10 Days Masai Mara Serengeti Safari: The Honest 2026 Guide
A 10 Days Masai Mara Serengeti Safari is the full Northern Circuit: 3 nights in the Mara, 4 nights in the Serengeti across two different zones, 1 night at Ngorongoro Crater, and stops at Tarangire and Lake Manyara. For the 2026/2027 season, all-inclusive rates for two people sharing range from KES 1,025,000 ($7,885) to KES 2,450,000 ($18,850) per person. This covers private 4×4 Land Cruisers in both countries, Masai Mara park fee charges, Tanzanian TANAPA and Ngorongoro fees, and internal flights. You change vehicles and guides at the Isebania border.
10 Days Masai Mara Serengeti Safari Costs (2026/2027)
This is the 10-day version of our Masai Mara and Serengeti Safari. For shorter options, see the 7-day or 5-day version.
This trip crosses an international border. The pricing includes park fees in both Kenya and Tanzania, two separate 4×4 vehicles with guides, border logistics, and internal flights. These are all-inclusive prices for two people traveling together.
10-Day All-Inclusive Rates (Per Person Sharing)
Package Tier | Suggested Hotels | Regular (KES) | Peak (KES) |
Budget | Talek Bush Camp + Tukaone Camp | KES 1,025,000 | KES 1,280,000 |
Mid-Range | Ashnil Mara + Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge | KES 1,450,000 | KES 1,650,000 |
Luxury | Mara Serena + Serengeti Serena | KES 1,980,000 | KES 2,150,000 |
Luxury Plus | Angama Mara + Sasakwa Lodge | KES 2,250,000 | KES 2,450,000 |
Book Now | Current Rates |
Note: Peak season is July–October for the wildebeest migration. For a luxury safari upgrade, request a custom quote.
What’s Covered in the Price?
- Vehicles. Private 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser in Kenya and a separate 4×4 in Tanzania.
- Flights. Internal flights via Masai Mara flying packages. Departure from Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO).
- Guides. TRA-licensed guide for the Kenya leg. Tanzanian guide for the Northern Circuit.
- Park Fees. Kenya fees via eCitizen. Tanzania fees via TANAPA.
- Accommodation. Full board throughout, 9 nights.
- Water. Bottled water during all game drives.
Excluded. Kenya eTA ($30–$50), Tanzania eVisa ($50–$100), tips ($25/day Kenya, $20–$30/day Tanzania), hot air balloon ($450–$600 depending on which park), international flights.
I’ve been guiding for ten years. A 10 Days Masai Mara Serengeti Safari is the version where you stop skipping things. On 7 days, you get the Mara and central Serengeti. On 10, you add Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and enough Serengeti nights to reach the zones that shorter trips can’t. This is the full Northern Circuit combined with the Mara’s conservancy experience.
The 10-Day Itinerary
Three Mara nights, one transit day, four Serengeti nights across two zones, one Ngorongoro night, and stops at Tarangire and Lake Manyara on the way out.
Day 1: Nairobi to Masai Mara
6:30 AM departure. Arrive for lunch. Your Mara park ticket runs on a strict 12-hour calendar day (6 AM – 6 PM), so if you arrive mid-afternoon, consider doing a Masai village visit or a conservancy drive outside the reserve instead of entering late and paying the full day rate for a few hours.
Day 2–3: Full Days in the Mara
Morning and afternoon game drives tracking lions, leopards, and the migration if it’s in the Mara (July–October). Do your night drive and walking safari during the Mara leg. The Serengeti doesn’t allow either inside the national park.
Day 4: Mara to Tanzania
Morning game drive. Then the border crossing at Isebania. Your Kenyan guide drops you off, you cross on foot, and your Tanzanian guide meets you on the other side with a different vehicle. See the Masai Mara and Serengeti Safari main page for full border details. If driving, overnight at Speke Bay Lodge on Lake Victoria. If flying via Nairobi, you arrive in the Serengeti by evening.
Day 5–6: Central Serengeti
Two days based around Seronera. The Seronera Hippo Pool for guaranteed hippo and crocodile viewing. The Simba Kopjes for the resident lion pride that uses the warm rocks at dawn. If you’re here in the dry season (June–October), the central plains have excellent year-round resident wildlife even when the migration herds are in the north.
Day 7–8: Northern or Western Serengeti
This is where the extra days make a real difference. Transfer to Kogatende in the north for the Mara River crossings (August–October) or to the Grumeti River in the western corridor for the June–July crossings that most tourists never see. The Grumeti crocodiles are as large as the Mara’s, but there are far fewer vehicles. If visiting January–March, move south to Ndutu for the calving season instead — roughly 8,000 wildebeest calves born daily, attracting every predator in the ecosystem.
Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater
Drive from the Serengeti to Ngorongoro. Stop at Olduvai Gorge on the way for 30 minutes at the Leakey museum. Descend 600 metres into the crater for a half-day game drive. Black rhinos are more reliably seen here than anywhere else in East Africa. Overnight on the crater rim. Stay at a rim lodge, not in Karatu — the town adds 2 hours of road time.
Day 9: Tarangire National Park
Drive from Ngorongoro to Tarangire. The largest elephant herds in northern Tanzania and ancient baobab trees. The park is less crowded than the Serengeti and has a completely different feel — drier, more open, with elephants everywhere. Stop at Mto wa Mbu village on the way for a walking tour through banana plantations and local markets.
Day 10: Lake Manyara and Departure
Morning game drive at Lake Manyara National Park. Tree-climbing lions and flamingos along the Rift Valley escarpment. It’s a gentle park that works as a final morning before the drive to Arusha. Fly out of Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), not Dar es Salaam — JRO saves you 9–12 hours of driving.
The Serengeti Zones You Can Reach on 10 Days
Serengeti Zone | Prime Months | Unique Wildlife Highlight |
Namiri Plains | Year-Round | High-density unhabituated lion prides |
Gol Kopjes | Nov–May | Africa’s top concentration of cheetahs |
Grumeti Corridor | June–July | Low-crowd, dramatic river crossings |
Ndutu Region | Jan–March | Massive synchronized wildebeest calving |
If you’ve only got 2 or 3 Serengeti nights, you stay around Seronera. But 4 nights means you can spend time in a second zone, and that’s where the Serengeti starts to feel like a different park entirely.
Namiri Plains. This sector east of Seronera was closed for 20 years for lion research and only recently reopened. The lion prides here are less habituated to vehicles, which makes sightings feel different from the Mara. You’ll likely have them to yourself.
Gol Kopjes. Granite rock formations in the eastern Serengeti scattered across flat plains. This area has one of the highest concentrations of cheetahs in Africa. Best visited in the green season (November–May) when the southern and eastern plains are lush.
Grumeti western corridor. See Days 7–8 in the itinerary. The crossings here are as dramatic as the Mara’s but with far fewer vehicles.
Ndutu. See Days 7–8 in the itinerary. Mobile tented camps relocate to Ndutu during calving season and follow the herds.
Private concessions. Some private concessions bordering the Serengeti, like the Grumeti Reserves managed by Singita, operate under different rules and allow night drives and walking safaris. These are expensive but offer the same flexibility as the Mara conservancies.
The Couple Who Almost Booked 7 Days
Last August, a couple from London emailed asking for 7 days. They wanted the Mara and the Serengeti, standard crossings, fly home from Arusha. I suggested 10 and they hesitated because of the cost.
They went with 10. On Day 6 we drove from Seronera to Kogatende in the northern Serengeti. For 3 hours the road was empty, with no other vehicles and no lodges in sight. Just grass and sky. My Tanzanian colleague Emmanuel pulled over near a dry riverbed and pointed at a cheetah mother with four cubs sitting on a termite mound. We watched them for 40 minutes. Nobody else came.
On Day 8, they descended into Ngorongoro Crater and saw two black rhinos within the first hour. On Day 9, they stood under a baobab tree in Tarangire while a herd of 60 elephants walked past them at arm’s length.
When they got home, the husband wrote to me and said the trip changed somewhere around Day 6. The first 5 days felt like a safari. The last 5 felt like they were living in it. That’s what the extra days buy you. Not more animals. More time to stop counting and start watching.
What I Tell My Guests Before We Cross
Core Safari Vector | Vet-Checked Guide Rule |
Mara Ticket Exits | Exit by 10:00 AM on departure day to avoid double-charging. |
Departure Airport | Fly from Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) to save 9–12 hours of driving. |
Peak Room Booking | Secure your lodges 4–6 months in advance for August & September. |
Shoulder Season | Travel Nov or Mar–May for dramatic storm light and 30–50% lower rates. |
Fraud Prevention | Only book via verified KATO (Kenya) and TATO (Tanzania) operators. |
- Your Mara park ticket runs from 6 AM to 6 PM. It expires at 6 PM no matter when you entered, so arriving at 4 PM means you’re paying the full rate for 2 hours. On your last Mara morning, exit by 10 AM or you’ll be charged another full day.
- When the trip ends in Tanzania, fly out of Kilimanjaro Airport. See Day 10 in the itinerary for why.
- If your trip falls in August or September, book your Serengeti accommodation 4–6 months ahead. The Serengeti has fewer lodges spread across a much larger area than the Mara, and peak season fills up fast.
- Photographers should consider shoulder season. November and March through May have dramatic storm light, green landscapes, and prices 30–50% lower than peak. The herds are still in the Serengeti during those months.
- Ask your operator about mobile camps. Some run tented camps that relocate based on where the herds are. Ndutu for calving, western corridor for Grumeti, north for the crossings. They only make sense on a 4+ night Serengeti stay, which is exactly what a 10-day trip gives you.
- At Ngorongoro, stay on the crater rim. See Day 8 in the itinerary.
- Tanzania tipping runs $20–$30 per day for your driver-guide, plus separate tips for lodge staff. It’s slightly higher than the Kenya side.
- While your border paperwork is being processed at Isebania (60–90 minutes), walk to the Kuria tribe stalls just past the Tanzanian gate. Kitenge textiles and khangas with Swahili proverbs sell for a fraction of what lodges charge.
- I use the Siana Gate instead of Sekenani or Talek for entering the Mara. Faster eCitizen validation and less queue.
- Before you pay any deposit, verify your Kenya operator on the KATO directory and your Tanzania operator on the TATO directory. A Masai Mara booking through an unregistered operator is the most common way travellers lose money on cross-border trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from the 7-day trip?
Three extra days. You add Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and a second Serengeti zone (Kogatende, Grumeti, or Ndutu depending on the season). The 7-day trip stays in central Seronera only. See the 7-day version for comparison.
Do I need two visas?
Yes. Kenya eTA ($30–$50) and Tanzania eVisa ($50–$100). Apply for both at least 3 weeks before travel.
What is the best month?
August to September for Mara crossings and northern Serengeti crossings. January to March for Ndutu calving. June to July for Grumeti crossings. November for green season value. Check our best time to visit Masai Mara guide and the Masai Mara vs Serengeti comparison.
Is a 4×4 mandatory?
Yes, in both countries. Every private safari we run uses a 4×4.
Can I see the Big Five?
Yes. The Mara is strong for lions, leopards, and elephants. Ngorongoro is the most reliable place for black rhinos. Buffalo are common in both parks.
Is this trip safe?
Yes. Both parks have rangers and your guides carry radios. More in our Masai Mara safety guide.
What 10 Days Gets You
Most guests who do the 7-day version come home having seen the Mara and central Serengeti. With 10 days, you reach the parts of the ecosystem that shorter trips can’t get to. You see both countries properly, and you come home feeling like you’ve done the full trip rather than a sample of it.
If a Kenya-only trip suits you better, see our 5 days Masai Mara safari or 4 days Masai Mara safari. Want to add a beach? See the Masai Mara and Diani Beach Safari or the Masai Mara and Zanzibar Safari. Want a different Kenya circuit? See the Masai Mara Amboseli Nakuru Safari or the 6 days Masai Mara Amboseli safari. Browse everything on our Masai Mara packages page.
Ready to start? Fill out our booking form at Masaimara.co.ke below here and I’ll get both vehicles and the border logistics ready.
Related Reading:
- Masai Mara and Serengeti Safari
- 7 Days Masai Mara Serengeti Safari
- 5 Days Masai Mara Serengeti Safari
- Masai Mara vs Serengeti
- Masai Mara and Zanzibar Safari
- Masai Mara and Diani Beach Safari
- Masai Mara Amboseli Nakuru Safari
- 6 Days Masai Mara Amboseli Safari
- 5 Days Masai Mara Safari
- 4 Days Masai Mara Safari
- Masai Mara Packages
- Luxury Safari Masai Mara
- Masai Mara Flying Packages
- Masai Mara Migration
- Masai Mara Booking
- Wildebeest Migration Kenya
- Masai Mara Entrance Gates
- Official KWS Park Fee Portal
- Kenya Wildlife Service
This guide was authored by David Njunge, a TRA-licensed safari guide with over 10 years of experience, and edited by Cecilia Wambui, a travel consultant with a degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management.
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