Day 1
Nairobi Arrival
Arrive JKIA.
Transfer to hotel in Karen or Langata.
Giraffe Centre and Karen Blixen Museum.
Dinner and circuit briefing with your guide.
Itinerary detail
← Back
— WILDLIFE SAFARI
Mara to Serengeti — The Migration Crossing
Follow the herds across the border, from the Mara River to the Ngorongoro Crater floor.
Duration
10 Nights / 11 Days
Destinations
Nairobi, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Arusha
Group size
2–6 people
Best months
Jul–Oct (crossings), Feb (calving)
Est. budget
$9,000–$22,000
Highlights
Both sides of the Migration, Ngorongoro Crater, Balloon safari
Overview
The Migration doesn't stop at the border, and neither does this itinerary. Five nights in Kenya's Mara ecosystem, then a light aircraft hop into Tanzania's Serengeti and down into the Ngorongoro Crater. The same herds, two countries, and two completely different landscapes — open Mara grassland and the endless Serengeti plains.
Day by day
Day 2
Fly to the Mara
Fly Wilson → Mara North Conservancy (45 min).
Afternoon game drive — resident lion prides and elephant herds.
Sundowner overlooking the Mara escarpment.
Day 3
Mara North Conservancy
Dawn drive with off-road big cat tracking.
Walking safari with an armed Maasai guide.
Night drive — nocturnal species not seen inside the reserve.
Day 4
Mara River Crossings
Full-day drive into the national reserve with packed breakfast.
Crossing stake-out at the main crossing points.
Picnic lunch by the river.
Return at dusk.
Day 5
Balloon & Bush
Pre-dawn balloon safari over the plains, breakfast on landing.
Rest and a swim at camp through the heat of the day.
Evening drive and bush dinner with Maasai singers.
Day 6
Cross into Tanzania
Morning drive to the Mara airstrip.
Fly Mara → Kogatende, northern Serengeti.
Immigration on arrival.
Afternoon drive — same herds, new country.
Sundowner over the Grumeti.
Day 7
Northern Serengeti
Full-day drive with picnic lunch in the Lamai Wedge.
Second crossing opportunity on the Tanzanian bank.
Evening drive back to camp.
Star-gazing session.
Day 8
Central Serengeti
Fly or drive south to Seronera.
Game drive en route.
Afternoon in the Seronera Valley — leopard country.
Sundowner at a granite kopje.
Day 9
Serengeti to Ngorongoro
Morning drive through the Serengeti plains.
Stop at Olduvai Gorge — the archaeology of human origins.
Arrive Ngorongoro crater rim lodge for sunset.
Day 10
Ngorongoro Crater
Descend to the crater floor at dawn with packed breakfast.
Full crater day — black rhino, tusker elephants, flamingos at Lake Magadi.
Ascend late afternoon.
Farewell dinner on the rim.
Day 11
Departure Drive
Ngorongoro → Arusha via Karatu coffee country.
Lunch and shopping at a Cultural Heritage centre.
Kilimanjaro International Airport for departure.