9-Day Mara River Crossing & Serengeti Migration Safari
Timed for peak crossing season, this private safari puts you on the Mara River from both the Kenyan and Tanzanian banks for the best odds of seeing it live.
Explore safari →10-Day Kenya & Tanzania Safari
Safari Overview
This is the itinerary we build most often for travellers combining Kenya and Tanzania for the first time, run in the direction that actually makes geographical sense: start deep in Tanzania’s Northern Circuit, finish in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and fly out from Nairobi rather than backtracking. Ten days is enough time to properly settle into four distinct ecosystems rather than skim across them: Tarangire’s elephant herds and ancient baobabs, the Ngorongoro Crater’s extraordinary density of resident wildlife, the Serengeti’s endless central plains, and the Maasai Mara’s open grassland, connected by private vehicle transfers and a single scenic light-aircraft hop across the border rather than a long day on tarmac. Every game drive is private, just your vehicle and your guide, with no fixed schedule beyond what the wildlife and weather suggest that day. Kenya and Tanzania were one ecosystem long before they were two countries, and this route, built around our Kenya & Tanzania specialism, is designed to feel that way.
Safari Highlights
Four Ecosystems
Tarangire, Ngorongoro, the Serengeti, and the Maasai Mara in one connected circuit
Private Throughout
Your own vehicle and guide for all ten days, never a shared game drive
Scenic Border Crossing
A light-aircraft transfer between the Serengeti and the Mara, not a day of driving
The Ngorongoro Crater
A full day inside one of Africa's densest wildlife concentrations
Hand-Picked Camps
Luxury tented camps and lodges chosen for location, not picked from a catalogue
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Your Journey, Day by Day
Land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where your guide will be waiting once you clear immigration. The drive into Arusha takes just under an hour, past coffee farms and the lower slopes of Mount Meru. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight. A welcome dinner in the evening is a chance to run through the days ahead with your guide, adjust anything that needs adjusting, and ask whatever questions travel days tend to raise.
A two-hour drive south brings you into Tarangire, a park most first-time visitors underestimate until they're standing in it. Ancient baobabs, some genuinely centuries old, punctuate golden grassland where elephant herds gather in numbers that rival anywhere in East Africa. Afternoon game drive along the Tarangire River, where dry-season wildlife concentrations make for some of the most reliable sightings on the whole circuit.
Morning game drive before departing Tarangire, then a scenic climb up onto the Ngorongoro highlands, passing through cloud forest as the temperature drops and the landscape changes entirely. Arrive at your lodge on the crater rim in the late afternoon, in time to watch the light change over the caldera before dinner
Descend at first light onto the crater floor, a self-contained ecosystem roughly 260 square kilometres across, holding one of the densest concentrations of wildlife on the continent. This is one of the most reliable places in Africa to find all of the Big Five in a single day, including the crater's small, closely protected population of black rhino. Picnic lunch beside the crater's soda lake, before climbing back up to the rim in the late afternoon.
A morning drive down off the highlands and out onto the Serengeti's endless plains, with game viewing continuing the entire way, one of the few stretches of road where the journey and the destination genuinely overlap. Arrive at camp in time for lunch, with an afternoon game drive to get properly oriented in Tanzania's most famous park.
A full day exploring the Serengeti's central Seronera region, known for consistent year-round predator sightings. This is prime lion and cheetah territory, and one of the best places in Tanzania to find leopard resting in the riverine trees. Morning and afternoon drives, with a break at camp through the heat of the day
A morning light-aircraft transfer carries you across the border and into Kenya, touching down on an airstrip inside the Maasai Mara itself after a flight of roughly ninety minutes, considerably more scenic and comfortable than the long overland alternative. Afternoon game drive on arrival, your first proper look at the open grassland the Mara is known for.
A full day in the Mara, with the option of an early departure for a dawn game drive, when predator activity is often at its peak. The afternoon can be spent on a further drive or, for those interested, a visit to a nearby Maasai village, arranged with genuine community involvement rather than as a staged photo stop
One last sunrise game drive before a light-aircraft transfer to Nairobi. The afternoon is free near the airport, a chance to repack and reflect on nine days that likely moved faster than expected.
Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in good time for your onward international flight
What to Expect
The Details That Matter
Everything that makes this itinerary distinct, at a glance.
I
The Great Migration
Wildebeest and zebra move through the Serengeti and Mara seasonally, with river crossings typically July through October
II
The Ngorongoro Crater
A self-contained caldera holding one of Africa's densest concentrations of Big Five wildlife.
III
Private Guiding Throughout
One guide for your whole safari, reading terrain and animal behaviour at a pace suited to your group.
IV
A Cross-Border Flight
A scenic light-aircraft transfer linking the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara in under ninety minutes.
V
Sundowners & Bush Meals
Evening drinks over the plains, and at least one meal served out in the bush.
VI
Handpicked Camps & Lodges
Every property chosen for its location and access, never selected from a catalogue.
What's Included
- All accommodation as specified
- All meals as noted
- Private guide and vehicle throughout
- All park and conservation fees
- The Serengeti–Maasai Mara light-aircraft transfer
- All airport transfers
What's Excluded
- International flights
- Kenyan and Tanzanian visas
- Travel insurance
- Gratuities
- Drinks beyond what's included at each property
- Items of a personal nature
Safari Gallery
10-Day Kenya & Tanzania Family Safari
A private, family-paced Kenya and Tanzania safari with connecting suites, a canoe safari, and game drives built for younger travellers.
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15-Day Grand Kenya & Tanzania Safari
Six wildlife areas across Kenya and Tanzania, from Amboseli to the Serengeti's Mara River, finishing on Zanzibar. The complete private safari, done properly.
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