Signature Journey · Kenya & Tanzania · 13 days
The Mara and Serengeti read as one connected system, with different operating freedoms on each side: conservancy walking and night drives in Kenya, then the Serengeti's scale, the crater and Tarangire.
The shape of the journey
Unhurried, with the river country given seven nights across two countries
Chapter by chapter
12 nights in 5 chapters, with 4 flight sectors. Read down the chapters; the map keeps pace.
Day 1 · 1 night
Nairobi · Kenya
Arrive to a private transfer and a base in the Karen district, where the city becomes gardens and forest edge. Depending on the hour, the first day can hold the giraffe sanctuary or the elephant orphanage, or simply rest before the flight north.
By air · Nairobi to the Maasai Mara, about 45 minutes
Days 2 to 4 · 3 nights
Maasai Mara · Kenya
A private conservancy gives freedom the reserve cannot: walking, night drives, off-road viewing where permitted and few vehicles at a sighting. One whole day enters the reserve for the river when the season and the brief justify it. A crossing is never promised.
By air · the Maasai Mara to Migori, about 40 minutes; then Tarime to Kogatende, about 1 hour; then about 1 hour by road
Days 5 to 8 · 4 nights
Northern Serengeti · Tanzania
Move to the northern Serengeti for the Mara River country. In crossing season the days are planned around possibility rather than certainty; outside it the north is quiet, open and rich in resident game. A crossing is never promised.
By air · Kogatende to Lake Manyara, about 1 hour; then 1 to 2 hours by road
Days 9 to 10 · 2 nights
Ngorongoro · Tanzania
Enter the crater early, before the light flattens and the vehicles gather, then stay long enough to understand the highlands beyond the floor: Maasai country, forest edge and the wider conservation area. A private vehicle shapes the day around conditions rather than a standard circuit.
By road · 3 to 4 hours · private vehicle with your Sail guide
Days 11 to 12 · 2 nights
Tarangire · Tanzania
Begin with elephants, baobabs and a landscape that rewards patient driving. Dawn drives along the river, afternoons in the quieter reaches, and where the camp allows, a walk with an armed guide. The lodge position is chosen for the season and the preferred style of day.
By road · 2 to 3 hours · private vehicle with your Sail guide
Day 13
The journey closes with the Mara to Serengeti flight and a private transfer to the international departure, timed with margin rather than haste.
Two expressions, one journey
The Most Exclusive Addresses and the Distinguished Camps and Lodges preserve the same route, purpose and Sail operating standard. The expression changes the addresses, never the soul of the journey. Every property is a current decision set, not guaranteed inventory; availability, opening and access are confirmed live.
| Chapter | Nights | The Most Exclusive Addresses | Distinguished Camps and Lodges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi | 1 | Hemingways Nairobi | Nairobi Serena Hotel |
| Maasai Mara | 3 | Paradise Plains Masai Mara | Kicheche Mara North Camp |
| Serengeti | 4 | Nimali Mara | Lemala Mara |
| Ngorongoro | 2 | Ngorongoro Explorer | Lions Paw Ngorongoro |
| Tarangire | 2 | Lemala Mpingo Ridge Lodge | Siringit Tarangire |
From price, 2027 season
From US$12,935 per person in the low season, 15 March to 31 May and 1 November to 15 December
Distinguished Camps and Lodges, two adults, per person sharing, confirmed at quotation.
Prices are per person for two adults sharing; a party of four or six changes the vehicle and guide cost per person, and Sail prices that at quotation.
Recommended months: July to October. Where these fall in the high season, 1 June to 31 October and 16 December to 14 March, the Distinguished expression starts from US$17,425 per person on the same basis; where they fall in the low season the figure above applies. Individual properties may price festive and peak weeks above the high-season rate.
Includes the 4 scheduled flight sectors at US$1,271 per person on 2027 fares, carried at cost.
The Most Exclusive Addresses expression, single travellers, families and dates that straddle the two seasons are priced on request. Published from prices are public rates; travel advisors receive nett rates at quotation.
Every figure is confirmed once permits, air sectors and lodge availability are held for your dates. Park, conservancy and permit fees are charged at the rates published by the authorities that set them, confirmed at booking.
Discuss this journey for your datesAt a glance
The Sail standard
Plan with a clearer frame
Best fit. Great Migration travellers and photographers who want the whole ecosystem rather than one country's view of it.
Choose another route when. Choose River Crossings, Read Properly for Tanzania alone, or Mara in Depth for Kenya alone.
| Travel band | Two travellers | Four travellers | Six travellers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green seasonApril to May and selected November dates Open landscapes, strong birding and greater camp flexibility, with local rain shaping daily access. | The private vehicle, guide and fixed route costs are shared by two, so the per-person investment is usually highest. | Four travellers usually create the clearest private-journey efficiency while preserving one vehicle and a close group dynamic. | Six travellers can share more fixed costs, subject to luggage, room mix and whether one or two vehicles best protect comfort. |
| Shoulder seasonJanuary to March, June and early December Resident wildlife, activity choice and lower pressure than the principal migration months. | The private vehicle, guide and fixed route costs are shared by two, so the per-person investment is usually highest. | Four travellers usually create the clearest private-journey efficiency while preserving one vehicle and a close group dynamic. | Six travellers can share more fixed costs, subject to luggage, room mix and whether one or two vehicles best protect comfort. |
| Peak seasonJuly to October and festive dates Highest demand around the migration; reserve, conservancy and flight decisions are made early. | The private vehicle, guide and fixed route costs are shared by two, so the per-person investment is usually highest. | Four travellers usually create the clearest private-journey efficiency while preserving one vehicle and a close group dynamic. | Six travellers can share more fixed costs, subject to luggage, room mix and whether one or two vehicles best protect comfort. |
Current working range
Public journey figures are not treated as live quotations. Sail checks current contracted rates, permit and flight availability, room mix and vehicle logic before putting a dated working range in writing.
Ask Sail to place your datesJourney framework designed by Nulu Kamuntu, Founder and Lead Safari Specialist · Reviewed 1 September 2026.
A Sail planning perspective
Cross-border flights from the Mara to the Serengeti run on fixed days and need both countries' entry paperwork; the East African Tourist Visa does not cover Tanzania. Nothing about crossings is promised on either side.
Every final journey is built around confirmed availability, the current season, your preferred pace and the character of places you want to stay. No fixed departure is implied by this journey; the from price is a starting point for the Distinguished expression, not a package.
Tailor this journeyPrefer to talk it through first? Book a planning call with Nulu at a time that suits you.
Designed and reviewed by Sail Safaris DMC's East Africa specialists · Founded in 2016 · Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Our planning standards
Plan with depth
From the journal
