9-Day Kenya & Tanzania Camping Safari
A good-value camping safari that crosses from the Maasai Mara into Tanzania for the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, finishing in Arusha.
9 days · 8 nights · Year-round · best Jul – Oct (migration in the Mara)
About this experience
This trip links the two halves of the same great ecosystem: the Maasai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania. You join other travellers on a set departure, which keeps the cost down, and sleep in simple camps and campsites close to the parks. After two nights in the Mara you cross the border at Isebania, spend two nights at Seronera in the central Serengeti, then work your way east through the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. It suits travellers who would rather spend their budget on more parks than on more comfort.
Best for
- Budget travellers
- Mara and Serengeti in one trip
- Solo travellers happy in a group
Trip features
- Shared vehicleJoin other travellers on a set departure
- Starts any dayPick your own date, 7+ days ahead
- Can be tailoredChange lodges, add days or parks
- Children welcomeAges 3–12 at half price
- Pickup in NairobiAirport or your hotel
- EnglishGuide language
Signature experiences
Optional extras we can add to this trip. Prices are per person and confirmed when you book.
Chilled drinks on a ridge as the sun drops and the sky turns — a quiet, golden end to a day of game drives.
A lantern-lit table set out under the stars, your own chef and a crackling fire — the safari dinner people remember for years.
Spend an hour in a working manyatta — the jumping dance, fire-making, and a look at daily Maasai life, hosted by the community itself.
On foot with an armed ranger — tracks, plants, birds and the small details a vehicle drives straight past.
Day by day
What each day looks like, from pickup in Nairobi to drop-off.
We meet you when you land and take you to your hotel in Nairobi for the night. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight before the safari starts in the morning.
Mash Park Hotel · Bed & breakfast
Pick-up is at 7:30 a.m. for the drive west to the Maasai Mara, reaching camp in time for lunch. Late in the afternoon you head out on your first game drive, as the heat fades and the predators start to move.
Fisi Camp · Full-board
A full day out in the reserve, following its tracks across open grassland and low hills for close views of the cats and the plains game. Lunch is a picnic at the hippo pool, where hippos and crocodiles share the water, before you carry on exploring until evening.
Fisi Camp · Full-board
An early game drive before breakfast, then the drive over the western escarpment to the Isebania border to clear immigration into Tanzania. You continue into the Serengeti with a picnic lunch on the way and finish the day with an afternoon drive on the plains.
Seronera Campsite · Full-board
A full day of game drives around the central Serengeti, where lion prides follow the grazing herds and leopards often rest in the trees along the Seronera River. Cheetah, hyena, jackal and, with luck, serval are all found here too.
Seronera Campsite · Full-board
One last morning drive in the Serengeti before you leave for the Ngorongoro Crater, a huge volcanic caldera around 600 metres deep. In the afternoon you go down to the crater floor, where lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino live alongside the plains game.
After breakfast you descend into the crater again for more time on its grasslands and around its lake. Later in the day you drive on to the Lake Manyara area for the night.
Twiga Camp · Full-board
A game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, known for lions that climb trees and for its birdlife, with flamingos, pelicans and storks along the shore. In the afternoon you continue to Tarangire, where you spend the night.
Tarangire Campsite · Full-board
An early game drive in Tarangire, home to big elephant herds and old baobab trees. You then drive through the Rift Valley to Arusha, stopping for lunch on the way, and the safari ends there.
Where you'll stay
Lodges we book on this trip. If one is full on your dates, we'll offer a comparable property before you pay anything.
What's included
Included
- Eight nights' accommodation: a hotel in Nairobi, then camps and campsites on safari, as listed
- Meals as described in the itinerary (breakfast only in Nairobi; breakfast, lunch and dinner on safari)
- Arrival pick-up from the airport to your Nairobi hotel
- 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and driver-guide, shared with other travellers on the departure
- Game drives in the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire
- All national park, reserve and crater entry fees
- 24/7 WhatsApp support from the Bookara team
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Kenya eTA (government fee — we help you apply)
- Tanzania visa (government fee — we help you apply)
- Travel and medical insurance
- Tips for guides, drivers and camp staff
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Optional activities and excursions
Route & pickup
Where the trip goes, and where we meet you.
- 01 NairobiDay 1 · City
- 02 Maasai MaraDay 2 · National park & reserve
- 03 SerengetiDay 4 · National park & reserve
- 04 Ngorongoro CraterDay 6 · National park & reserve
- 05 Lake ManyaraDay 7 · Lake
- 06 TarangireDay 8 · National park & reserve
- 07 ArushaDay 9 · City
Good to know
A 30% deposit holds your dates, and the balance is due 45 days before you travel (book closer than that and you pay in full). Cancel 90+ days before departure for a full refund, 60–89 days before for 50% back. Full terms.
Common questions
Who will I be travelling with?+
This is a shared safari: you join other travellers on a set departure and share the vehicle with them, which is what keeps the price down. If you'd rather have your own vehicle and guide, message us and we'll quote a private version.
How does the border crossing work?+
On day 4 you drive from the Mara to the Isebania border, clear immigration and carry straight on into the Serengeti. You'll need a Tanzania visa as well as your Kenya eTA — both are government fees, and we help you apply.
Can the route or camps be changed?+
Yes. If you'd like an extra night somewhere, a different finish point or a step up from camping, message us and we'll quote it.
Book on WhatsApp
Your chat opens with the trip pre-filled — no payment needed now. Our team replies between 7am–10pm EAT.
Request saved
WhatsApp is opening with your details pre-filled — just hit send.
- 1 Send the pre-filled messageYour trip details are already written for you.
- 2 Confirm in chat — or pay the deposit onlineSame reference either way. Our team replies 7am–10pm EAT.
- 3 Instant confirmationWhatsApp message + email receipt the moment your deposit lands.
Your request ref becomes your booking reference once the deposit is paid.
Book direct with the operator
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Licensed & certified
Kenya-registered operator in Nairobi with experienced driver-guides.
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Run from Nairobi
We plan and run your trip ourselves, with driver-guides we know, and stay reachable on WhatsApp throughout.
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Secure payment
Card or Apple Pay through Paystack (USD). Taxes and park fees are in the price you see.
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Flexible cancellation
Full refund up to 90 days before departure; a 30% deposit holds your dates.
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