5/5
Kenya and Tanzania: the Masai Mara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro
11 days from Nairobi to Arusha: three nights in the Masai Mara, a border crossing at Isebania and a planned short flight to three nights in the Serengeti, then Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
11 days · Nairobi to Arusha · up to 12 guests
Cattle and their herder in the Kenyan countryside Photo: Ninara, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenyan_Countryside_-_52462106667.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 11 days, 10 nights
- Start and end
- Nairobi to Arusha
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Little walking: a village walk of about two hours in Mto wa Mbu and short walks at camp. The effort is early starts around 6 am, long hours in a 4x4 on rough, dusty tracks, two small-plane flights, and cold dawns at about 2,300 m on the Ngorongoro rim. Any game drive can be sat out at camp.
- Meals included
- 10 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 9 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,650 (estimated price)
- Season
- January to March and June to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Three nights in the Masai Mara, with a full day out and a picnic in the reserve
- A border crossing at Isebania with your guide, then a planned short flight into the Serengeti, confirmed at booking, instead of 10 hours on the road
- Three nights in the Serengeti, with dawn and late-afternoon drives and a full day where the herds are
- Ngorongoro Crater at gate opening, among the first vehicles on the crater floor
- A Maasai village visit, Olduvai Gorge, Lake Manyara and a Mto wa Mbu walk and lunch, all included
- At most six guests in each 4x4, every seat a window, seats rotated daily
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,650 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Nairobi
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to your hotel in Nairobi
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Nairobi
- Drive about 45 min

Fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), about 18 km south-east of the city centre. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you to your hotel; allow 45 minutes or more, because Nairobi traffic is heavy at rush hour. Have your Kenyan eTA approved before you fly, as there is no visa on arrival.
Afternoon
If you land early, the afternoon is yours: the Nairobi National Museum and the Karen Blixen Museum are both an easy taxi ride, and your guide can tell you how to fit one in.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead: why we start early, how the window seats rotate in the 4x4s, the 15 kg soft-bag limit on tomorrow's flight, and what to have ready for the border on day 5. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner. Repack tonight, because tomorrow we fly to the Mara.
Included
- Pick-up at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Plan to land by about 3 pm to make the briefing. If your flight lands late, your guide catches you up at breakfast.
Fly to the Masai Mara
Wilson Airport in Nairobi to an airstrip in the Masai Mara, then a game drive to camp
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Masai Mara
- Drive about 30 min
By road the Mara is about 270 km and five to six hours from Nairobi, longer than our four-hour limit, so we fly.
Morning
After breakfast it is about half an hour across town to Wilson Airport, Nairobi's light-aircraft airport, for a scheduled flight of 45 minutes to an hour, sometimes with a stop at another airstrip. The Great Rift Valley passes below. At the airstrip our Kenyan driver-guides meet us with the 4x4s: at most six guests in each, every seat a window, with a pop-up roof for standing and photos. We game drive to camp, a tented camp in or close to the Mara Triangle, the western part of the reserve, for three nights.
Afternoon
Lunch is at camp, then a rest through the heat of the day.
Evening
At about four we head out again as the light softens, over open grassland with lone acacias, looking for lions, elephants, topi and giraffe, and are back by dusk for dinner.
Included
- Flight from Wilson Airport, Nairobi, to the Masai Mara
- Game drive from the airstrip to camp
- Late-afternoon game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve
Easier option: Skip the late-afternoon drive and settle in at camp.
Free time: Early afternoon free at camp
Activity: Light-aircraft baggage limit of about 15 kg per person in a soft bag.
A full day in the Mara
Full-day game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve, with a picnic lunch
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Masai Mara
Morning
We leave at about 6:30 am with coffee in a flask and breakfast packed, because the first hours are when the cats are most active and the light is soft. The Masai Mara is the northern end of the same ecosystem as the Serengeti, about 1,500 square kilometres of grassland cut by the Mara and Talek rivers. From about July to October the wildebeest and zebra herds are usually here, and crossings of the Mara River are possible, though no one can say when or where the herds will cross. Your driver-guides share sightings by radio, and we wait at a crossing point only as long as the group wants. In the other months the Mara keeps its resident lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos and cheetahs all year.
Evening
We picnic in the shade of a tree inside the reserve and return to camp in the late afternoon, with time for a shower before dinner. If you have booked the balloon, you lift off at dawn and join us after a bush breakfast.
Included
- Full-day game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve
- Picnic lunch in the reserve
Optional experiences
- Hot-air balloon flight at dawn with a bush breakfast. Booked in advance.
Easier option: Return to camp at lunchtime with one vehicle, when the group agrees.
Activity: A long day sitting in the vehicle, often on bumpy tracks. Bring a warm layer for the dawn start.
Mara at dawn, a Maasai village in the afternoon
Dawn game drive, then a visit to a Maasai village near the reserve
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Masai Mara
Morning
One more early drive at first light, to a different corner of the reserve from yesterday, chosen by your driver-guides from what was seen the day before. We have coffee before we go and come back to camp at about ten for a late breakfast, then the middle of the day is free: rest in your tent, read on the deck, or watch the plains from camp.
Evening
In the middle of the afternoon we drive a short way out of the reserve to a Maasai village, an enkang of homes inside a thorn fence where families keep their cattle at night. Your hosts show you their houses, explain how cattle shape Maasai life, and talk about school, land and change. The visit fee goes to the community, and the beadwork is for sale without any pressure to buy. We are back in time for a sundowner looking out over the grassland, and an early night before tomorrow's border crossing.
Included
- Dawn game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve
- Maasai village visit with a local host
- Sundowner at camp
Easier option: Skip the village visit and stay at camp all afternoon.
More active option: Swap the dawn drive for a guided walk of about two hours with a Maasai guide and an armed ranger on community land outside the reserve, reading tracks, plants and birds.
Free time: Middle of the day free at camp
Across the border at Isebania, then on to the Serengeti
Masai Mara to the Isebania border post by road, then a planned light aircraft into the central Serengeti
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Serengeti
- Drive about 4 h
The Mara and the Serengeti meet, but the crossing between the two parks is closed to visitors, so the way across is the border post at Isebania, west of the reserve. By road the whole way, via Tarime and into the Serengeti, it is about 10 hours, so we plan to drive only the first part and fly the rest, on a charter we confirm when we book your dates.
Morning
We leave camp after an early breakfast and drive about three and a half hours west, out through the Mara Triangle and the farming country around Lolgorien and Kehancha, with a coffee and stretch stop on the way. At the Isebania and Sirari border post your guide walks you through the Kenyan exit and the Tanzanian entry: passport, printed e-visa and yellow fever card in hand.
Afternoon
Our Tanzanian driver-guides meet us on the far side, and we sit down to a packed lunch in the shade before a short flight from the nearest airstrip into the central Serengeti. We land in the afternoon and game drive to camp near Seronera for three nights.
Included
- Drive from the Masai Mara to the Isebania border post with your guide
- Help through Kenyan exit and Tanzanian entry formalities
- Short light-aircraft flight into the central Serengeti, subject to confirmation at booking
- Game drive from the airstrip to camp
Activity: The longest day of the trip: about 3.5 hours of rough road, an hour or so at the border, lunch, then the flight, so 8 to 9 hours door to door with a coffee stop and a sit-down lunch break. We accept it because it is the only way between the two parks without losing a night. If the charter cannot be confirmed for your date, we tell you before you pay whether we drive with a night near Lake Victoria or fly via Nairobi and Kilimanjaro. Keep your passport, printed Tanzanian e-visa and yellow fever certificate in your day bag. Baggage limit about 15 kg in a soft bag.
Serengeti sunrise and sunset
Dawn and late-afternoon game drives in the central Serengeti
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Serengeti

Morning
We leave camp before sunrise, which near the equator comes at about half past six all year, with coffee in a flask and breakfast packed in the vehicle. The Serengeti covers some 14,750 square kilometres and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Around Seronera, in the middle of the park, the Seronera River keeps water and shade through the dry months, so the area holds resident game all year: lions resting on the granite outcrops called kopjes, leopards draped along the branches of sausage trees, and cheetahs hunting on the open grass. The early light is soft and warm, so keep your camera ready. If you have booked the optional balloon flight, you lift off at dawn and meet us after a bush breakfast.
Afternoon
We return to camp for lunch and a rest through the heat, then head out again at about four for a late drive that ends as the sun goes down over the plains.
Included
- Dawn game drive with packed breakfast
- Late-afternoon game drive to sunset
Optional experiences
- Hot-air balloon flight at dawn with a bush breakfast. Booked in advance.
Easier option: Skip the afternoon drive and stay at camp.
Free time: Midday free at camp
A full day where the herds are
Full-day game drive in the Serengeti, planned by season
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Serengeti
A full day out, planned around where the animals are this month. On departures from January to March we head south towards the short-grass plains near Ndutu, about two hours away, where the wildebeest calve in their hundreds of thousands, usually peaking in February, with lions, cheetahs and hyenas close behind. In June the herds are often moving through the central and western Serengeti, and from about July to October most are in the far north and the Mara, so on those departures we stay in the centre and look for the resident predators along the rivers.
Afternoon
Either way we take a picnic lunch, stop at a hippo pool, and give the driver-guides time to wait at a good sighting rather than rush on to the next. Vehicles stay in touch by radio, so the two 4x4s can split up and share what they find.
Evening
A sundowner on the drive back closes your third evening in the Serengeti.
Included
- Full-day game drive with picnic lunch
- Hippo pool stop
- Sundowner on the evening drive
Easier option: Return to camp at lunchtime with one vehicle, when the group agrees.
Activity: A long day in the vehicle; the January to March run to the southern plains adds about two hours each way on rough tracks.
Olduvai Gorge and up to the Ngorongoro rim
Serengeti to Naabi Hill, Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater rim
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ngorongoro
- Drive about 4 h
A last game drive on the way out: south from Seronera across the open plains to Naabi Hill, the park's southern gate, where we stop for a stretch at the picnic area with a wide view over the grass. Then we leave the national park and enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, where Maasai herders graze their cattle alongside the wildlife. At Olduvai Gorge a small museum on the rim tells how Mary Leakey found a hominin skull about 1.75 million years old here in 1959, and how fossils and stone tools from the gorge changed the story of human origins.
Afternoon
We have lunch there, then climb into the highlands to the crater rim at about 2,300 metres, arriving in the middle of the afternoon. The rest of the day is free.
Evening
The air is cool up here and the evenings are cold, so have a warm layer ready for the view into the crater at sunset.
Included
- Game drive from Seronera to Naabi Hill
- Olduvai Gorge museum
- Lunch at Olduvai
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area fees
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free on the crater rim
Activity: About 4 hours of driving on rough roads, broken by Naabi Hill and Olduvai. The rim sits at about 2,300 m and is cold at night.
Ngorongoro Crater at gate opening, down to Lake Manyara
Ngorongoro Crater floor, then via Karatu to Mto wa Mbu below the Rift Valley escarpment
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lake Manyara
- Drive about 1.5 h

Morning
We leave the lodge in the dark with a packed breakfast and reach the descent road as the gate opens, around 6 am, so we drop to the crater floor in the morning mist among the first vehicles of the day. Ngorongoro is a collapsed volcano about 600 metres deep, with some 260 square kilometres of grassland, swamp, forest and the soda lake Magadi on its floor. Lions, hyenas, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest live here all year, flamingos often feed on the lake, and it is your best chance on this trip of a black rhino, though they are few and often far off.
Afternoon
We eat a late breakfast at a picnic site on the floor, game drive until late morning while the crowds build, then climb out at midday. From the rim it is about an hour and a half via Karatu, down the Rift Valley escarpment to our lodge near Mto wa Mbu, arriving in the early afternoon. The rest of the day is free.
Included
- Ngorongoro Crater game drive from gate opening, with the crater fee
- Picnic breakfast on the crater floor
- Lunch at the lodge
Free time: Afternoon free at the lodge
Activity: The crater rim is cold at dawn: bring a warm layer and a hat.
Lake Manyara, Mto wa Mbu and on to Arusha
Lake Manyara National Park and Mto wa Mbu, then east to Arusha
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Arusha
- Drive about 2 h

The gate of Lake Manyara National Park is a few minutes from Mto wa Mbu, so we are in early, while the forest is cool. Groundwater springs at the foot of the Rift Valley wall feed a tall forest where baboon troops sit along the track, blue monkeys move through the fig and mahogany trees, and elephants feed in the shade. Beyond it the forest opens onto grassland and a shallow soda lake, with flamingos and pelicans in some seasons. Some operators sell this drive as an extra; here it is in the price.
Afternoon
Late morning we walk through Mto wa Mbu, Swahili for river of mosquitoes, with a local guide: the market, banana plantations and rice fields watered by streams from the escarpment, then lunch with local dishes. In the afternoon it is about two hours east to Arusha, with Mount Meru, 4,566 metres, rising ahead.
Evening
A free hour at the hotel, then a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park
- Village, market and farm walk in Mto wa Mbu with a local guide
- Lunch in Mto wa Mbu
- Farewell dinner in Arusha
Easier option: Take the short version of the Mto wa Mbu walk, the market only, with the vehicle close by.
More active option: Cycle the Mto wa Mbu farm loop with the local guide instead of walking it.
Free time: Early evening free in Arusha
Activity: About two hours on foot in Mto wa Mbu on flat, sometimes muddy paths.
Leave from Kilimanjaro airport
Arusha to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h

Morning
A slow morning after ten days of early starts. Have breakfast at the hotel, then use the free hours as you like: a walk to Arusha's central market, a coffee from the farms on the slopes of Mount Meru, or simply a rest by the pool if the hotel has one. We time your transfer to your flight. Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is about 50 km east of Arusha, roughly an hour by road, and on a clear day you may see the snow on Kilimanjaro as you drive. Your guide sees you to the airport and checks your flight before saying goodbye. If you are flying on to Zanzibar for the beach, there are domestic flights from JRO and from Arusha's own small airport, and our Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar trip starts in Arusha too. Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm if you want the morning free; any time works, and the transfer is included whenever you go.
Included
- Drop-off at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), or at Arusha Airport for a domestic flight
Free time: Morning free in Arusha
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm to keep the morning free.
- Nairobi1 night
- Masai Mara3 nights
- Serengeti3 nights
- Ngorongoro1 night
- Lake Manyara1 night
- Arusha1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: From about July to October the wildebeest and zebra herds are usually in the Masai Mara and the northern Serengeti, and Mara River crossings are possible. From January to March the herds calve on the southern Serengeti plains, with green grass and predators close by, while the Mara keeps its resident game. April and May bring the long rains and November the short rains, so we do not run then. Dawns are cool everywhere and cold on the Ngorongoro rim.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want both the Masai Mara and the Serengeti on one trip, with time in each
- First-time safari travellers who want the border, flights and park fees handled
- Photographers who want a window seat and a pop-up roof every day
- Solo travellers who want a small, steady group from start to finish
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who dislike small planes or early starts
- Anyone wanting a beach stay at the end (add Zanzibar separately)
- Those who want to walk a lot: this is a vehicle-based safari
- Travellers who need step-free access at every camp; some tents are reached on uneven paths
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
10 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Nairobi1 night
- Masai Mara3 nights
- Serengeti3 nights
- Ngorongoro1 night
- Lake Manyara1 night
- Arusha1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 10 nights: 1 in Nairobi, 3 at a tented camp in or near the Mara Triangle, 3 at a camp near Seronera in the central Serengeti, 1 on or near the Ngorongoro Crater rim, 1 near Lake Manyara, 1 in Arusha
- Proper beds and private bathrooms throughout, no camping; hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard in Nairobi and Arusha, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) on day 1
- Drop-off at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport on day 11
- Light-aircraft flight from Wilson Airport, Nairobi, to the Masai Mara
- A planned short charter flight into the central Serengeti after the Isebania crossing, subject to confirmation at booking (if it cannot run, we tell you the alternative before you pay)
- 4x4 Land Cruisers with a pop-up roof and a driver-guide, at most 6 guests per vehicle, in Kenya and in Tanzania
- Bottled or filtered water in the vehicles
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, including the border crossing and the flights
- Licensed Kenyan and Tanzanian driver-guides in every 4x4
- A local guide in Mto wa Mbu and a Maasai host at the village visit
Activities
- Masai Mara: an afternoon game drive on arrival, a full day with a picnic lunch, and a dawn drive
- Masai Mara: a Maasai village visit, with the fee paid to the community
- Serengeti: dawn and late-afternoon game drives, and a full day planned by season
- Olduvai Gorge museum
- Ngorongoro Crater game drive from gate opening
- Lake Manyara National Park game drive
- Mto wa Mbu village, market and farm walk with lunch
- All park, reserve and conservation fees, including the Masai Mara reserve fee and the Ngorongoro crater fee
- A tipping pool for driver-guides, camp and lodge staff and local guides
Meals
- Breakfast daily (10)
- 9 lunches, days 2 to 10, with picnics on full game-drive days
- 10 dinners: a welcome dinner in Nairobi, all dinners in the parks and a farewell dinner in Arusha
Not included
- International flights to Nairobi and from Kilimanjaro
- Kenya eTA and Tanzanian e-visa fees
- Yellow fever vaccination and malaria tablets
- Travel insurance
- Lunch on day 1 and day 11, and dinner on day 11
- Drinks, except water in the vehicles
- Tips for your See Sight Tours guide
- Optional balloon flights
- Laundry and personal expenses
- Excess baggage on the light-aircraft flights
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,650 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
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Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 8% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 8,430 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 8,800. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 9,165.
What does the price include?
Ten nights in camps, lodges and hotels, 10 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 10 dinners, the Wilson to Mara flight and the planned flight after the border, airport transfers, 4x4 game drives with at most six guests per vehicle, your See Sight Tours guide, all park and crater fees, the Maasai village, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, the Mto wa Mbu walk and a tipping pool for local crews.
How big is the group, and will I get a window seat?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in two 4x4s, at most six guests in each, so every guest has a window and room to stand under the pop-up roof. Seats rotate daily, so everyone gets turns at the front.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all eleven days, across the border and on the flights. Licensed Kenyan driver-guides drive the 4x4s in the Mara and Tanzanian driver-guides in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara, with local hosts in the Maasai village and Mto wa Mbu.
How do you get from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti?
By road to the border, then a short charter flight we confirm at booking. The crossing between the parks is closed to visitors, and the road via Isebania and Tarime is about 10 hours. If the flight cannot run on your date, we tell you before you pay: either the road with a night near Lake Victoria, or flights back via Nairobi and Kilimanjaro.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very. Walking is light: a village walk of about two hours and short paths at camp. The effort is early starts, long hours in a 4x4 on rough tracks, climbing in and out of small planes, and cold dawns at about 2,300 m on the Ngorongoro rim. You can sit out any game drive at camp.
How many times do we change hotels?
Five times in ten nights. The Masai Mara and the Serengeti get three nights each, so you unpack in both parks. The last three nights are single nights on the Ngorongoro rim, at Lake Manyara and in Arusha; each of those moves is under two hours by road, and two of them come after a morning game drive.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room or tent of your own is from CAD 1,650 more than the twin-share price, shown up front. Solo travellers get the same rotating window seat, a place at every group meal and the same guide as everyone else; tell us when you book if you would rather share and we will see whether a roommate is available.
When is the best time to go?
We run January to March and June to October. From about July to October the herds are usually in the Mara and the northern Serengeti. From January to March they calve on the southern Serengeti plains. April and May bring the long rains and November the short rains, so we do not run then.
Will we see a wildebeest river crossing?
Possibly, but no one can promise it. Mara River crossings happen from about July to October, at times and places the herds choose. On those departures our driver-guides share sightings by radio and the group decides how long to wait at a crossing point. Outside those months the resident lions, elephants and buffalo are there all year.
Do I need visas and vaccinations?
Most visitors, including Canadians, need Kenya's electronic travel authorisation and a Tanzanian e-visa, both applied for online before travel. Tanzania asks travellers arriving from Kenya for a yellow fever certificate, so bring the card. Both countries carry malaria risk; ask a travel clinic about tablets well before you go.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The cancellation and refund terms are shown to you before any payment. The small group starts from CAD 9,165 per person sharing, taxes included, and the private trip from CAD 16,495.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, with your own guide, 4x4s and driver-guides, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same camps, flights and driver-guides for you.