Overview

Basic info:

Where: Moshi | Olpopongi Maasai Village | Arusha | Tarangire National Park | Mto wa Mbu | Ngorongoro Crater
Terrain: Off road and paved road
Activity level: Leisurely to tough
Existing pre-planned dates for 2020: Departing on 22/1, 24/1, 1/2, 27/2, 24/3, 15/5, 12/6, 28/6, 16/7, 25/7, 22/8, 29/8, 15/9, 24/9, 24/10, 25/11, 27/11 and 14/12.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: 

An exciting and unforgettable 7-day cycling adventure across Tanzania’s famous northern circuit. Although billed as a wildlife tour, this trip is a showcase of some of the most famous Tanzanian icons. From the base of the world’s highest free-standing mountain, Kilimanjaro, through the Tarangire National Park, to the wildlife-rich Ngorongoro Crater, this adventure will expose you to the truly fantastic landscape of Tanzania that will live in your memory for years afterwards. As well as the culture of both the Chagga and Maasai tribes, and the largest concentration of elephants in Tanzania.

Bike hire:

We have standard hard tail mountain bikes for hire for this trip @ $90 each. However, we recommend that you bring your own bike with you, if you can, as we cannot guarantee our bikes will be a perfect fit for you.

Alternatively, you might like to just bring your own saddle and pedals. Please note that all bike transit costs will be at your own expense.

If you have a spare bike that you’d like to use for your adventure and then donate to TVA Cycling Club, we will pay your shipping costs as a thankyou for your gift.

Optional extra:

An additional day’s game drive at Ngorongoro Crater (one of the most famous Tanzanian icons, and often touted as a vast Garden of Eden) can be added to this adventure, to give you a chance to explore one of Africa’s real national treasures. Please speak to us if you’d like this option.

Day 1:
Arrive in Moshi, Tanzania – Jambo! And welcome to Tanzania!
Riding Distance: 0-36km – it’s up to you!
Accommodation: Chanya Lodge
Included meals: Dinner

Today is about preparing for the adventure ahead. Following your transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), there will be time for a bit of bike set up, followed by a meet and greet at 6pm. After that, you can take a stroll to acquaint yourself with the capital of the north eastern region of the country, which enjoys good weather all year-round. Or alternatively, why not take the chance to get a feel for the terrain and go for a spin with our very own cycling club, Tanzanian Velo Adventures Cycling Club.

Notes: If you can’t arrange a flight that will arrive in time for the meet and greet, you may wish to arrive a day early so you’re able to attend. As well as setting you up for the journey ahead, we’ll be collecting your insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting, so please ensure you have all these details to provide to your leader. We’d be happy to book additional accommodation for you. If, due to any unforeseen circumstances, you’re going to be late, then please let us know.

Day 2:
Moshi to Olpopongi Maasai Village, West Kilimanjaro
Riding Distance: 64km
Accommodation: Osiligilai Maasai Lodge
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast, we leave Moshi town behind us and set off riding along wide and deep river streams and the slope of Kilimanjaro. As we ride from the southern side of the mountain we’ll pass through greener, more fertile Chagga land where we will see countless small farms of varying crops. When we get to the western side, the landscape changes to the contrasting arid open plains and acacia woodlands of the Maasai land. It is here that we’ll spend the evening with the Maasai where they’ll share stories, food, songs and dances.

Day 3:
West Kilimanjaro to Arusha
Riding Distance: 45km
Accommodation: Meru View Lodge
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today’s ride will be the longest day’s cycling as we make our way from the west Kilimanjaro plains to Arusha city. We’ll start off-road on dusty tracks before riding in Arusha National Park with armed rangers, and then finishing on tarmac roads taking us to Arusha city.

Some aspects of today’s ride will be a bit tough, but we have included them to enable you to get the most out of this adventure. If we’re lucky, we’ll spot herds of elephants as we ride through the Ngasurai open plains, which is a migratory path for them to and from the Amboseli National Park in Kenya, and we’ll get to see the fantastic view of Mount Meru looming in the distance before reaching the bustling city of Arusha.

Day 4:
Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Riding Distance: 0km
Accommodation: Roika Tented Lodge
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today is our transition day. We avoid the 113km ride which would have been mostly on tarmac road. Instead we climb on board our support vehicle and head off for a full game drive at Tarangire National Park, which is the home of the largest concentration of elephants in Tanzania.

As cyclist ourselves, we know the importance of recovery days. Spending the night at the Roika Tented Lodge with its swimming pool gives us all, a chance to relax and unwind before hitting the bikes again tomorrow.

Day 5:
Tarangire to Lake Manyara National Park
Riding Distance: 72km
Accommodation: Migunga tented camp
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After a day away from the bike yesterday, today’s ride marks another exciting day as we cycle through the migratory wildlife corridors between Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. As well as plenty of wildlife including giraffes, wildebeests and zebras, we’ll see a significant number of Maasai settlements along the way.

We’ll also experience truly beautiful views of the Great Rift Valley directly in front of us as we head towards Lake Manyara.

Day 6:
Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Crater
Riding Distance: 90km
Accommodation: Fanaka camp
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

The final and toughest ride of this adventure awaits us today, as we tackle the brutal climb from the lively town of Mto wa Mbu, and the entrance gate of Lake Manyara National Park, to the Great Rift Valley escarpment. The gate to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area will be our turning point, where we will have our lunch and a celebratory toast to our achievement before enjoying the beautiful descent back to Mto wa Mbu. It’s also a fantastic place to catch our breath and admire the beauty of Lake Manyara and its surroundings.

Day 7:
Transfer to Kilimanjaro airport and journey home
Riding Distance: 0km
Accommodation: None
Included meals: Breakfast

Today you can relax at the camp while you wait for your transfer back to the airport via the vibrant town of Mto wa Mbu where you can buy some souvenirs to take back home with you.