An affordable 9-day lodge safari, this Tanzania & Kenya Safari explores Masai Mara, Serengeti, and other top African wildlife parks.
Travel from Nairobi, Kenya's capital, to the world-famous Masai Mara Game Reserve, via the scenic Great Rift Valley. Experience Kenya's Masai Mara and see an abundance of African wildlife, witnessing the Great Migration in season! From Masai Mara, drive north to Hells Gate National Park and Lake Naivasha, before traveling south to the scenic Amboseli National Park of Kenya.
Leaving Kenya, cross into Tanzania for game drives in Lake Manyara National Park, before embarking on our Serengeti safari. Tanzania's top safari destination, Serengeti is rated the best safari destination in Africa, along with Masai Mara. Last, head to Africa's "Garden of Eden" - the Ngorongoro Crater, hosting one of the highest densities of wildlife in Africa. From the beautiful Ngorongoro Crater drive to Arusha and then Nairobi, where this Private Kenya & Tanzania Safari ends.
This 9-Day Budget Kenya & Tanzania Safari starts with collection from your pre-tour hotel or the airport in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. Traveling to Masai Mara we drive down the escarpment, via the floor of the scenic Great Rift Valley.
We arrive at our tented camp in time for lunch in the afternoon, before embarking on our first thrilling game drive in Masai Mara Game Reserve.
After our game drive, we return to the safari camp near Masai Mara National Reserve, for dinner and an evening of relaxation. We stay in permanent walk-in tents with mosquito nets, beds, and en-suite bathrooms.
Today we spend a full day game-viewing in Kenya's top wildlife park, the Masai Mara National Reserve. One of the most memorable highlights of our Tanzania & Kenya Safari!
Our morning and afternoon game drives take us in search of Africa's Big Five and the abundance of other wildlife inhabiting this vast Kenyan game reserve. On clear days, the Mara offers fantastic orange tinged sunsets well-worth capturing.
The Mara reserve is 1510 km² of incredible wide-open landscapes and fertile riverine woodland following the looping meanders of the Mara and Talek rivers in Kenya. One glimpse is enough to explain its appeal - it is the ultimate open savannah, hosting a mass of amazing wildlife.
Wherever you go in the vast Masai Mara you will see abundant wildlife such as Masai giraffe, baboons, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, topis, impala, hartebeests, and wildebeest. Elephants, buffaloes, zebras and hippos are also found in great numbers. It is also common to see lions either basking after a heavy meal or surveying the plains for their next meal. Cheetahs and leopards are harder to spot but reasonably common.
The ultimate action here is without a doubt the annual wildebeest exodus, the Great Migration, in July and August when millions of these grazers move north from the Serengeti in search of lusher grass, before turning south again in October. The Great Migration of hoofed animals, in turn, attracts hungry predators, such as lions, hyenas, and cheetahs, among others.
Hot-air balloon trips are an entirely outstanding way of seeing the savannah plains teeming with wildlife. These Masai Mara balloon trips can be arranged at extra cost.
Day three of this Tanzania & Kenya Safari kicks off with a game drive in Masai Mara Game Reserve, before breakfast back at camp.
From Masai Mara we travel north to Lake Naivasha, visiting the nearby Hells Gate National Park. This African game park is of geological significance and hosts diverse topographical features along with an array of wildlife and birds.
One of the unique features of this game park is that it can be explored on foot or by bicycle, due to the absence of large predators. Bikes can be hired at extra cost to cycle through the game park. We recommend hiking and cycling in the wildlife park, as this is a great way to experience the bush, as well as being a rare opportunity in Kenyan national parks.
Dinner and overnight at a resort near Lake Naivasha.
Start the day with a relaxing boat ride on Lake Naivasha (optional extra), spotting birds and keeping an eye out for wildlife along the shores of the lake.
Next, we travel back south admiring the rural scenery on our way to the beautiful Amboseli National Park in the Rift Valley Province. Kenya's second most popular safari destination, Amboseli is located in southern Kenya, near the border with Tanzania. We have lunch along the way, embarking on an afternoon game drive when we arrive.
Amboseli National Park covers the open plains at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing mountain, located in neighboring Tanzania. This scenic location sets Mt Kilimanjaro - Africa's tallest mountain, as the backdrop to game viewing in Amboseli; which makes for stunning photographic opportunities.
Wildlife sightings include a host of large herbivores, from buffalo and giraffe to zebra and wildebeest, while predators such as lion, hyena and cheetah are frequently spotted. Amboseli is best known for its large elephant herds, especially the old bulls with their big tusks. This national park is said to be the best place to get up close to free-roaming elephants in Africa. Amboseli's top attraction is the chance to catch close-up photos of these impressive giants with towering Kilimanjaro in the background. The park is also home to rich birdlife, from raptors to waterbirds, offering excellent bird watching.
We have dinner and stay at a safari lodge in Amboseli.
Departing from Amboseli National Park in the morning we drive south into Tanzania. Here our Tanzania & Kenya Safari takes us to the Northern Safari Circuit. Tanzania's most famous game parks are grouped together in the popular Northern Safari Circuit consisting of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire national parks.
First, we make our way into the beautiful Lake Manyara, with packed lunches. This afternoon we explore this scenic wilderness area on a game drive in search of wildlife and birds.
Lake Manyara National Park covers diverse ecosystems, hosting some of Tanzania's most abundant birdlife. The game park around Lake Manyara is famous for its tree-climbing lions, a unique species, as well as its huge baboon populations. The park is home to one of the world's highest concentrations of baboons.
We take a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, before traveling to the world-famous Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is one of the top safari destinations in the world - presenting the classical African wildlife scenes filmed in many a movie and documentary.
On the way to our overnight tented camp, we enjoy game viewing in the game-rich Serengeti ecosystem. End the day with dinner and free time at our overnight camp.
Today we explore the vast Serengeti plains on our budget Tanzania & Kenya Safari. Our game drives take us in search of the staggering variety of wildlife found here. The Serengeti is one of Africa's most famous game parks, boasting prime open savannahs, and teeming with wild animals.
This is Tanzania's largest game park, covering some 14736 km² of the African bushveld. The Serengeti is a year-round game viewing destination, offering world-class game viewing throughout the year. Serengeti Park and the neighboring Masai Mara National Park in Kenya, are however best known for the annual Wildebeest Migration. Also known as the Great Migration, this wildlife spectacle is set in motion when an endless sea of grazers migrate across the plains in search of fresh grazing.
This epic wildlife migration sees a wildebeest population of over a million stampeding through grasslands and rivers. The incredible wildlife migration also includes several other hoofed animals, such as zebra, Thomson's gazelle, impala, topi, Grants gazelle, Kongoni, Eland, Kirk's dik-dik, oryx, oribi, waterbuck, buffalo, giraffe and more! This awe-inspiring herd of grazers, in turn, attracts the predators of Serengeti, from lions, leopards, and cheetahs, to hyenas, jackals, and bat-eared foxes.
The bird watching on Serengeti Safaris is also impressive, with common sightings including ostriches and kori bustards, as well as larks, finches, raptors, and the distinctive lilac-breasted roller.
On the last full day of our Tanzania & Kenya Safari, we head to the beautiful Ngorongoro Crater. We drive southeast into the magnificent Ngorongoro Conservation Area, keeping an eye out for wildlife along the way. Here we spend the night at a safari lodge close to the Ngorongoro Crater.
In the afternoon we drive down to the crater floor for a rewarding afternoon of game viewing. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's biggest whole volcanic caldera at 8300 sq km and hosts high concentrations of wildlife.
It is frequently described as one of the wonders of the world, not only because of its geological magnificence but also because it serves as an extraordinary natural sanctuary for some of Africa's largest populations of big mammals. Ngorongoro and other freestanding mountains are volcanic in origin, formed during the fracturing process that created the Rift Valley 15 to 20 million years ago. When it peaked in size 3 million years ago it was a similar height to that of Mt. Kilimanjaro today!
After breakfast we depart from the Ngorongoro Crater, making our way to Arusha in Tanzania. We arrive in Arusha by 12:00 in time to catch the transfer back to Nairobi. Alternatively, you can finish your Tanzania & Kenya Safari in Arusha.
Our Budget Masai Mara & Serengeti Safari ends in Kenya's Nairobi city, with drop off at the airport at about 18h30.
Please note that the Wildebeest Great Migration is seasonal. As a natural wildlife phenomenon, it is fluid and unpredictable. For this reason, seeing the Great Migration cannot be guaranteed.
The wildebeest and other wild herbivores migrate between Masai Mara in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania. These herds move in a massive circular route covering some 1200 miles (1931km). It is a continuous movement of wildlife that can be seen in different areas at different times of the year. During certain phases of this annual trek, the animals disperse or slow down, whilst at other times the migration picks up speed, with the herds becoming larger and denser. Not only does the Wildebeest Great Migration vary from place to place and season to season but the movement of these large wildlife herds varies from year to year.
Please talk to a travel expert from African Budget Safaris about seeing the Wildebeest Great Migration on your safari to find out more. Also, check out our detailed article about the Great Migration in Serengeti and Masai Mara.
For up-to-date and confirmed pricing info for optional items, please drop us an enquiry.
This tour does take children.
Children of all ages, travelling with accompanying parents or guardian, are accepted on this safari.
Please contact African Budget Safaris for further information.
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