14-Day Combined Kenya & Tanzania Budget Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Samburu → Aberdare → Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara → Amboseli → Namanga / Arusha → Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Lake Manyara → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Samburu

   The morning starts in Nairobi, from where you continue overland to Samburu, travelling north past Mount Kenya and through Nanyuki and Isiolo into the drier northern country. Once you reach Samburu there is time to check in before heading out among semi-arid northern rangeland of doum palms and riverine forest along the Ewaso Ng'iro river. Your guide works the area for elephant, lion, leopard and the dry-country species often called the Samburu Special Five, with sightings varying by season and conditions. Northern Kenya holds species rarely seen further south, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Samburu.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Samburu Safari

   The whole day is given to Samburu, with an early start to make the most of the cooler morning hours. You travel through semi-arid northern rangeland of doum palms and riverine forest along the Ewaso Ng'iro river, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Sightings may include elephant, lion, leopard and the dry-country species often called the Samburu Special Five, depending on season and conditions. The river is the reserve's lifeline, and game commonly concentrates along it through the heat of the day. Northern Kenya holds species rarely seen further south, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Samburu.

3. Day 3

   Samburu to Aberdare

   The morning starts in Samburu, from where you continue overland to Aberdare, climbing into the central highlands through Nyeri and the tea and coffee country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through high montane forest, bamboo belt and moorland cut by streams and waterfalls. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bushbuck and, with patience, rarely seen forest species. The Aberdare lodges are built overlooking floodlit waterholes, so wildlife is watched from the building itself rather than from a vehicle. Dinner is served at your Aberdare camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

4. Day 4

   Aberdare to Lake Nakuru

   The day opens in Aberdare with a morning departure for Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. This is good country in which to look for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife. The park operates as a sanctuary and is one of Kenya's more reliable places to look for rhino; flamingo numbers on the lake rise and fall with water levels. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Lake Nakuru.

5. Day 5

   Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

   The morning starts in Lake Nakuru, from where you continue overland to Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, depending on movement and conditions on the day. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Masai Mara.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   The whole day is given to Masai Mara, with an early start to make the most of the cooler morning hours. You travel through open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Masai Mara.

7. Day 7

   Masai Mara to Amboseli

   After breakfast you leave Masai Mara and travel on toward Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Your guide works the area for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps, with sightings varying by season and conditions. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. The evening is spent at your Amboseli accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

8. Day 8

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   A full day in Amboseli allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. You travel through open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Keep watch for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps as you move between the different habitats. The swamps stay green through dry months, drawing elephants and plains game into concentrated, highly photographable groups. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. The evening returns you to your Amboseli accommodation for dinner and overnight.

9. Day 9

   Amboseli to Arusha via Namanga

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Amboseli bound for Arusha via Namanga, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. The crossing involves border formalities on both sides and an operating-team handover between the Kenyan and Tanzanian crews. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. The evening is spent at your Arusha via Namanga accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

10. Day 10

    Arusha to Tarangire

    After breakfast you leave Arusha and travel on toward Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Tarangire.

11. Day 11

    Tarangire to Serengeti

    You leave Tarangire after breakfast and head for Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Once you reach Serengeti there is time to check in before heading out among vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner is served at your Serengeti camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

12. Day 12

    Full-Day Serengeti Safari

    The whole day is given to Serengeti, with an early start to make the most of the cooler morning hours. The drives cover vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, moving between habitats as conditions change. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Serengeti.

13. Day 13

    Serengeti to Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara Area

    After breakfast you leave Serengeti and travel on toward Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara Area, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen as the light softens through the afternoon. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara Area.

14. Day 14

    Lake Manyara to Arusha

    Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Lake Manyara to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Once you reach Arusha there is time to check in before heading out among northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. You are dropped at your Nairobi hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.