongoro Crater rim for a walking safari, with close encounters with zebras, giraffes, warthogs, and wildebeest, among others. In the evening, head to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Hhando Coffee Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9: Full Day Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive

Wake early for breakfast and descend 600 meters into Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact, unfilled caldera and one of Africa’s eight natural wonders, for a full day game drive. Watch for the Big Five — lion, leopard, cape buffalo, rhino, and elephant — along with wildebeest, hippos, warthogs, cheetahs, African wild dogs, hyenas, and gazelles.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater and continue the game drive into the evening before ascending the crater rim and heading to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Hhando Coffee Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10: Transfer to Tarangire National Park, Full Day Game Drive

After breakfast, check out and drive to Tarangire National Park, known for its giant baobab trees and large elephant herds. On arrival, take a game drive and enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the Tarangire River. In the evening, take part in a guided walking safari.

Tarangire is home to large elephant herds, buffaloes, giraffes, hippos, troops of baboons, and a wide range of birdlife. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Baobab Tented Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 11: Morning Game Drive and Departure

After breakfast at the lodge, transfer to Arusha in time for your onward flight, bringing your 11 Days Kenya and Tanzania Safari to an end.

What’s Included

• Safari vehicle and fuel — Land Cruiser in both Kenya and Tanzania
• Full-time English-speaking guide-driver
• All accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
• All national park fees
• All meals on the safari
• All game viewing activities specified
• Kenya and Tanzania VAT on tourism activities and park fees
• Concession and crater fees
• Drinking water in the safari vehicle
• Government taxes

What’s Not Included

• Flights, visas, and related costs
• Personal expenses such as drinks, laundry, and telephone calls
• Optional excursions and activities not listed in the itinerary
• Tips and gratuities
• Anything else not included in the itinerary

window and budget, our safari consultants are happy to help you put it together.