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7 Days Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Masai Mara Safari

7 Days Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Masai Mara Safari

A full day inside the Ngorongoro Crater, two days on the Serengeti's open plains, then across the border by air and road for two days in the Masai Mara.

7 DaysDuration Kenya & TanzaniaCountries PrivateGroup type
Overview Highlights Daily itinerary Accommodation Inclusions
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Overview

One Week Safari in Kenya and Tanzania

This is the Serengeti and Masai Mara safari in its most direct form.

Seven days that begin on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, drop into its enclosed caldera for a full day among one of the densest concentrations of resident wildlife in Africa, then continue west across the Serengeti’s open plains.

From central Serengeti, the route crosses into Kenya by air and road, for two days in the Masai Mara, the northern end of the same ecosystem. The Serengeti and the Mara are one continuous landscape split by a national border, and this trip is built to let you feel both sides of it.

Three stays, one border crossing and a closing flight to Nairobi make this one of the most complete 7-day Tanzania and Kenya safaris possible, with no stage repeated and no day spent only in a vehicle except the single transfer that links the two countries.

At a glance

  • Duration7 Days
  • CountriesKenya & Tanzania
  • Group typePrivate

Activities

A few additions past travellers have asked for on this route, tell us which interest you.

A dawn hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti or the Masai Mara
A visit to a Maasai boma near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
A stop at Olduvai Gorge and its museum on the road to the Serengeti
A photography-focused game drive with a specialist guide in the Serengeti or the Mara
Moments to note

Standout moments

The parts of this particular route past travellers mention most

I

A Full Day Inside the Ngorongoro Crater

A collapsed volcanic caldera about 20 kilometres across and 600 metres deep, holding an estimated 25,000 large animals that stay resident year round.

II

Central Serengeti's Resident Big Cats

Seronera's lion prides have been studied continuously since the 1960s, and leopard are regularly found resting in the riverine forest along the Seronera River.

III

One Ecosystem, Two Countries

The Serengeti is roughly ten times the size of the Masai Mara, yet the two are one continuous landscape, and this route crosses the border between them by air and road.

IV

Olduvai Gorge on the Road

A stop inside the Conservation Area at one of the most important paleoanthropology sites on Earth, where fossil finds reshaped the understanding of early human evolution.

Day by day

How the days break down

A starting shape: pace, order and length of each stage are all adjustable.

Day
01
Ngorongoro
Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater rim

Arriving at the Crater Rim, Ahead of Tomorrow's Full Day on the Floor

The drive from Arusha climbs steadily into the highlands, tarmac giving way to the coffee farms around Karatu before the road reaches the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, roughly three hours from Arusha and a little longer from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The landscape changes as it climbs, cultivated hillsides giving way to highland forest, and the first glimpse down into the crater, twenty kilometres across and framed by its own far wall, tends to be the moment the whole trip comes into focus.
Rather than descending the same afternoon, this itinerary saves the crater floor for a full day tomorrow, so today is left for arrival, a short rim walk if energy allows, and an early dinner overlooking the caldera as the light drops. It is a gentler first day than the one ahead of it, and worth it for how unhurried tomorrow gets to feel.

Where you rest

A lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rim · Two nights here, with the crater floor visible below the dining room.

Day
02
Ngorongoro Crater
A full day inside the Ngorongoro Crater

Down Into Africa's Most Enclosed Wildlife Bowl

The descent onto the floor begins early, down one of the steep access roads into a collapsed volcanic caldera holding an estimated 25,000 large animals. Lion, wildebeest, zebra and buffalo are a normal part of a morning, the crater is home to one of the densest lion populations in Africa, and black rhino are a real if less certain possibility, the crater's population is among the largest single groups left in Tanzania. Giraffe are the one big animal you will not find on the floor.
Lunch is a picnic beside a spring-fed pool, hippo included, before an afternoon covering different ground: the Lerai Forest, where old bull elephants spend their days, and the open plains in the middle, where wildebeest and zebra graze. The climb back to the rim is timed for late afternoon, in time for a second night above the caldera.

Where you rest

Second night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim · Second night here, same rim views.

Day
03
Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater rim to central Serengeti (Seronera), via Olduvai Gorge

West to the Serengeti, by Way of Olduvai Gorge

After a slow breakfast with the crater still visible below, the road continues west and out of the Conservation Area, with a stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropology sites on Earth, where fossil discoveries reshaped scientific understanding of early human evolution. A short visit adds a different kind of morning before the drive continues into wildlife country again.
The road drops onto the Serengeti's plains and runs on to Seronera, around three hours from the crater, the park's most reliable game-viewing sector all year. Arrival is timed for an afternoon game drive through ground that holds resident lion and leopard in numbers that rival anywhere on the continent.

Where you rest

A lodge or tented camp in central Serengeti, near Seronera · Two nights here, in the park's most reliable game-viewing sector.

Day
04
Serengeti
A full day exploring central Serengeti

A Full Day Among Seronera's Lion, Leopard and Granite Kopjes

The day begins early, while Seronera's resident prides are at their most active, with the morning drive moving through open grass and past the granite kopjes, ancient rock rising out of plains that run unbroken to every horizon. Depending on the month, this stretch of the park may also intersect the Great Migration's herds, worth asking your specialist what they are doing on your dates.
After a midday rest at camp, the afternoon follows the Seronera River's riverine forest, prime leopard habitat and one of the most reliable places in Africa to find a leopard resting in a tree. A dawn hot air balloon safari is available as an add-on for anyone who wants the same plains from above.

Where you rest

Second night in central Serengeti · Second night here.

Day
05
Masai Mara
Serengeti to Masai Mara, crossing the border

Across the Border, From the Serengeti to the Mara

The Serengeti and the Masai Mara are one continuous ecosystem, but the border between them is a real one, with no direct scheduled flight across it, so today is a cross-border transfer by air and road: a morning flight from the Serengeti to Tarime, a short road transfer over the Isebania border with immigration formalities, then a second flight from Migori into the Mara.
Vehicles and guides change at the border, as Tanzanian and Kenyan safari vehicles do not cross, and the connection runs only in the high seasons, mid-December to the end of March and July to the end of October, so your specialist confirms the routing for your dates. Arrival in the Mara is in the early afternoon, with a late-afternoon game drive to meet the plains for the first time.

Where you rest

Enkakenya Camp, an unfenced tented camp on the Olare Orok River, inside the Masai Mara reserve · Two nights here, positioned for a full day exploring the reserve.

Day
06
Masai Mara
Full day exploring the Masai Mara

A Full Day on the Mara's Open Plains

The Masai Mara National Reserve covers about 1,510 square kilometres, small enough to cover in a day and rich enough to need one, and a full day of game drives crosses open grassland and the riverine forest along the Mara River, home to the Big Five and, from roughly July to October, the Great Migration's river crossings. Lunch is taken in the bush or back at camp.
The afternoon follows the Mara River itself, where hippo and crocodile hold their stretch of water all year, and the light turns the deep gold the reserve is known for. A dawn hot air balloon safari is available as an add-on, drifting over the same grassland as the sun rises, followed by a breakfast served in the bush.

Where you rest

Second night at Enkakenya Camp · Second night here.

Day
07
Nairobi
Masai Mara to Nairobi, by air

A Final Morning Drive, Then the Flight to Nairobi

There is time for one last drive before breakfast, unhurried, following whatever the plains offer on a final morning. A short transfer covers the way to the airstrip, and a scheduled flight reaches Nairobi's Wilson Airport in under an hour and a half, a fraction of the 5 to 6 hour road journey the same route takes via Narok.
Wilson Airport is separate from Jomo Kenyatta International, roughly 30 to 45 minutes apart by road, so the transfer is timed to connect with an evening international departure. Seven days after arriving, the trip closes having covered the Ngorongoro Crater's enclosed floor, the Serengeti's open plains and the Masai Mara's rivers and grassland, two countries and one continuous landscape.

What you'll likely see

Key species on this route

Based on past travellers' experiences, here's what this route is really about.

· · · · · · ·
Zebra
Zebra
95% chance
Lion
Lion
95% chance
Elephant
Elephant
90% chance
Buffalo
Buffalo
90% chance
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
90% chance
Giraffe
Giraffe
90% chance
Hippo
Hippo
85% chance
Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
85% chance
Cheetah
Cheetah
70% chance
Leopard
Leopard
60% chance
Black Rhino
Black Rhino
35% chance
Wild Dog
Wild Dog
35% chance
The details

What's included

What's included

  • Entry fees at every park and reserve on the route
  • Private road transfers throughout, with a vehicle and guide change at the Tanzania and Kenya border on Day 5
  • Serengeti to Masai Mara cross-border transfer by air and road, Day 5
  • Masai Mara to Nairobi flight, Day 7
  • Airport transfers on arrival (Arusha or Kilimanjaro) and on departure in Nairobi
  • All meals during the safari (full board)
  • Bottled water throughout
  • Game drives at every wildlife stop

What's not included

  • International flights to and from East Africa
  • Visa fees for Tanzania and Kenya's Electronic Travel Authorisation
  • Travel insurance
  • Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
  • Optional extras such as hot air balloon safaris and a Maasai boma visit
  • Tips and gratuities for guides and lodge staff
  • Personal expenses (laundry, phone calls, curio purchases)

Notes about this trip

  • A private safari, pace and timings adjust to your preferences on the day
  • This itinerary crosses the Tanzania and Kenya border once, by air and road on Day 5, current entry requirements for your nationality should be confirmed well before travel
  • Rhino sightings in the crater, the Serengeti and the Mara are possible but never guaranteed
Responsible travel

Responsible Travel

Park and reserve fees across this route fund ranger operations and monitoring in two countries, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a rare working example of wildlife and people sharing the same land.

I

People and Wildlife on the Same Land

Maasai communities have lived and grazed cattle inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area since its boundary was drawn in 1959, a deliberate alternative to excluding people from conservation land.

II

A Rhino Recovery in the Crater

Poaching cut the crater's black rhino from over 100 in the 1960s to fewer than 20 by the mid-1980s, and today's population of around 30 is the largest single group left in Tanzania.

III

One Ecosystem, Two Sets of Fees

The Serengeti and the Masai Mara protect the same migration landscape from either side of the border, and the fees paid on this route support ranger patrols in both.

Make it mine

Seven days is built for travellers who want the crater, the Serengeti and the Mara in one trip. Add a night at Ndutu or the northern Serengeti for the migration, extend to the Mara River crossings, or close with a beach stay at Diani or Zanzibar, your specialist will work from here.

With the route as a starting point, your specialist will adjust the pace, camps and add-ons until the itinerary feels like yours, not a template.

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If this isn't quite right

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Common questions

Before you enquire

Yes, once, on Day 5, from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara, by air and road with immigration formalities at the Isebania border, and with a vehicle and guide change on the way.

Most visitors need a Tanzanian visa and Kenya’s Electronic Travel Authorisation before the Day 5 crossing. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda but not Tanzania, so your specialist confirms the exact requirements for your nationality before you book

No. The air and road connection runs only from mid-December to the end of March and from July to the end of October, and needs at least two passengers. Your specialist confirms the routing and dates, and arranges an alternative if you are travelling outside those windows.

No. Day 1 is arrival and the rim, and the full crater descent is Day 2, so the floor gets a whole unhurried day instead of an afternoon squeezed in after a long transfer.

It depends on your dates. The Mara River crossings are possible from roughly July to October, and the herds’ position in the Serengeti shifts through the year, so your specialist will tell you what the herds are doing on your specific dates.

Black rhino are a real possibility in the Ngorongoro Crater and a rare sighting in the Serengeti and Masai Mara, but never guaranteed. White rhino do not naturally occur on this route.

The flight to Wilson Airport takes under an hour and a half, against five to six hours by road via Narok, and it lets the last morning stay a game drive instead of a long drive.

Ready when you are

Ask about 7 Days Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Masai Mara Safari

Tell us your dates and we'll confirm whether the timing works, then adjust the route from there.

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