8 Day Masai Mara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Fly-In Safari
This eight-day fly-in safari links the Masai Mara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater by light aircraft, so you spend your time on game drives rather than on the road. Three nights in the Mara and three in the Serengeti give you time to follow the wildlife across the same great ecosystem on both sides of the Kenya–Tanzania border, before a game drive in the wildlife-filled Ngorongoro Crater and a final night at Gibb’s Farm in the green highlands of Karatu.
Short scheduled flights replace the long drives: Nairobi to the Mara, across the border to the Serengeti, and on to Lake Manyara for the crater. The safari ends in Arusha, ready for a flight home or onward to the beaches of Zanzibar.
Accommodation
| Nights 1–3 · Masai Mara | Mara Maisha Camp |
|---|---|
| Nights 4–6 · Serengeti | Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp |
| Night 7 · Karatu | Gibb’s Farm |
Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi – Fly to the Masai Mara (LD)
We collect you from the airport or your Nairobi hotel and take you to Wilson Airport for the 10:00 AM flight to the Masai Mara, with views over the Rift Valley and the plains of Maasai country on the way. Your Explorer Kenya driver-guide meets you at the airstrip for the drive to Mara Maisha Camp in time for lunch. At 3 PM, head out on your first game drive until sunset. The Mara’s grasslands and acacia woodland are home to the Big Five, cheetahs, giraffes, huge herds of plains game and more than 450 bird species. Dinner and overnight at Mara Maisha Camp.
Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Masai Mara Full Day (FB)
Set out after breakfast with a packed lunch for a full day in the reserve, picnicking near the Mara River where hippos and crocodiles gather. Your guide follows the action across the plains, from lion prides and cheetahs on the hunt to leopards resting in riverside trees. Return to camp in the early evening. All meals and overnight at Mara Maisha Camp.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Masai Mara Full Day (FB)
Spend another day exploring a different part of the reserve. The Masai Mara covers about 1,510 square kilometres of open plains cut by the Mara River and its tributaries, and holds one of the highest densities of wildlife in Africa. From late July to October, the great migration brings more than a million wildebeest and zebra into the Mara from the Serengeti, with dramatic crossings at the Mara River. For a special start to the day, add an optional sunrise balloon flight over the plains. All meals and overnight at Mara Maisha Camp.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Masai Mara – Fly to the Serengeti (FB)
After an early breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for the 8:15 AM flight to Migori. The airline shuttle takes you to the Isebania–Sirari border for immigration formalities and on to Tarime airstrip for the 11:00 AM flight into the Serengeti. On arrival, your Explorer Kenya driver-guide based in Tanzania meets you for the drive to Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp in the central Serengeti, in time for lunch. After a rest, head out on an afternoon game drive. The Serengeti’s endless plains support the largest populations of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles on earth, along with lions, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants and more than 500 bird species. Dinner and overnight at Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Serengeti Full Day (FB)
Take a packed lunch for a full day in the Serengeti. The central Seronera area is known for its big cats, with lions resting on the granite kopjes and leopards in the yellow-barked acacias along the river. Look out for giraffes, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelles, and the agama lizards and rock hyraxes that live on the kopjes. All meals and overnight at Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Serengeti Full Day (FB)
Another full day in the park, following the herds wherever they are grazing. The Serengeti is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the stage for much of the great migration, which moves through the park in a year-round cycle. The dry season, from June to October, is the best time for big cat sightings, while the short rains bring fresh grass and newborn animals to the southern plains. All meals and overnight at Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Serengeti – Fly to Lake Manyara – Ngorongoro Crater – Karatu (FB)
After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for the 10:00 AM flight to Lake Manyara. Your Tanzania-based Explorer Kenya driver-guide meets you with packed lunches for the drive up into the highlands to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, descending into the crater for an afternoon game drive. Ngorongoro is the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera, about 600 metres deep and almost 20 kilometres across, formed when a huge volcano collapsed in on itself. Its floor is home to lions, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, zebras, flamingos and some of Tanzania’s last black rhinos. In the late afternoon, climb back out of the crater and drive a short way down to Karatu and Gibb’s Farm, a historic coffee farm on the forested slopes of the Ngorongoro highlands, known for its gardens and farm-to-table food. Dinner and overnight at Gibb’s Farm.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Karatu – Arusha (BL)
After a relaxed breakfast at Gibb’s Farm, drive to Arusha with a packed lunch, passing Lake Manyara and the Maasai plains along the way. Your safari ends at Arusha Airport for a flight to Zanzibar, or at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.
Breakfast, Lunch
Optional Activities
- Hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara – US$ 450 per adult, US$ 300 per child
- Maasai village visit – US$ 25 per person
Package Includes
- All park and conservation area entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Scheduled flights Nairobi (Wilson) – Masai Mara, Masai Mara – Migori, Tarime – Serengeti and Serengeti – Lake Manyara
- Road transfer between Migori and Tarime via the Isebania–Sirari border
- Game drives with English-speaking, experienced driver-guides in Kenya and Tanzania
- Transport in a 4×4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof for game viewing and photography
- 1.5 litres of bottled water per person per day in the vehicle
- Airport transfers in Nairobi and drop-off in Arusha
- All government taxes and levies
- Safari accessories (first aid kit, cooler box and fire extinguisher) and a 24-hour emergency number
Package Excludes
- Driver tips
- Visas for Kenya and Tanzania
- Hot air balloon safari
- Maasai village visit
- Personal travel insurance
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
- International flights and related taxes
- Flying Doctors (AMREF) air ambulance evacuation cover in case of a life-threatening accident or injury – US$ 10 per person
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Any increase in park entry fees if revised by the park management or government
