Itinerant hike to discover the Tanzanian wilderness from the lowland coastal Savannah and mangrove forests, and finishing on the magical beaches of the Indian Ocean crossing the Masai steppes of Simanjo and Kitwai, Tarangire animal migration reserves.
Bivouacs in the middle of nowhere to meet local people and well-deserved comfort accommodation. Biking on tracks frequented by wildlife and visiting the Tarangire animal park by 4×4.
Days: 18 days, 17 Nights
Destinations: Kenya, Tanzania
Price:
The start of the tour depends on your flight schedule: night flight or day flight: day 1 can be the day of arrival if taking a morning flight. But generally, the flights depart the country of origin the evening before. Karibu, welcome! You will be picked up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which is named after Kenya’s first president post-independence. You immediately experience the hectic city life of Nairobi, full of traffic and people on the move. The city of Nairobi has a population of around 5 million people, increasing to 10 million if the suburbs are included. The city is named after the Nairobi River and is located at an altitude of 1.800 meters, which makes the temperature very pleasant and even quite cool at night in the summer months. The city was officially founded in 1899 with the arrival of the railways. Today’s program depends on whether you arrive in the morning or late afternoon/evening.
From your hotel we start with traffics trying to live the busy city, we will head to Ngong forest via Karinde (Karen end) center. Here, you will be able to enjoy the meandering off-road trails that pass through the forest. From Ngong forest, we will head towards Koimuke Junction and take on Ngong Suswa road. After approximately 12Km of tarmac, we will take an off-road that will require you to use your innate riding skills, to maneuver the rough stretches, sandy patches, and uneven sections of the road. This dirt road, covering a stretch of roughly 115km is on top of the to-do list of all the adventure riders in Kenya and East Africa.
Mount Suswa is a shield volcano in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. It’s located between Narok and Nairobi. Mt. Suswa is an underrated gem on the Rift Valley floor. The double-crater shield-volcano promises an unmatched hiking experience and over-delivers on breathtaking views. The highest point on the Mountain is 2355 meters above sea level, with an elevation gain of 679 meters. It is a double crater volcano with a shield shape cone covering an area of about 270km.The conservancy is entirely run by the Maasai community that there, meaning that all entries and camping fees go towards conservation, not just the park but the lifestyle of residents. The guides on the mountain are well versed and knowledgeable about the mountain conservancy and the efforts that have put in place.
We start the morning with an adventurous gravel path at the edge of Mount Suswa We will meet the car a bit later to continue our route along the southern side of the mountain. We cruise to Nguruman escarpment. Then we ride to lake magadi.
Today we head closer to Mount Kilimanjaro and ride to Tanzania. During border crossing our patience is often tested – African time and sense of urgency can have a different dimension! Once we have cleared all formalities at Namanga boarder normally it takes some time, we will continue our ride west wise, towards a small town called Longido. Accommodation is very basic today, but we are staying in the best family-run guesthouse in town.
Only the first few kilometers in town to the turnoff are on asphalt, road today as the rest is gravel, rocky and dusty. Once we are on the gravel roads, the landscape changes into wilderness and there are no more villages apart from a few small houses. You will see the first giraffes moving through the bushes. Small pockets of sand can make these routes a bit challenging at moments. We will have a simple lunch in a small Masaai town before we get a beautiful view of Mount Lengai, the sacred Masaai Mountain. After the turnoff to the South, we will see the outside wall of the Ngorongoro crater. Just before we reach our destination, we will have a challenging track through dense forests and open plains. Mto Wa Mbu is translated into Musquuito River. It is a nice busy town close to the entrance gate to the Ngorogoro and Serengeti.
Today there is an option to dedicate a full day to a jeep safari in the Ngorongoro crater. The crater entrance is about 50 km from the town. After the gate, we ride up the crater’s ridge and afterward ride down into the cater. The catering is huge and full of wildlife. You will most likely see the big five here, with the Rhino amongst the most special species to spot. In the afternoon, the jeep will return to Mto Wa Mbu. There is also an option for a motorbike day trip
This morning we proceed to the big town of Arusha over recently asphalted roads and travel onwards to Moshi. Close to Marangu, we take a gravel road. Marangu is at the foot of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. If you rise early tomorrow, you may see a cloudless top. You will see the other side of the mountain compared to the view from Amboseli. Before reaching Marangu we need to climb a little bit and within this short ride, you will see nature become greener and greener.
There is only a few km of asphalt on today’s routing. Today we turn towards the Pare Mountains and follow dirt tracks through the hills. We take a winding gravel road that is easy to ride. After a lunch break we continue on a gravel road to Lake Jipe, on the border with Kenya. We make our way uphill to the Pare Mountains with a beautiful view of the small towns and villages scattered over the hills. Some parts ridding up and down the mountains may be difficult but fun, then we proceed downhill on dirt roads with many sharp turns until we reach the hotel.
Stony, sandy and hilly trails along amazing views await us today. After breakfast, we will explore the eastern Pare mountain range, where we will descend to the southern ranges and find no more paved roads. Our route leads through untouched savannah to Lake Kalimawe, which is surrounded by small villages and rice plantations. Our ride continues into the Mkomazi National Park area. After lunch we start exploring the Usambara Mountains, the small villages of Mnazi and Mlalo and the palm forests. The zigzag road takes us upwards into the Usambara Mountains at Mtae (Mambo village) to over 2300m above sea level. Here we enjoy our reward of unique views of this region. This is an exhausting day and we will all be tired at the end of this adventure and certainly deserve a cold beer and a rest.
Again, an adventurous day full of gravel. We continue our journey via a dirt track through the bushes, passing a dammed lake, small Masaai settlements and a few small towns. In the afternoon we will reach the Usambara Mountains. We will ascent through a different route with stunning views and some tricky bends. We enjoy the breeze during our coastal ride, along the Indian Ocean. The humidity is higher, so any fan is most welcome! The border normally goes quite smoothly, it is easier to bring the bikes back into the country than temporarily export them out. We continue our tour to the south of Mombasa, to Diani Beach. There we will enjoy our refreshments at the beach, and look back to our adventurous tour.
Today A relaxing day at the beach.
We leave early to spin the wheels of our motorbikes again. In the morning, there is a lot of game along the road. We will follow a long dirt road to reach the asphalt to near Mombasa town. Then we enter green country again – the green highlands. We make our way to Rukanga a small town near Tanzania boarder.
Today we ride toward Lake Jipe passing near Tsavo National Park, on the road we expect to see some wild animals inside a fenced Tsavo National park. Lake Jipe is a small, shallow lake (area 28 sq. km and average depth less than 3 m), lying astride the Kenya-Tanzania border, just to the east of the northern Pare Mountains of Tanzania (Mwanga district, in the Kilimanjaro region). It is 12 km long and 2.5 km wide, 12 square km belong to Tanzania and 14 square km to Kenya. Tsavo West National Park of Kenya borders the southern portion of the lake while Mt Kilimanjaro dominates the horizon some distance to the northwest.We will arrive at lake jipe early and do some activies ie Canoe ride and visiting the fishers.
We cross through boarder of Tanzania and Kenya. All roads in this area are dirt roads even if they are the main roads. This is the real countryside of Kenya. Then we cross the noxious Nairobi – Mombasa highway: the main road from the capital to the most important seaport of East Africa. We continue our journey on a smooth and quiet tarmac road to Amboseli National Park – formerly known as Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, named after the Maasai tribe, a Nilotic ethnic group, known for its distinctive customs and dress. The last 16 km we stay in a small town known as Loitoktok. With the right weather, we can see Mount Kilimanjaro in its full glory.
In the mornings the view on Kilimanjaro is even better, as there is less chance of clouds. A great view whilst joining an optional car safari: You will encounter large herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebras and antelopes as well as giraffes and a lion crossing the road. Amboseli is especially known for its elephant population. We can ride around until late in this magnificent wild park of Kenya. Take enough power and memory cards for your camera because it is really beautiful. The real safari experiences!
We leave early to spin the wheels of our motorbikes again. In the morning, there is a lot of game along the road. We will follow a long dirt road to reach the asphalt to Kajiado. Then we enter green country again – the green highlands. We make our way to Kajiado a busy town out of the big city Nairobi.
This is our last, but not the least day we start the engines again. We will ride on a mix of asphalt, spectacular tracks and some few dirt roads towards Nairobi. The closer we reach Nairobi, the busier it becomes with air pollution, traffic jams, high buildings and people on the move. On arrival at Nairobi, we enjoy a well-deserved drink to celebrate and share our memories.
Depending on the time of your flight, you either leave very early or will have the day to explore Nairobi: to visit the Maasai Market, Nairobi National Park, one of the big malls, or just relax in the hotel.
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