11 Days Mara River Fly in Safari
11 Days Mara River Fly in Safari
Price
Overview
This 11-day safari itinerary was created for the ultimate Tanzania Safari experience. From July – September you will fly directly over the great Serengeti plains on your way to the Northern Serengeti destined for the Mara River. This is a Fly in safari, where you will cover the Northern Serengeti near the Mara River Wildebeast crossing, also you will visit the Central Serengeti on your journey. We will Descend the Ngorongoro Crater, Karatu, Mto wa Mbu, Tarangire National Park, and Lake Natron, as well as spend 2 nights in Moshi before and after your safari. This is a lodge Safari experience where you will sleep at some of Africa’s most stunning Safari Tented Lodges, enjoy a fly-in experience, and witness the most special National Parks Tanzania has to offer.
Tour Map
Group Price
- The price per person for group expeditions are fixed based on a group size. However, we have optional arrangements for individual private and tailor-made preferences best suited for you, your family and friends.
- All prices are based on shared accommodation. Please inquire for a 1 guest private room accommodation quote
- Prices listed are not final. Please inquire for your final price quote.
| Number of People | Mid-range Safari | Luxury Safari |
|---|---|---|
| 2 pax | US $6,800 | US $7,700 |
| 3 – 4 pax | US $6,600 | US $ 7,600 |
| 5 – 6 pax | US $6,300 | US $7,400 |
Included/Excluded
- Park Fees (for Non-Residents)
- Concession/Camping Fees
- Daily game drives while on safari
- All accommodations (unless listed as upgrade)
- All transportation (unless labelled as optional)
- A professional driver/guide
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- All Taxes/ VAT
- Meals while on Safari (From lunch on day 1 till lunch on last day)
- Drinking water while on safari
- International flights (From/ To Home)
- Round Trip Airport Transfer (Unless Paid)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour (Unless Paid)
- Tips
- Personal Items (Souvenirs, Travel Insurance, Visa Fees, etc.)
- Government-imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Meals while in Arusha
- Serengeti Balloon Safari – 600 USD per person (Unless Paid)
Day 1: Pick up at Kilimanjaro Airport and drive to Moshi.
Overnight at Ameg Lodge https://www.ameglodge.com/
Day 2: Arusha – Serengeti National Park (Kogatende)
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Arusha Airport for your flight to the Kogatende area of the Northern Serengeti. Enjoy a bird’s eye view of Tanzania as you make the short trip, where you’ll be met by your Nature Horizon driver upon arrival.
You’ll spend your day driving through this distinct and beautiful region of the park in search of the Wildebeest Migration and the Big Five.
In the afternoon, you have the option to extend your game drive until sunset or participate in one of the optional activities available at your lodge. These often include nature walks, village visits, and night game drives outside of the park.
Overnight at Lemala Mara North Serengeti https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/mara-ndutu-tented-camp/
Day 3 & 4: Serengeti National Park (Kogatende)
After breakfast, we’ll start our game drive around the Kogatende area, searching around the kopjes looking for carnivores and the large migration groups that will be preparing to cross the Mara River into Kenya.
Home to large numbers of hippos and Nile crocodiles, the Mara River is the last major obstacle standing between the Wildebeest Migration and the relative safety of the Maasai Mara. If you’re patient and a little lucky, you may even get to witness the death-defying crossing itself where wildebeest and zebras brave the river’s currents and crocodiles in an attempt to reach safety on the opposite bank.
Dinner and overnight in the heart of the Serengeti National Park.
Overnight at Lemala Mara North Serengeti https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/mara-ndutu-tented-camp/
Day 5: Serengeti NP (KOGATENDE) – Serengeti NP (SERONERA)
We’ll start our day immediately after breakfast, driving through the plains of Togoro and the Mbuzi Mawe kopjes on our way to cross the Banagi River into the Seronera region of the Central Serengeti. Along the way, you’ll spot everything from the enigmatic dik-diks to towering elephants, and everything in between.
The Seronera is often known as ‘big cat country’, and its kopjes and acacias provide an excellent opportunity to spot prides of lazy lions, sleek cheetahs out on the hunt, and leopards overseeing everything from their lofty perches.
The region’s hippo pools and wide open spaces provide ample opportunities for game viewing.
Dinner and overnight in the heart of the Serengeti National Park.
Overnight at Lemala Ewanjan Seronera Valley https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/ewanjan-tented-camp/
Day 6: Serengeti NP (SERONERA) – NGORONGORO
After breakfast, we get right on the road back towards the Ngorongoro Crater National Park.
Our drive takes us back through the Serengeti via a different route, offering plenty of opportunities to spot the animals that eluded you on day two. As far as the eye can see, you’ll spot thousands upon thousands of animals in herds; wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant and the most respected group of animals: the predators.
You will have the chance to spot lean cheetahs and shy leopards, foraging hyenas, and last but not least, the king himself; the lion.
Dinner and overnight on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Overnight at Lemala Ngorongoro https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/ngorongoro-tented-camp/
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater 5 hours later drive to Karatu to Mto wa Mbu.
After breakfast, you’ll depart for Ngorongoro Crater, considered by some to be the Eighth Wonder of the World. When you get your first glimpse of this vast, verdant caldera from the panoramic viewpoint, you’ll soon understand why it has earned such a lofty reputation.
Home to over 120 species of mammals including the fabled Big Five, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of the most sought after safari destinations in the world. It’s a particularly good place to see the endangered black rhinoceros enjoying a lonely meal out on the grass plains, as well as a place to see large numbers of hippopotamus enjoying the cool water.
From the comfort of your open-top vehicle, you’ll be able to observe and photograph some of Africa’s most recognizable faces. The crater is home to a large number of predators including lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, and hyenas, as well as a large population of wildebeest, zebras, antelope, cape buffalo, and more. It is truly one of Africa’s premier safari destinations.
After the thrills and excitement of the day, you will have a picnic lunch by the park’s famous hippo pool. Thereafter, you will drive to Mto wa Mbu for Overnight.
Overnight at Kilimamoja Lodge https://www.wellworthcollection.co.tz/Lake-Manyara-Kilimamoja-Lodge
Day 8: Mto wa Mbu to Tarangire National Park
You’ll depart from Mto wa Mbu after breakfast to Tarangire National Park. Along the way you’ll pass bustling Masai villages and the vast, open plains that have become synonymous with images of Africa.
Once you’ve entered Tarangire, you’ll begin your game drive across a rich vista of endless golden savannah that surrounds the Tarangire River. The river itself runs throughout the year and is a vital source of water for the animals of the region during the dry season. Lined with acacia and Baobab trees, the river is regularly visited by the park’s large elephant population as well as other herbivores such as zebras and antelopes.
A picnic lunch with a view of the river is a great way to take it all in, but you’ll have to keep on your toes as the local monkey population does its best to separate you from your lunch!
Driving through the park you’ll also have the opportunity to see lions, leopards, cape buffalo, and a huge variety of antelopes. If you’re particularly lucky, you might even see endangered animals such as the Greater Kudu or the Fringe-Eared Oryx.
Overnight at Kilimamoja Lodge https://www.wellworthcollection.co.tz/Lake-Manyara-Kilimamoja-Lodge
Day 9: Mto wa Mbu to Lake Natron
Your day will begin after breakfast by about 8:00 AM. We depart with packed lunch boxes towards Lake Natron. Located about 3.5 hours’ drive away from Mto Wa Mbu/Manyara, Lake Natron is a surreal destination and unique natural spectacle. Its waters are highly alkaline and are unusually shallow, averaging just one meter in depth. After checking into your lodge and a short break, put your walking shoes on as a Maasai tribesman takes you on a walk around the shores of Lake Natron on the lookout for birds, especially the lesser flamingos. Lake Natron is the most important and regular breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa hosting up to 2 million of them during the breeding season. The majority of egg-laying and hatching takes place from September to January. After the hike, you will head back to your lodge for a well-deserved dinner and rest.
Overnight at Lengai Safari Lodge https://www.lengaisafarilodge.com/
Day 10: Lake Natron to Moshi
Your day starts early. Around 6:00 AM, accompanied by a Maasai guide, enjoy some light hiking to the nearby Ngare Sero waterfalls and relax in the cool spray of water cascading down the rocks of this scenic ravine. Make sure to bring your shoes! We return to accommodation by 8:30 AM and finishing up a good breakfast, will head out towards Moshi.
Overnight at Ameg Lodge https://www.ameglodge.com/
Day 11: Departure Day
With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you say goodbye to your team. We are so happy that you made it to the Motherland and experienced an authentic Serengeti safari. We know you will be back. Today your guide will be with you up until we escort you to the airport and say our goodbyes. Thank you for coming on safari with Nature Horizons!
ACCOMMODATION
Ameg Lodge https://www.ameglodge.com/
Lemala Mara North Serengeti https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/mara-ndutu-tented-camp
Lemala Ewanjan Seronera Valley https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/ewanjan-tented-camp
Lemala Ngorongoro https://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/ngorongoro-tented-camp
Kilimamoja Lodge https://www.wellworthcollection.co.tz/Lake-Manyara-Kilimamoja-Lodge
Lengai Safari Lodge https://www.lengaisafarilodge.com
Mid-Range Safari Accommodation
Accasia Migration Camp, Kogatende: https://acaciacollections.com/acacia-migration-camp
Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge: https://twctanzania.com/accommodation/kubu-kubu-tented-lodge
Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp: https://tortiliscamps.com/ngorongoro-tortilis-camp
Sangaiwe Tented Lodge: https://sangaiwe.com
Lengai Safari Lodge: https://www.lengaisafarilodge.com
Where is the best place / time to go for Safari in Tanzania?
Is Tanzania Safe?
What type of vehicles do you provide?
I am a solo (single) traveler, how can I join your tour?
What’s the food like on the safari?
Can we buy extra bottles of water along the safari?
Are the guides on safari certified?
Can I get a visa upon arrival?
Do you accommodate people with dietary restrictions?
When is the best time to see the migration?
Tanzania Safari Packing list
If this is your first time in Tanzania or your first time on safari, this packing list below can help to be well prepared and comfortable during your adventure. If you do forget a few things, do not worry, you can pick up most everyday items in town before you leave.
Travel Documents
- Valid passport
- Yellow fever vaccination records/ certificate.
- Tanzania visa, available at airport upon arrival, USD $100 payable in cash only for US citizens or USD $50 for residents of UK/European Union and most other countries.
- Copy of flight itinerary.
- Copy of travel and/or medical evacuation insurance.
- Personal medical/dental insurance cards.
- Credit card (Visa and MasterCard are most widely accepted).
- Cash in U.S. Dollars (bills MUST have been issued in 2004 or later)
Clothing
Remember, it’s not a fashion show out there, so be a bit more practical when choosing your safari wardrobe. Try to stay away from bright colours – khaki and other neutral colours tend to work well. It is probably best if you dress in layers since it can get cold, but also very hot.
- Sweater or fleece pullover to keep warm
- Sturdy boots or sandals
- Sun hat
- Sun glasses
- T-shirts or polo shirts (2-5 depending on how often you want to change)
- Long sleeve shirts (light weight)
- Shorts
- Long trousers
- Underwear
- Socks
- Sleepwear
- Travel towel
- Thermal underwear, gloves and warm hat (during May – Sept)
- Rain coat and rain trousers (During rainy season Mar – May and Oct – Dec)
Highly recommended
- Camera and memory cards
- Binoculars
- Sunscreen
- Hand sanitizer and wet wipes
- Insect Repellent
- Personal toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothbrush, eye drops etc)
- Malaria tablets
- Basic first aid kit and prescription medicines
- Flashlight or headlamp
- Chargers and extra batteries for your camera, phone etc
- Power adapter to fit the UK style electrical socket
Others tips
- Bring soft luggage such as a duffel bag, hiking pack or sports bag. These are ideal for packing into a safari vehicle. Hard suitcases can often be difficult to fit into the vehicles.
- Bring a backpack to carry all of your important items including travel documents, money, camera, medication etc. You should keep this backpack with you at all times.
- Keep luxury items such as hair dryers/ straighteners, expensive jewellery, make up and bulky toiletries to an absolute minimum. If in doubt, leave them out.
- If you plan to bring cash, divide it into different areas of your carry-on luggage, wallet and money belt just in case something happens to one of those carry items.
- Leave some space in your luggage for the all-important souvenirs that you will probably buy. There are places where you can send packages home via DHL etc, however this can sometimes be an expensive option.
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Our TripAdvisor Reviews
Jennifer F2025-04-27Amazing Tanzanian Safari Nature Horizons planned an unforgettable Tanzanian safari for 20 guests on a yoga retreat. Beginning in the planning stages, Dominick was helpful, knowledgeable, and would go out of his way to ensure we had an amazing trip planned. He was on top of the details, such as collecting passport and travel info, and answered all of our questions. Because of NHT’s attention to detail? Our guests enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime trip. If we needed anything during our stay, Dominick was responsive and would get any problem resolved. Every detail was fine tuned, and several of the accommodations were beyond expectation. The guides he set us up would were funny, personable, and genuinely cared to make sure we had the best safari experience. I highly recommend the hot air balloon ride!If you are looking to plan a Tanzanian safari, FIBI! Look no further and reach out to Dominick for a life-changing vacation.Erin Y2025-04-23Magical restorative adventure! My yoga studio hosted an unforgettable trip to Tanzania, thanks to Nature Horizon Tours! Every detail was perfectly planned—from the beautiful accommodations to the incredible excursions and welcoming local guides. The trip created space for adventure, reflection, and connection, making it both inspiring and restorative. We came home with lasting memories, a deeper bond as a group, and new friendships that we truly treasure. This experience far exceeded our expectations, and we’re so grateful for the care and thought that went into every moment. We can’t wait to travel with this team again!Jen B2025-04-08Life-Changing Safari I am very grateful for Natures Horizons Tours for providing the trip of a lifetime. They ensured our safety, took care of all of our needs, and treated us with the best care and consideration even when some of us didn’t deserve it. This tour company is very PROFESSIONAL!! They know what they are doing and they do it very well. I would tour with them again in a heartbeat! The attached photo is completely untouched. This is how close they got us to the action! If we weren’t in the rover, this beautiful but very full, lioness was only feet away. We could see every beautiful detail of her.Nancy C2025-04-06Lasting memories My trip to Tanzania was amazing. Nature Horizons put together a fantastic itinerary. Our guides were knowledgeable, hard working, and friendly. They turned the Safari from a trip into an awesome and unforgettable experience.Getaway310895774142025-03-24A bucket list trip dreams are made of! Nature Horizons organized a trip for 20 people from our yoga community for a yoga and safari tour in Tanzania. Every detail was curated perfectly from the those greeting us at the airport to those touring us through the urban and cultural centers of Arusha all the way though an unforgettable experience in the Serengeti. Our 5 tour guides were friendly and fun and beyond knowledgeable and we got to see THE BIG 5!!! The locations they choose for our Safari camp and for our journey along the way were superb with perfect views for our yoga practice and the food was out of this world every place we went! We will for sure be traveling with Nature Horizons again, in fact we already have Egypt booked as our next destination!!! For world class bucket list travel these are your people. Rarely does one get the owner and CEO of a travel company hand selecting every detail of your trip and ensuring it goes off without a hiccup… this oversight and hand on help is unbeatable in the travel industry… trust me after a decade of taking yoga groups traveling, this is something you never see! Thanks Dominick and Team for a memorable bucket list trip and for taking superb care of us along the way!Shreya B2025-03-11Excellent customer care! We travel a lot and for the first time let Nature Horizons Tours plan our trip for us! It was an amazing experience as there was always someone to take care of us and our needs. Our daughter needed urgent care on the last day of the trip and we were helped all the way through! Better than 5*s!!!Mary D2025-02-11Fantastic Safari My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the safari that we took thru Nature Horizons Tours in Tanzania last month. It truly was a trip of a life time. We saw lots of animals and birds throughout Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. To see 20 elephants (including babies) casually stroll by us was an experience I will never forget. Another time, we saw two herds of zebras that must have totaled 20,000 zebras. WOW! Our guide, Praygod was great and we really enjoyed spending time with him. He was great at identifying animals and provided lots of the environmental, historical and cultural information. I recommend bringing a notebook to write down all the animals you will see.One advantage we had with Natures Horizon compared to other Safari companies is that there are only four people in a jeep during the safari (well, plus the driver). This was really nice being able to easily see animals on both sides of the jeep without stepping over people. We saw a lot of jeeps that had 6 people in them.Everyone associated with Nature Horizons Tours and the lodges we stayed at went out of their way to make our stay/experience fantastic. We learned that if there was something that we wanted, we just had to ask. At the Kilimanjaro Lux Camp, Grace personally made avocado toast for us each morning. In Zanzibar, we asked the driver where we could buy spices and he took us to a local outdoor market which I appreciated as I enjoy experiencing the local experience.It was a great trip and I would have no doubt that I would go on another tour led by Natures HorizonsTrail311312224182025-02-11Fantastic Photo Safari I traveled with Nature Horizons to Tanzania in 2024. I am writing this review as a Travel Agent. My clients just returned from their safari with Nature Horizons. From the time they booked, Dominick was in close contact with both me and my clients. He made sure that all of our questions or concerns were handled very quickly. He took the time to do zoom calls with me and my clients more than once to make sure that they were comfortable with everything to do with the trip. While there were a couple of things lost in translation with his team in Tanzania, they were minor and were dealt with immediately. The driver/guide is the absolute best. The lodging, while not close to town, was all very nice with fabulous food. The balloon ride is not to be missed! One of the things that I appreciate the most is that Dominick will not take more than 4 people in a vehicle, even though more can fit. He wants every passenger to have the best view, no matter which side of the vehicle has the views of the wildlife. I am very happy with Dominick and his team at Nature Horizons and would not hesitate to use them again for myself and my clients!Geri M2025-02-10Tanzania and Serengeti Safari Phenomenal experience! Once in a lifetime trip! The guide was top of the line! I would suggest this trip to everyone! We added on Zanzibar and that was beautiful as wellByrd B2025-01-14The BEST Partner for a Travel Agency!! Nature Horizons has been an amazing partner for us. I own a travel agency that does $13MM in revenue and when it comes to unique, off the beaten path, this partner always delivers exactly what my clients are looking for. The support is impressive and the work has love poured into every detail. You cannot go wrong with this company!
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