13-Day Private Wildlife Safari Tour of Kenya and Tanzania

This is a big, ambitious safari that links Samburu and Maasai Mara in Kenya with the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire in Tanzania. You get a broad look at East Africa in 13 days, from dry northern Kenya to the open plains of the Serengeti, with private transport and game drives built into nearly every day.

I like the mix of famous parks and less predictable stops. Samburu gives you unusual northern species and a strong sense of place, while Lake Victoria and Olduvai Gorge break up the wildlife schedule with water and archaeology. I also like the private format, since your group can set the rhythm for game drives and ask to stay longer when something interesting appears.

The main drawback is the pace. You cover a great deal of ground, and several days involve long road transfers before or after a game drive. At $8,086 per person, this is a serious investment, so confirm exactly what is included, which camps will be used, and where the final drop-off takes place before paying.

Key points to know before booking

• Seven major wildlife areas: Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and the Lake Victoria area all appear on the route.
• Private touring: Only your own group participates, giving you more control over stops, meal timing, and time spent watching animals.
• Unlimited game drives: The program is designed around repeated morning, afternoon, and full-day drives rather than one quick park visit.
• A border crossing by road: You travel from Kenya into Tanzania through the Isebania border on Day 7.
• Lodges and tented camps: Accommodation changes often, with named properties including Samburu Sopa Lodge, Enkorok Mara Camp, Mawe Tented Camp, and Tarangire Roika Tented Camp.
• The route ends in Arusha: Day 13 reaches Arusha around noon, but the meeting-point details also say the activity ends back at the meeting point, so clarify the transfer plan.

What the $8,086 price buys you

The price reflects a private 13-day trip across two countries, with accommodation, safari transport, park access on the listed days, game drives, and a guide built into the arrangement. You are not simply paying for a few park entrances. You are paying for the vehicle, route planning, border coordination, lodging changes, and the ability to search for wildlife over many days.

That length matters. A short safari can produce a wonderful sighting, but it also leaves little room for bad weather, animals staying out of view, or a park day that simply unfolds slowly. Here, you have multiple chances for lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, hippos, and many smaller species.

Still, the value depends heavily on the final accommodation list and inclusions. The plan names several lodges but also uses or similar wording at some stops. Ask for the exact properties, room or tent type, meal plan, park fees, border charges, and airport or hotel transfers. The word unlimited refers to game drives in the tour description, but it is wise to ask how that works within each park’s operating rules.

The private setup is a real advantage for couples, families, and small groups. Past Asili arrangements have been praised for careful planning, flexibility, and prompt help when plans changed. Monica has been singled out for tailoring itineraries, while guides named in related Kenya and Tanzania trips include Martin in Kenya and Hashim Mkya in Tanzania. Your guide may be different, so request names and qualifications when you book.

Day 1: Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve

The trip begins at 7:00 a.m. from Standard Street in Nairobi, with hotel pickup offered. After a briefing with an Asili Adventure Safaris tour officer, you travel toward Mount Kenya and then onward to Samburu.

That first day combines a long transfer with an afternoon game drive. Lunch is planned at Samburu Sopa Lodge, followed by wildlife viewing and an overnight stay there. This is not a gentle city-to-camp introduction. You leave Nairobi early and use the day to reach a park that feels quite different from the better-known southern reserves.

Samburu is dry, scenic, and shaped by the Ewaso Nyiro River, permanent springs, and pockets of forest. The area is known for elephants, lions, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebra, and more than 365 recorded bird species.

The benefit of starting here is variety. You are not seeing the same open-grassland setting from the first hour of the safari. The cost is road time. If you prefer a slower first day, ask how much of the journey is on paved roads and what time you can reasonably expect to reach the reserve.

Day 2: A full day among Samburu’s dry-country wildlife

Day 2 gives Samburu the attention it deserves, with morning and afternoon game drives. That split is useful because wildlife activity and light can change during the day, and you can return to the lodge between outings rather than spending every hour in the vehicle.

Samburu is especially appealing if you want more than the standard safari checklist. Reticulated giraffes and Grevy’s zebra help distinguish the area, while the river can bring elephants, hippos, and crocodiles into the same broad outing. Birdwatchers also get a strong reason to pay attention between larger sightings.

I would treat this as one of the most worthwhile days for the guide relationship. Tell the guide early if you care most about cats, birds, elephants, or photography. The private format should make that conversation easier, although sightings can never be promised.

Day 3: Rhino country at Lake Nakuru

After breakfast, you leave Samburu for Lake Nakuru National Park, with lunch en route and an afternoon game drive. The park covers about 180 square kilometers and is known for white and black rhinos, especially white rhinos in the southern section.

You might also find warthogs, waterbuck, buffalo, reedbuck, and the occasional leopard. More than 400 bird species have been recorded here, so Lake Nakuru earns its place even if your main goal is mammals.

This is another transfer-heavy day. The afternoon drive gives you a useful first look at the park, but it is not a full day of searching. The reward is a compact park with a different feel from Samburu and the Maasai Mara, plus a good chance to focus on rhinos. If rhino sightings are a priority, ask whether the afternoon route will include the southern end of the park.

Days 4 to 6: Three nights in the Maasai Mara

Day 4 takes you through the Great Rift Valley toward the Maasai Mara National Reserve. After lunch at camp, you head out for an evening drive and stay at Enkorok Mara Camp.

The Mara is the trip’s big-cat center. Lions are prominent, and cheetahs and leopards are also possible. The reserve is part of the greater ecosystem associated with the annual movement of wildebeest and zebra, with as many as one million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra involved in the yearly journey.

It is important to set realistic expectations about the crossing. The spectacle is seasonal and location-dependent, and no itinerary can guarantee that you will see animals crossing a river. Even without a crossing, three nights give you time to look for predators, grazing herds, buffalo, giraffes, and birdlife across the reserve.

Days 5 and 6 are full exploration days. You can take a packed lunch and stay out on the savannah, or return to camp for lunch. I like having that choice. A full day in the field gives you the best chance to follow an active sighting, while returning to camp suits anyone who wants a midday break.

Three nights is a sensible allocation for the Mara, but the transfer from Lake Nakuru means the first Mara day is only partly available. You should also confirm whether the camp has the facilities you need, since the itinerary uses lodge and tented-camp accommodation rather than one consistent hotel standard.

Day 7: Crossing into Tanzania at Lake Victoria

After breakfast, you leave the Mara and cross into Tanzania through Isebania. The route continues to Speke Bay Lodge on the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria, where a boat ride is planned.

This day changes the pace. Instead of spending every hour looking for animals, you get time beside one of Africa’s great lakes. Speke Bay is part of Speke Gulf, named for explorer John Hanning Speke, and the lodge is described as a small village spread along the shore.

The practical point is that this is a long travel day, listed at about 12 hours. Border formalities can add uncertainty, and the road transfer is a major part of the day. Think of Lake Victoria as a useful pause between the Mara and Serengeti rather than an extra full safari day.

Days 8 and 9: Entering the Serengeti through Ndabaka Gate

On Day 8, you enter Serengeti National Park through Ndabaka Gate and travel toward the western corridor with a picnic lunch. The day is listed at about 18 hours, which signals a very long combined travel and game-viewing schedule. Confirm the expected departure time and arrival time at camp.

The Serengeti is Tanzania’s largest national park, covering about 14,736 square kilometers. It adjoins Kenya’s Maasai Mara, but its scale can make the experience feel more open and remote. The route may bring you near wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelles, impala, topi, Grant’s gazelles, eland, buffalo, giraffes, and warthogs.

Those herds support a long list of predators, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, golden jackals, and bat-eared foxes. Elephants are also present. Your guide’s ability to communicate with other vehicles and read animal behavior matters greatly in a park this large, so ask about the guide assignment before departure.

Day 9 is a full day of morning and afternoon drives, with meals and an overnight stay at Mawe Tented Camp or a similar property. The extra day gives you a better chance to see the Serengeti beyond the first route into the park. I would keep your expectations flexible. The Serengeti rewards patience, but long distances are part of its character.

Day 10: Olduvai Gorge and the road to Ngorongoro

Day 10 begins with a morning game drive, breakfast at camp, and a journey south toward the Ngorongoro Crater. Olduvai Gorge provides the cultural and scientific counterpoint to the wildlife schedule.

Rock layers at the gorge record time from about two million years ago to the present. Human ancestor remains dating to more than 1.75 million years have been found here, along with fossil footprints more than three million years old. The site museum offers a chance to understand the excavations before continuing to your accommodation near Ngorongoro.

You also continue game watching along the route, with a picnic lunch. That makes this a full day, but one with a clear sense of purpose. If archaeology interests you, allow enough time for the museum rather than treating Olduvai as a quick roadside stop.

Overnight accommodation is listed as Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge or similar. Since the next day begins with an early crater visit, confirm the lodge location and departure time.

Day 11: A full day inside Ngorongoro Crater

After an early breakfast, you descend about 2,000 feet into the Ngorongoro Crater in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. A picnic lunch is planned, followed by a full day exploring the crater before you ascend to Hhando Coffee Lodge, Ngorongoro Farm House, or Farm House Valley for the night.

Ngorongoro is often called Africa’s Eden and one of the world’s great natural sights. The crater’s enclosed setting makes it an efficient place to search for large mammals, though the exact wildlife you see will depend on conditions and timing.

This is one of the itinerary’s strongest days, but it can also feel busy compared with the wider Serengeti. The private vehicle gives your group more say over how long to stay at a sighting, but park conditions and local rules still shape the day. Bring patience for the descent, the crater roads, and the climb back out.

Day 12: Elephants and dry-country species in Tarangire

After breakfast, you drive to Tarangire National Park, have lunch, and spend the afternoon on game drives before staying at Tarangire Roika Tented Camp.

Tarangire is a smart final park because it changes the scenery again. Large elephant herds can gather around dry riverbeds and shrinking lagoons, while wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelles, hartebeest, and eland draw predators.

The park is also noted for dry-country species that are less regularly seen elsewhere in this route, including fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk. Those species make Tarangire more than a spare day added after the Serengeti and crater.

The listed schedule runs about 12 hours, including the drive, lunch, and afternoon viewing. It is another busy day, but the park’s different animal mix helps prevent the trip from feeling repetitive.

Day 13: Arriving in Arusha

The final morning is relaxed, with breakfast followed by a drive to Arusha, expected around noon. This is a short closing transfer compared with several earlier days.

There is a small but important inconsistency in the arrangements. The meeting information says the activity ends back at the meeting point, while the itinerary says you arrive in Arusha. Ask in writing whether the final transfer is to an Arusha hotel, airport, or another location, and whether that service is included in the quoted price.

Who will get the most from this safari

I would recommend this route to you if you want a broad first safari rather than a slow stay in one region. You see northern Kenya, the Mara, the Serengeti, the crater, and Tarangire in one continuous trip, with the added variety of Lake Victoria and Olduvai Gorge.

It suits people who value private guiding and flexibility. Families and small groups can discuss game-drive priorities with one guide instead of adapting to strangers. It also works well for photographers and wildlife fans who want repeated chances to find cats, elephants, rhinos, and herd animals.

You should think twice if you dislike long road journeys or frequent accommodation changes. The route is rewarding because it covers so much, but that coverage comes at the cost of downtime. At this price, ask for a detailed day-by-day driving estimate and the exact accommodation names before deciding.

Free cancellation is available when you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted for a refund, and the experience requires a minimum number of participants, although it is otherwise private for your group.

Should you book it?

Book this safari if your priority is maximum wildlife variety across Kenya and Tanzania and you are comfortable with long transfer days. Samburu, the Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire each add something different, and the private format gives the itinerary real practical value.

Before booking, settle three points: the exact camps, the full list of inclusions, and the final Arusha transfer. If those answers are clear and you want one substantial East African safari instead of several shorter trips, this is a strong route with plenty of time in the parks.

FAQ

Where does the safari start?

The safari starts at 7:00 a.m. from Standard Street in Nairobi, Kenya. Pickup is offered, and the tour begins with a briefing from an Asili Adventure Safaris tour officer.

Where does the safari end?

The itinerary says the final day drives to Arusha and arrives around noon. The meeting information also says the activity ends back at the meeting point, so you should confirm the exact final drop-off location before booking.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the private tour or activity.

How long does the safari last?

The safari lasts approximately 13 days, beginning in Nairobi and reaching Arusha on the final day.

Which parks and reserves are included?

The route includes Samburu National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park. It also includes time at Lake Victoria and Olduvai Gorge.

What accommodation is provided?

The trip uses lodges and tented camps. Named properties include Samburu Sopa Lodge, Enkorok Mara Camp, Mawe Tented Camp or similar, Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge or similar, and Tarangire Roika Tented Camp.

Does the tour include game drives?

Yes. The program includes morning, afternoon, full-day, and unlimited game-drive opportunities as described for the different parks.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel for a full refund if you do so at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.