Kenya · Private safari
Maasai Mara & Lake Nakuru
Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru
Proposed level: Midrange to luxury
Kenya · Tanzania · Rwanda
Kenya, Tanzania & Rwanda
Great Plains & Gorilla Encounters
Our longest East African journey: both sides of the Mara–Serengeti ecosystem, the crater, and the Virunga forest.
Thirteen nights lets the journey breathe. You see the Mara and the Serengeti as one ecosystem rather than two ticked-off parks, spend enough time in the crater highlands to walk them, and finish with gorillas when you are acclimatised and rested. Two border crossings are handled deliberately, with the option to fly over both.
The route
- Stop 1
Maasai Mara
- Stop 2
Serengeti
- Stop 3
Ngorongoro
- Stop 4
Volcanoes
Route order as travelled. This is a schematic of the sequence, not a scale map — driving times are given in the itinerary.
The route on a map
4 stops · drag and zoom to explore
Loading map…
- 01Maasai Mara
- 02Serengeti
- 03Ngorongoro
- 04Volcanoes
Pins mark the regions in travelling order, not exact camps or lodges. Driving times are given in the day-by-day plan above.
Day by day
14 days · 13 nights across 3 countries
Day01Arrive and settle into Maasai Mara / conservancyMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
You are met on arrival and driven to your first camp. Depending on your flight time, there is a first evening drive or simply time to settle in. Full-day game drives across the Mara’s open grassland, following the wildlife wherever the morning takes you.
- Transfers
- Met at Nairobi (NBO), then a transfer of approximately 5–6 hours by road from Nairobi, or a short scheduled flight to a Mara airstrip.
- Meals
- Dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Light — settle in, with one short drive if your flight allows
From the safari desk: Send us your flight number before you travel. If you land after 15:00 we move any first drive to the following morning rather than rush you into the park tired.
Day02Maasai Mara — full dayMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
Morning and late-afternoon drives with time back at camp through the heat of the day; plains game, big cats and raptors are all part of the search.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day03Maasai Mara — full dayMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
A day in a private conservancy with guided walks and off-road viewing where the conservancy permits it.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day04Maasai Mara — full dayMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
Optional sunrise balloon flight over the plains (booked in advance, weather dependent), followed by a relaxed afternoon drive.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day05On to SerengetiSerengeti · overnight Serengeti
After breakfast you travel on to Serengeti. The afternoon is kept light: Full days of game drives on the Serengeti plains, tracking whatever the season has brought to the area.
- Transfers
- a scenic drive from the Ngorongoro highlands, or a scheduled flight to a Serengeti airstrip. Cross from Kenya into Tanzania at Isebania with your guide handling formalities, or fly Nairobi to Kilimanjaro and pick up the Tanzanian vehicle there.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day06Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
Morning and afternoon drives from camp, with the middle of the day free to rest.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day07Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
A day exploring a different sector, following the herds and the predators that shadow them.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day08On to Ngorongoro highlandsNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
After breakfast you travel on to Ngorongoro. The afternoon is kept light: A descent into the Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunch, exploring the crater floor.
- Transfers
- approximately 2 hours by road from Karatu or the Serengeti.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day09Ngorongoro — full dayNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
A morning crater visit or, on a longer stay, time in the surrounding highlands and forest.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day10On to Volcanoes National ParkVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast you travel on to Volcanoes. The afternoon is kept light: Gorilla trekking day with park rangers, on a permit booked well in advance.
- Transfers
- approximately 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali. Fly from Kilimanjaro or Arusha to Kigali, then drive to the Virunga foothills. Confirm the gorilla permit date before fixing this leg.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day11Volcanoes — full dayVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
Golden monkey trekking or a second gorilla permit, subject to availability.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day12Volcanoes — full dayVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
A cultural morning at a community initiative, then time at the lodge.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day13Volcanoes — full dayVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla trekking day with park rangers, on a permit booked well in advance.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day14DepartureVolcanoes National Park · onward travel
Your guide sees you to the airport in good time for check-in. If your international flight leaves late in the day, a day room or an extra night can be arranged.
- Transfers
- A final morning at camp, then a transfer of approximately 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali to Kigali (KGL) for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Onward travel
- Pace
- Morning only, then onward travel
From the safari desk: We confirm your transfer time the evening before against the live flight schedule, and build in a buffer for road conditions. Late departures can keep a day room.
Crossing between countries
Road between the Mara and the Serengeti, a light-aircraft flight within Tanzania if you prefer, a regional flight to Kigali and a private transfer to the park.
Proposed level
Luxury accommodation, proposed rather than committed. Specific properties and rates are shared privately in your proposal.
Safaris we sell
Journeys on this route
Each can run on its own, or be joined into the full combination above.
Tanzania · Private safari
Tanzania’s Classic Safari
Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Proposed level: Midrange to luxury
Tanzania · Private safari
Northern Circuit Discovery
Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Proposed level: Midrange
Before you decide
- Two land or air border crossings need printed documents and, in some nationalities’ cases, separate visas.
- Gorilla permits are limited and quoted separately.
- The crater descent is a long day and can be swapped for a highland walk.
Questions about this combination
Is this too much travelling?
Not at fourteen days, because each move is followed by at least two nights. We would not propose it at ten.
Can the migration be guaranteed?
No. The herds move with the rain; your month decides where we base the journey, and crossings are never promised.
Can we add Zanzibar?
Yes, as a beach extension after the crater, before the flight to Rwanda.
