This 10-day Tanzania and Kenya safari links the northern circuit's most celebrated parks into one seamless cross-border journey. Beginning at Kilimanjaro International Airport, the route heads first to Tarangire National Park for its vast elephant herds and ancient baobab forests, then continues to the iconic Serengeti National Park for two full days of game drives — including the option to experience the plains from a hot air balloon at sunrise. The Ngorongoro Crater follows, with a full morning on the crater floor and a Maasai village visit, before the safari crosses into Kenya for Amboseli National Reserve and concludes in Nairobi with a wildlife conservation day.
This tour is designed as a private safari, with timing and game drive priorities agreed directly with your guide based on your interests and current wildlife conditions. For a longer version that adds the Maasai Mara and extends into western Kenya, see our 12-day Kenya and Tanzania safari. Alternatively, for a Tanzania-only northern circuit, browse our full range of Serengeti safari packages.
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* 02 Travelers – 4100USD Per Person
* 04 Travelers – 3900 USD Per Person
* 06 Travelers – 3650 USD Per Person
For a more accurate estimate, contact us with your specific requirements and budget. We'll send a detailed quote based on your itinerary, group size, and preferred level of comfort.
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Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you are welcomed by your guide and transferred to your lodge in Arusha. The remainder of the day is reserved for relaxation. Your private guide will brief you on the itinerary ahead and discuss your priorities for the game drives to come.
Distance: Approximately 75 km from the airport to Arusha
Activity: Transfer and orientation briefing
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha
Meals: Half Board
After breakfast you travel to Tarangire National Park, covering approximately 2,600 square kilometres and renowned for its large elephant herds and ancient baobab trees. The Tarangire River — the park's only permanent water source — draws a wide variety of wildlife during the dry season. Your guide will take you to the best locations for elephant sightings and explain the extraordinary ecological dynamics of this underrated park.
Distance: Approximately 120 km from Arusha to Tarangire, around 2 hours
Activity: Afternoon game drive in Tarangire
Accommodation: Lodge or camp near Karatu
Meals: Full Board
You continue to the world-famous Serengeti National Park — the setting for many nature documentaries and the stage for the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth. En route you pass through the scenic Ngorongoro highlands before entering the Serengeti through Naabi Hill Gate. An afternoon game drive takes you into the wildlife-rich Seronera region, where lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, and large herds of zebra and wildebeest are regularly encountered.
Distance: Approximately 200 km from Karatu to central Serengeti, around 4 hours
Activity: En route and afternoon game drives
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp in central Serengeti
Meals: Full Board
A full day of game drives across the Serengeti plains. Your guide will seek out the best wildlife concentrations, from predator activity around the Seronera River to large herds of wildebeest and zebra on the open grasslands. A midday bush picnic is followed by afternoon game drives. For those who have pre-booked it, this is also the day for an optional hot air balloon flight at sunrise, which offers a breathtaking aerial perspective of the Serengeti followed by a champagne bush breakfast.
Distance: Game drives within Serengeti National Park
Activity: Full-day game drives; hot air balloon flight optional (pre-booking required)
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp in central Serengeti
Meals: Full Board
After a morning game drive you travel toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The crater spans approximately 20 by 20 kilometres and contains one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa, with up to 25,000 large mammals on the crater floor on any given day. You arrive at the rim in the afternoon, in time for dinner and an early night ahead of tomorrow's crater descent.
Distance: Approximately 145 km from Serengeti to Ngorongoro rim
Activity: Morning game drive; transfer to Ngorongoro
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp on the Ngorongoro crater rim
Meals: Full Board
After breakfast you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive with a picnic lunch. The crater is one of the few places in Africa where the rare black rhino can reliably be sought, alongside lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, flamingos, and a wide variety of antelope. In the afternoon you visit a Maasai community, where you can interact with local people, learn about traditional pastoralist life, and take photographs. The group then returns to Arusha passing the Lake Manyara escarpment and the village of Mto Wa Mbu.
Distance: Approximately 180 km from Ngorongoro to Arusha, around 3-4 hours after the crater drive
Activity: Full-day crater game drive with picnic lunch; Maasai community visit
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha
Meals: Half Board
After breakfast you depart Arusha and travel to Kenya via the Namanga border crossing, heading to Amboseli National Reserve. The reserve lies at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro and is famous for its large elephant herds and iconic views of Africa's highest peak on clear mornings. Zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, buffalo, and hippos are also commonly seen, along with predators including lions, cheetahs, and leopards.
Distance: Approximately 280 km from Arusha to Amboseli, around 4-5 hours including the border crossing
Activity: Afternoon game drive in Amboseli
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp in Amboseli
Meals: Full Board
Early morning in Amboseli offers the best chances of clear views of Mount Kilimanjaro, with the summit often appearing in spectacular colour at dawn. After breakfast you enjoy a final game drive in the reserve before departing for Nairobi. You arrive in Nairobi in the evening.
Distance: Approximately 230 km from Amboseli to Nairobi, around 4 hours
Activity: Morning game drive in Amboseli; transfer to Nairobi
Accommodation: Hotel in Nairobi
Meals: Half Board
A full day visiting Nairobi's most important wildlife conservation sites. The morning begins at the Giraffe Centre, where you can observe and feed endangered Rothschild's giraffes at close range. Next you visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage, renowned for rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephant calves. In the afternoon you explore Nairobi National Park on a game drive, where wildlife roams against the backdrop of the city skyline — one of the most unusual wildlife experiences in Africa.
Distance: Various locations within Nairobi
Activity: Giraffe Centre visit; elephant orphanage visit; Nairobi National Park game drive
Accommodation: Hotel in Nairobi
Meals: Half Board
After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your international departure flight, marking the end of your Tanzania and Kenya safari.
Distance: Airport transfer from Nairobi
Activity: Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Accommodation: N/A – departure day
Meals: Breakfast
Consider extending your journey with a beach stay in Zanzibar or the Kenya coast. For a longer cross-border itinerary that includes the Maasai Mara, see our Kenya and Tanzania safari packages. For Tanzania-only options, explore our Serengeti itineraries.
This is a private safari. You travel exclusively with your own group and a dedicated guide, which means game drive timing and priorities are agreed with you directly based on your interests and current wildlife conditions.
The safari operates year-round. For the Serengeti calving season and large wildebeest concentrations on the southern plains, January to March is ideal. For migration herds in the central Serengeti, June to July is excellent. Amboseli and the Ngorongoro Crater offer outstanding wildlife viewing in all seasons, with the dry months (June-October) generally providing the clearest skies for Kilimanjaro views.
Tarangire is exceptional for elephant herds and baobab landscapes. The Serengeti offers reliable sightings of the Big Five alongside cheetah and the seasonal Great Migration. Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best locations for black rhino. Amboseli is renowned for its elephant herds beneath Mount Kilimanjaro.
The balloon flight over the Serengeti is an optional activity that must be pre-booked and is charged separately. It is not included in the core tour price. Please contact us at the time of booking if you would like to add this experience.
The tour price covers all accommodation, meals as specified per day, park entrance fees, game drives in a private 4x4 vehicle, a professional English-speaking guide for both Tanzania and Kenya sections, all airport and border transfers, and mineral water. International flights, visa fees, and optional activities are not included.
Yes. Game drives are family-friendly and the mix of parks provides excellent wildlife variety for all ages. We recommend discussing the ages and interests of children at the time of booking so we can suggest any adjustments.
Most nationalities require a visa for both Tanzania and Kenya. E-visas are available for both countries. A multiple-entry visa for Kenya may be worth considering given the Amboseli-Nairobi section. Yellow fever vaccination documentation may be required. Consult a travel health clinic well in advance.
Your guide monitors road conditions, park access, and wildlife movements throughout the trip. If a route needs to be adjusted due to seasonal conditions or unexpected circumstances, the team will communicate changes promptly and adapt the itinerary to ensure the best possible experience.
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