12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Budget Camping Safari with Big Five Parks

• After breakfast, transfer to the tour office in Nairobi for a safari briefing.

• At 09:00 am, depart from Nairobi towards Masai Mara through the vast Rift Valley, with its extinct volcanoes and scenic views.

• Have lunch at Narok Town.

• Proceed to the Masai Mara Game Reserve with your African guide and arrive in time for the evening game drive. The park offers opportunities to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration. Even throughout the rest of the year, the park has all wildlife imaginable, from the Big Five on the plains to rivers full of hippos and crocodiles.

• Return to the camp for dinner and overnight.

Meals and overnight at a budget safari camp or a selected lodge in Masai Mara.

• After breakfast, leave camp for a full-day game drive. The Mara is the land of African legend; lions are abundant throughout the park, as are elephants, giraffes, various gazelle species, and zebra. Cheetahs and leopards are also regularly seen and, less commonly, rhinos. The annual wildebeest migration, one of nature's few remaining wildlife spectacles, occurs in the Mara from July to October, when the big animals and their predators are abundant during the monsoon.

• Enjoy a picnic lunch served near the Mara River.

• Spot several species of bee-eater, the flying rainbow that heads the list of Mara's hundreds of bird species. Maasai Mara is also home to many members of the colourful Maasai tribespeople, who may be seen around the borders of the park - Morans (warriors) loping across the plains, young boys herding goats, or elders grouped under a tree discussing matters of the day.

Dinner and overnight.

• Wake up as early as 06:00 am, followed by hot African coffee or tea.

• Proceed for a pre-morning game drive around 06:30 am.

• Around 09:30 am, return to the camp to enjoy a full breakfast.

• Check out from camp and proceed to Lake Nakuru.

• If time permits, visit the Masai Village for one hour to learn more about Maasai culture.

• Stop for lunch in Narok Town or at Mai Mahiu hot springs.

• After lunch, proceed to Lake Nakuru, arriving in the early evening in time for dinner.

Overnight at a budget safari camp or a selected lodge.

• After breakfast, go for a game drive in the park to see its variety of birds and wildlife.

• See the rare white or black rhino and millions of pink flamingos.

• Enjoy lunch at Baboon Cliff in the park.

• After lunch, leave Lake Nakuru and drive to Lake Naivasha. The drive usually takes about 45 minutes because both lakes are located on the floor of the Great Rift Valley but differ in nature and geographical aspects. Lake Naivasha is known for its variety of birdlife as well as other wild animals.

• Explore the lake in the afternoon with an optional boat ride and fishing activity.

Dinner and overnight in a budget hotel in Naivasha or at the selected lodges.

• Enjoy an early breakfast in Naivasha, followed by a short drive to Hell's Gate National Park for a walking or cycling tour accompanied by a guide. Located in the Naivasha area, this is one of the lowland parks in the country that can be explored on foot. The looming cliffs and Hell's Gate Gorge are spectacular and home to various birds and animals such as zebra, baboons, Thomson's gazelle, antelope, cheetah, and leopards. Another main attraction is Fischer's Tower, a 25 m-high calcium volcanic rock. The Olkaria Geothermal Power Station, which uses one of the world's hottest energy sources, is also a spectacular sight, with plumes of steam rising into the air.

• After the Hell's Gate adventure, lunch will be served in Naivasha.

• Proceed to Amboseli, arriving late afternoon.

• If time permits, go on a short game drive.

Dinner and overnight at Kimana Camp, Amboseli, or the selected lodge.

• After breakfast, spend a whole day in Amboseli National Park, with an optional tour of a Maasai village to experience their traditional way of life and dances. Enjoy a full day of game viewing in the park. Amboseli National Park lies at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain. The snows of the mountain form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya's most spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo, and a host of plains game - creating one of Kenya's most sought-after photographer's paradises.

Meals and overnight at the camp or selected lodges.

• After breakfast, leave the campsite or lodge for the last game drive in the park.

• Leave Amboseli for Mombasa to the seaside and/or an onward safari extension to Tanzania, with lunch served en route at Emali or Namanga Town, respectively.

• Arrive at the Namanga border crossing point to connect with the shuttle bus to Arusha.

• Arrive in Arusha for an overnight stay at the guest house on a bed-only basis.

• At 08:30 am, get picked up from the guest house in Arusha.

• Leave for Lake Manyara National Park, arriving in time for lunch.

• Go for an afternoon game drive.

Dinner and overnight stay at the campsite or selected lodges.

• After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, whose inhabitants include hippos, monkeys, tree-climbing lions, flamingos, and other varieties of birdlife.

• Mid-morning, drive back to camp for lunch.

• After lunch, depart for the Ngorongoro Crater rim.

Dinner and overnight at the camp or selected lodges.

• After breakfast, descend 600 m into the magnificent crater for a morning half-day game drive. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world's most densely crowded African wildlife areas and is home to an estimated 30,000 animals, including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, Ngorongoro Crater sustains a wide variety of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another major draw to this picturesque national park is its dense predator population, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot.

Dinner and overnight at the campsite or the selected lodge.

• After breakfast, leave Ngorongoro for Tarangire National Park, followed by a game drive on arrival. The park has an atmosphere of remoteness and supports a good number of monkeys, hornbills, pelicans, and herons, among other wildlife species.

Dinner and overnight at the campsite or selected lodges.

• After breakfast, proceed for a game drive and then leave Tarangire for Arusha.

• Arrive in time for lunch, when the safari ends.

• Connect to Dar es Salaam or a flight to Zanzibar Island.

End of tour.