Kenya and Tanzania Safari Tours

“On a combined Kenya and Tanzania safari, you can expect to see lots of Big 5 wild animals against a backdrop of numerous beautiful landscapes.

Which wildlife you see will depend on where you decide to go, but commonly seen animals on both sides of the border include big cats, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, numerous antelope species and, in some cases, rhinos. Landscape highlights include some of Africa’s highest mountains (Kilimanjaro and Meru), the peerless Ngorongoro Crater, the vast savannah grasslands of the Masai Mara and Serengeti, and superb beaches.

While on safari you can also expect to stay inside or close to the national parks or reserves you visit, sleeping in lodges or in safari tents in tented camps. You’ll also have a guide who will show you around and help you to understand more about what you’re seeing.”

“There are as many different answers to this question as there are African tours, trips and packages. The recommended length of a Kenya and Tanzania safari will depend on numerous factors. One of these is, of course, how much time and money you can dedicate to your holidays. Once you have decided this, you can begin to plan how long you devote to each country and each destination within those countries.

A minimum to at least get a taste of what Tanzania and Kenya have to offer is 1 week of safari. With 2 weeks you could spend a week in each country or divide it up differently, depending on what you want to see. Fly-in safaris to Kenya and Tanzania between the various parks and reserves, may increase the cost of your safari, but it will cut down on traveling time and enable you to see more.”

“There are so many choices when it comes to parks and reserves that choosing which ones to visit could be one of the most difficult things about planning your Kenya and Tanzania safari. In fact, you could go on several trips or holidays and still not even come close to seeing everything.

In Kenya, the most rewarding safari destinations for both wildlife and landscapes are the Masai Mara and Samburu National Reserves, and Amboseli, Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Lake Nakuru National Parks. In Kenya far more than in Tanzania, it also pays to look beyond the national parks and reserves, especially around the Masai Mara where there are numerous community-run conservancies that allow far fewer tourists and permit night drives, off-road game drives and plenty of community engagement.

In Tanzania, the main parks and conservation areas of the Northern safari circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire) are all exceptional wildlife destinations. You could visit any of these on their own and you would have an excellent safari, so to visit more than one would be a real treat. These northern parks work especially well if you’re also visiting Kenya. Out in Tanzania’s west, Gombe and Mahale Mountains National Parks are first-rate chimp tracking spots, while Mikumi, Ruaha and Nyerere (formerly Selous Game Reserve) National Parks in the south are also outstanding.”

“You might see the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) on your Kenya and Tanzania safari, but doing so requires careful planning. Few parks have all five but you could easily combine neighboring or nearby parks or reserves to make up the full complement. For example, there’s a good chance that you’ll see all five if you visit Ngorongoro and the Serengeti on the same trip, or Nairobi National Park and Amboseli or Lake Nakuru.

Both the Masai Mara and Serengeti have the Big Five within their boundaries, but in both cases, rhinos can be hard to see. Far more reliable is Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Sightings of other species in Kenya and Tanzania can be just as thrilling, including cheetah, African wild dog, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and so many more.”

“The best time to go on Kenya and Tanzania safari is from June to October. This is the Dry season, which has two advantages. First, this is when you can generally expect clear skies and fine weather: rain is very unlikely to disrupt your safari. The second benefit is that these months are when the animals are easiest to see: as the landscape dries out, animals are drawn to the diminishing number of water sources, which makes them easier to see.

If you are looking into birdwatching holidays in Africa, you may want to consider going sometime between November (when millions of migratory birds arrive in East Africa) and April (when most of them return).

If spending time at the beach is an important part of why you’re here, the Kenya and Tanzania beaches are year-round destinations, although some rains are a little more likely from November to April or May. It’s certainly warm enough to enjoy the beach lifestyle all through the year.”

“Kenya and Tanzania go very well together for a number of reasons. An international border may separate southern Kenya from Tanzania’s north, but together they form one of the most high-volume wildlife territories on earth. In Kenya’s south you have the Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park and the two Tsavo National Parks (East and West). Not far away across the border is Tanzania’s Northern safari circuit of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks, not to mention Africa’s highest mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro. And both countries have stunning Indian Ocean beaches.

Making it all so much easier is the regular schedule of commercial and charter flights that connect Nairobi (Kenya) and Arusha (Tanzania), or the airstrips in Kenya’s parks with those in Tanzania: it couldn’t be easier to get between the two. This allows you to pick and choose between some of Africa’s best parks and reserves, safe in the knowledge that there are many excellent safari tour operators ready to take you there.”