12-Day Kenya & Tanzania Group Camping
A budget group safari that covers the big names on both sides of the border — the Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli in Kenya, then Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Lake Manyara in Tanzania.
12 days · 11 nights · Year-round · best Jul – Oct (migration in the Mara)
About this experience
This is the long, good-value way to see Kenya and northern Tanzania together. You join other travellers on a set departure, which keeps the cost down, and sleep in simple tented camps in Kenya and campsites in Tanzania. The Kenya half takes in two nights in the Mara, Lake Nakuru and two nights at Amboseli; after crossing at Namanga you spend six nights on the Tanzanian circuit, including two in the central Serengeti and a picnic lunch on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. It suits travellers who are happy to trade some comfort for more parks and more days out.
Best for
- Budget travellers
- Solo travellers happy in a group
- Seeing the most parks
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 pick you up from your Nairobi hotel between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. and drive via the Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok, stopping for lunch. You reach camp in the early afternoon and, after a short rest, set out on your first game drive in the Mara.
Fisi Camp · Full-board
A full day exploring the reserve's grasslands and rolling hills, with plenty of tracks for close viewing. Lunch is a picnic at the hippo pool, where you can watch hippos and crocodiles before carrying on.
Fisi Camp · Full-board
An early game drive before breakfast, while it's cool and the animals are moving, then the drive north. You pass Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha on the way, with lunch en route, and spend the night in Nakuru.
Chester Hotel · Full-board
A morning game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park for its birdlife, flamingos and rhino sanctuary, with buffalo and waterbuck often along the shore. Then a long drive south to Amboseli, arriving at camp in the late evening.
Kimana Camp · Full-board
A full day of game drives in Amboseli, whose swamps draw elephant and hippo, along with plains game and plenty of birds. Lunch is a picnic in the park, and on a clear day Kilimanjaro fills the skyline.
Kimana Camp · Full-board
An early game drive, breakfast at camp, then on to the Namanga border to clear immigration into Tanzania. From the border a shuttle takes you to Arusha, where your Tanzanian guide meets you; dinner tonight is your own, so you can try somewhere in town.
Arusha Sterio Hotel · Bed & breakfast
You reach Tarangire National Park in time for lunch and spend the afternoon on a game drive among its old baobab trees. Look out for elephant, lion, lesser kudu, eland and gerenuk.
Tarangire campsite · Full-board
After breakfast you drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend about 600 metres to the crater floor, with a picnic lunch inside. The crater mixes forest, open grassland and a lake, so you can see elephant, monkeys, lions and, at times, flamingos in a single drive.
Simba Campsite · Full-board
You cross into the Serengeti by way of Olduvai Gorge, where Louis and Mary Leakey made their early-human finds; the small museum there can be visited at extra cost. After lunch at Seronera you head out on an afternoon drive across the plains.
Seronera Campsite · Full-board
A full day of game drives in the central Serengeti with a picnic lunch out in the park. Lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest all live on these plains, and your guide will plan the day around where they've been seen.
Seronera Campsite · Full-board
An early drive before a late breakfast at camp, then a mid-morning drive before leaving the Serengeti. After lunch on the road you reach Lake Manyara for a game drive until sunset.
Twiga Campsite · Full-board
A morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, home to hippos, monkeys, flamingos and a wide range of birds. Lunch is back at camp, then you drive to Arusha, where the safari ends at the Arusha Sterio Hotel.
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
- Eleven nights' accommodation: tented camps and a hotel in Kenya, campsites and a hotel in Tanzania, as listed
- Meals as described in the itinerary (dinner in Arusha on day 6 is not included)
- All national park, reserve and crater entry fees
- 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and driver-guide, shared with other travellers on the departure
- Game drives in the Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli, Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Lake Manyara
- Pick-up from your Nairobi hotel
- 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 and camp staff
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Dinner in Arusha on day 6
- Optional extras such as the Olduvai Gorge museum
Route & pickup
Where the trip goes, and where we meet you.
- 01 NairobiDay 1 · City
- 02 Maasai MaraDay 1 · National park & reserve
- 03 Lake NakuruDay 3 · Lake
- 04 AmboseliDay 4 · National park & reserve
- 05 ArushaDay 6 · City
- 06 TarangireDay 7 · National park & reserve
- 07 Ngorongoro CraterDay 8 · National park & reserve
- 08 SerengetiDay 9 · National park & reserve
- 09 Lake ManyaraDay 11 · Lake
- 10 ArushaDay 12 · 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 6 you clear immigration at the Namanga border and take a shuttle on to Arusha, where your guide for the Tanzania half meets you. You'll need a Tanzania visa as well as your Kenya eTA — both are government fees, and we help you apply.
What is the camping like?+
In Kenya you stay in simple tented camps, with hotel nights in Nakuru and Arusha. In Tanzania you sleep at campsites close to the parks, with meals provided. It's simple, so it suits children aged 8 and over who are happy outdoors.
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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