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Overview
- Duration:8 days 7 nights
- Travelers:10 guests
- Tour Type:Cultural, Honeymoon, Safari
- Language:English
Enjoy the ultimate East African adventure on this 8-Day Private Kenya & Tanzania Safari, crossing the border between two of the continent's greatest wildlife regions: the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti, then continuing to the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater and finishing in Tanzania's northern circuit.
This safari is perfect for serious wildlife enthusiasts, couples, and families who want to experience the full Mara-Serengeti ecosystem — one continuous wilderness that stretches across the Kenya-Tanzania border — all with the flexibility and exclusivity of your own private vehicle and driver-guide.
Beginning in the Maasai Mara, you'll cross overland into Tanzania to continue following the Great Migration ecosystem into the Serengeti, before descending into the Ngorongoro Crater and exploring Tanzania's northern parks.
ACCOMMODATION SUMMARY
Maasai Mara (Kenya): Camp/lodge — 2 nights
Serengeti (Tanzania): Camp/lodge — 2 nights
Ngorongoro Crater Rim (Tanzania): Camp/lodge — 1 night
Tarangire or Lake Manyara (Tanzania): Camp/lodge — 2 nights
Accommodation is arranged in comfortable camps or lodges within or near each park, providing a convenient base for game drives. Specific properties are confirmed based on availability and your chosen comfort level at the time of booking.
OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES
1. Hot-Air Balloon Safari
Enjoy a spectacular sunrise experience over the Maasai Mara or the Serengeti from a hot-air balloon, subject to availability.
2. Maasai Village Visit
Add a cultural experience to learn about Maasai traditions, lifestyle, and community life, available on either side of the border.
3.Olduvai Gorge Visit
Add a stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world, en route between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
4.Extend to Zanzibar
Combine this safari with a beach extension on the island of Zanzibar, easily reached by a short flight from Arusha or Kilimanjaro.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
The Maasai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem can be visited throughout the year, with wildlife moving between the two countries as part of the same continuous system.
July to October is the classic season for the Maasai Mara portion of the Great Migration, when herds are typically found in Kenya.
December to March often finds large migration herds in the southern Serengeti and Ndutu area, coinciding with the calving season.
The Ngorongoro Crater offers excellent, resident wildlife viewing year-round, largely unaffected by migration timing.
Because migration timing varies each year, a private cross-border itinerary like this one is one of the best ways to maximize your chances of following the herds, wherever they happen to be.
WHY CHOOSE A PRIVATE CROSS-BORDER SAFARI?
■ Full Flexibility
Enjoy your own private vehicle and guide in each country, with the freedom to set your own pace and adjust the schedule to follow the wildlife.
■ Two Countries, One Ecosystem
See the full extent of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, rather than being limited to one side of the border.
Professional Guides in both Kenya and Tanzania
Assisted border crossing between the two countries
Four distinct parks and reserves in one itinerary
Excellent chances of following the Great Migration
Comfortable, well-located accommodation throughout
Flexible finish point in Arusha, with onward flight options
Highlights
- 8-day private cross-border safari, Kenya & Tanzania
- Maasai Mara, Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Crater
- Private safari vehicle(s) and driver-guide(s) throughout
- Overland border crossing between Kenya and Tanzania
- Two nights in the Maasai Mara
- Two nights in the Serengeti
- One night at Ngorongoro Crater
- Time in Tarangire or Lake Manyara National Park
- Great Wildebeest Migration ecosystem (seasonal)
- Search for the Big Five across two countries
Itinerary
DAY 1: NAIROBI TO MAASAI MARA – AFTERNOON GAME DRIVE
Your 8-Day Private Kenya & Tanzania Safari begins with pickup from your Nairobi hotel or an agreed meeting point, in your own private safari vehicle.
Travel through the beautiful Kenyan countryside towards the Maasai Mara, with scenic views of the Great Rift Valley along the way and a stop at a suitable viewpoint where time allows.
Arrive at your Maasai Mara camp around lunchtime, depending on road and traffic conditions. Check in and enjoy lunch.
After a short rest, begin your first afternoon game drive across the open Mara plains, searching for lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, and wildebeest.
Return to camp in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meals: Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Afternoon Game Drive
Accommodation: Maasai Mara Camp/Lodge
DAY 2: FULL-DAY MAASAI MARA GAME DRIVE
Enjoy an early breakfast before setting out for a full day of private game viewing in the Maasai Mara.
With your own private vehicle and driver-guide, explore different areas of the reserve, following wildlife movements and, during migration season, watching for dramatic Mara River crossings.
Keep your camera ready for:
● Lions
● Leopards
● Cheetahs
● Elephants
● Buffaloes
● Giraffes
● Zebras
● Wildebeest
● Hyenas
● Antelopes
● Return to camp for dinner and an overnight stay.
● Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
● Activity: Full-Day Private Game Drive
● Accommodation: Maasai Mara Camp/Lodge
DAY 3: MAASAI MARA TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (CROSS-BORDER)
After an early breakfast, depart the Maasai Mara and travel overland to the Kenya-Tanzania border, crossing at the Isebania/Sirari border post.
Complete immigration formalities before continuing into Tanzania and onward towards the Serengeti National Park, part of the same unbroken ecosystem as the Maasai Mara.
Enjoy game viewing along the way as you cross into the northern Serengeti, keeping an eye out for wildlife as the landscape transitions from Kenya into Tanzania.
Arrive at your Serengeti camp in the afternoon, check in, and depending on timing, head out for a late-afternoon game drive.
Return to camp for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Cross-Border Transfer & Game Viewing
Accommodation: Serengeti Camp/Lodge
DAY 4: FULL-DAY SERENGETI GAME DRIVE
Enjoy an early breakfast before a full day of private game viewing in the Serengeti, one of the world's most famous wildlife reserves and home to the largest terrestrial mammal migration on Earth.
Explore the park's endless plains, kopjes (rocky outcrops), and river systems with your private driver-guide, searching for the Big Five and, in season, the massed herds of the Great Migration.
Keep your camera ready for:
● Lions (including tree-climbing prides near kopjes)
● Leopards
● Cheetahs
● Elephants
● Buffaloes
● Giraffes
● Hippos and crocodiles at river crossings
● Wildebeest and zebra migration herds (seasonal)
● Return to camp for dinner and an overnight stay.
● Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
● Activity: Full-Day Private Game Drive
● Accommodation: Serengeti Camp/Lodge
DAY 5: SERENGETI TO NGORONGORO CRATER
After breakfast, depart the Serengeti and travel towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing through the Serengeti's southern plains and the highland forests of the Ngorongoro Highlands.
Arrive at your crater-rim camp or lodge in the afternoon, with dramatic views down into the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world's largest intact volcanic calderas.
Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure, taking in the views before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Scenic Transfer
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Crater Rim Camp/Lodge
DAY 6: NGORONGORO CRATER FLOOR GAME DRIVE TO TARANGIRE OR LAKE MANYARA
Enjoy an early breakfast before descending into the Ngorongoro Crater floor for a full morning game drive across one of Africa's most concentrated wildlife areas.
The crater is home to an estimated 25,000 large animals, including one of Tanzania's best chances of spotting black rhino, alongside lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, and flamingo-lined soda lakes.
Keep your camera ready for:
● Black rhinos
● Lions
● Elephants
● Buffaloes
● Hippos
● Flamingos
● Zebras and wildebeest
● Golden and black-backed jackals
After the crater game drive, climb back up to the rim and continue your journey to Tarangire National Park or Lake Manyara National Park, depending on your preference and time of year.
Arrive at your camp in the afternoon and enjoy a short game drive or relax and settle in before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Ngorongoro Crater Floor Game Drive & Transfer
Accommodation: Tarangire or Lake Manyara Camp/Lodge
DAY 7: FULL-DAY TARANGIRE OR LAKE MANYARA GAME DRIVE
Enjoy an early breakfast before a full day of game viewing in your chosen park.
Tarangire National Park is known for its enormous elephant herds, ancient baobab trees, and the Tarangire River, which draws wildlife from across the region in the dry season.
Lake Manyara National Park offers a beautiful setting beneath the Rift Valley escarpment, famous for its tree-climbing lions, flamingo-lined lake shore, and dense birdlife.
Explore with your private driver-guide throughout the day, with lunch at camp or out in the park.
Return to camp for a final dinner and overnight stay in Tanzania.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Full-Day Private Game Drive
Accommodation: Tarangire or Lake Manyara Camp/Lodge
DAY 8: TARANGIRE/LAKE MANYARA TO ARUSHA – SAFARI ENDS
Enjoy a final breakfast before departing for Arusha, Tanzania's safari capital.
Arrive in Arusha in good time for your onward flight, whether returning to Nairobi via a scheduled flight, connecting to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your international departure, or continuing your travels within Tanzania.
Your 8-Day Private Kenya & Tanzania Safari — Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire/Lake Manyara comes to an end.
Meals: Breakfast
Activity: Transfer to Arusha
Destination: Arusha (with onward flight options to Nairobi or Kilimanjaro Airport)
Includes/Excludes
- Private safari vehicle(s) for you exclusive use in Kenya and Tanzania
- Professional English-speaking safari driver-guide(s)
- Nairobi pickup and Arusha drop-off
- Seven nights' accommodation as outlined
- Meals as specified
- Game drives in the Maasai Mara, Serengeti, ● ● Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire/Lake Manyara
- Kenya-Tanzania border crossing assistance
- Park/reserve entrance and conservation fees as applicable
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area crater service fees
- Drinking water during the safari
- Transportation as outlined
- Applicable government taxes and safari fees
- International flights
- Kenya visa/ETA fees
- Tanzania visa fees
- Any onward flight from Arusha to Nairobi or Kilimanjaro Airport (can be arranged as an add-on)
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses
- Alcoholic beverages
- Additional drinks
- Hot-air balloon safari (optional add-on)
- Maasai village visit (optional add-on)
- Tips and gratuities
Frequently asked questions
Is this a private safari?
How does the border crossing work?
Is accommodation included?
Book Your 8-Day Kenya Tanzania Safari | Private Maasai Mara & Serengeti Tour
Book instantly on WhatsApp, or send an enquiry and our Nairobi team will confirm availability and pricing, usually within a few hours.
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- Emailinfo@estherluxesafaris.co.ke
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