Name: 15 Day Adventurous Highlights of Kenya and Tanzania Guided Motorcycle Tour
Brand: Motor Trails
Price: 2965 USD
Availability: InStock

Highlights of Kenya and Tanzania Motorcycle Tour

This is an adventurous motorcycle journey through two wonderful and diverse countries. You absorb the highlights of both Kenya and Tanzania. On this tour, you go from riding at the foot of Mount Kenya to riding around Mount Kilimanjaro. This tour mixes curvy tarmac roads with exciting single tracks, and you move from highlands to coastlines. You will see lots of wildlife and gain cultural experiences. This tour starts in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and finishes at a beach near Mombasa.

Key information

Terrain: a mix of asphalt and off-road
Bike: rental bike (Kibo 250 cc)
Mileage: 1813 kilometers / 1126 miles
Daily rides: 90 - 255 kilometers / 55 - 158 miles
Riding gear: not included - mandatory: helmet, an armored motorcycle jacket, gloves, good quality armored motorcycle trousers or pants with loose knee armor, and sturdy, high (mountain) boots
Meals: most breakfasts

Meet the instructors

Ko
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Highlights

Starts in Nairobi, and ends in Diani Beach
Daily distances are not very long
There is enough time for village visits and photo opportunity stops en route
Ride on asphalted main roads and follow a variety of narrow routes off the beaten track
The motorcycles are light and maneuverable enduro bikes
14 nights accommodation

Skill level

Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

14 days with instruction in English

The organizer also speaks: Dutch, German

Group size: 8-16 participants

Airport transfer included: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Program

Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi

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.

Day 2: Nairobi - Mount Kenya  (227 kilometers / 141 miles)

Early rise to leave the city: You head north, quickly leaving the main roads and following country roads, riding through small towns. The roads will be a mix of mainly asphalt and some gravel. You will quickly leave behind construction work, buildings, and traffic jams and welcome village life, nature, and lush hills.

You will pass the Aberdare National Park and head to Mount Kenya. Its highest peak is 5199 meters high. It was designated in 1978 as a Unecso Biosphere Reserve. The mountain plays an important role in the culture of local ethnic groups that live around there, such as the Kikuyu, Ameru, Embu, and Maasai. You will stay in a simple accommodation at the foot of the mountain.    

Day 3: Mount Kenya - Matuu (225 kilometers / 140 miles)

You start the morning with an adventurous gravel path at the edge of Mount Kenya National Park. You will meet the car a bit later to continue the route along the southern side of the mountain. You cruise to Embu, for lunch. Then, ride through the hilly countryside to the accommodation. This area is seldom visited by tourists. You stay in a small village but at a nice guesthouse. 

Day 4: Matuu - Amboseli (270 kilometers / 168 miles)

You cross through plantations, use small bridges, and pass lively villages. All roads in this area are dirt roads even if they are the main roads. This is the real countryside of Kenya. Then you cross the noxious Nairobi – Mombasa highway: the main road from the capital to the most important seaport of East Africa.

You continue the 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 20 km will be gravel again. You stay in a nice resort. With the right weather, you can see Mount Kilimanjaro in its full glory.

Day 5: Amboseli - Stay

In the mornings the view of 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 lions crossing the road. Amboseli is especially known for its elephant population. You 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!

Day 6: Amboseli - Longido (210 kilometers / 130 miles)

Today you head closer to Mount Kilimanjaro and ride to Tanzania. During border crossing, your patience is often tested – African time and a sense of urgency can have a different dimension! Once you have cleared all formalities, you will continue your ride West, toward a small town called Longido. Accommodation is very basic today, but you are staying in the best family-run guesthouse in town. 

Day 7: Longido - Mto Wa Mbu (187 kilometers / 116 miles)

Only the first few kilometers in town to the turnoff is on asphalt road today as the rest is gravel. Once you 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.

You 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, you will see the outside wall of the Ngorongoro crater. Just before you reach your destination, you 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.

Day 8: Mto Wa Mbu - daytrip Ngorongoro

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, you 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

Day 9: Mto Wa Mbu - Marangu (245 kilometers / 152 miles)

This morning, you proceed to the big town of Arusha over recently asphalted roads and travel onwards to Moshi. Close to Maragnu, you 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, you need to climb a little bit and within this short ride, you will see nature become greener and greener.

Day 10: Marangu - Same (157 kilometers / 98 miles)

There is only a few km of asphalt on today’s route. Today you turn towards the Para mountains and follow dirt tracks through the hills. You ride very close to the Kenya border. The car will not join us for most of the day. You will pass the Mkomazi National Park on your right-hand side and you may see some wildlife at the roadside. This park is connected with the huge Tsavo parks in Kenya. Before reaching Same, you follow a beautiful track through the eastern Para mountains. Same is a small town.

Day 11: Same - Mambo (149 kilometers / 93 miles)

Again an adventurous day full of gravel. You continue the journey via a dirt track through the bushes, passing a dammed lake, small Masaai settlements, and a few small towns. In the afternoon, you will reach the Usambara mountains. You will ascent through a different route with stunning views and some tricky bends.

After reaching the top, you arrive in a completely different part of Tanzania. It is cool, windy and very green. It is a short dirt road ride to our hotel at the edge of a cliff with magnificent views over the plains to the south

Day 12: Mambo - Tanga (250 kilometers / 155 miles)

Today you ride to the east, to the coast. You continue the journey through the mountains. You slowly will descend your journey to sea levels, going from over 2000 meters high to 2 meters. Tanga is the most northern port city of Tanzania and once started as a small fisherman village, history brought them influences from Portugal, Oman, Germany, and Britain. It was once an important gateway for the export of the Sisai plant. You stay at the seaside.

Day 13: Tanga - Diani Beach (150 kilometers / 93 miles)

Today you enjoy the breeze during the 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. You continue the tour to the south of Mombasa, to Diani Beach. There, you will enjoy refreshments at the beach, and look back to the adventurous tour.

Day 14: Diani Beach - stay

A relaxing day at the beach before you return home.

Day 15: Diani Beach - Departure

If you have not booked an optional extension, to relax a bit more and enjoy the beach, then it is time to pack your back and say goodbye.

Motorbike

During this trip, you ride on a Kibo 250cc.

Difficulty and off-road

The altitude reached during this tour through Kenya and Tanzania isn’t really worth a mention. Daily distances are not very long. There is enough time for photo opportunity stops on route and for visits to villages. This tour is suitable for all healthy motorcyclists. We ride on asphalted main roads and frequently follow a variety of narrow routes off the beaten track. About a third of the route is on unpaved roads. These vary from hard-packed gravel roads to small dirt tracks in thick bush. The unpaved roads are not difficult but we recommend having basic off-road skills.

Clothing

Compulsory items are a helmet, an armored motorcycle jacket, gloves, good quality armored motorcycle trousers or pants with loose knee armor, and sturdy, high (mountain) boots. Also very useful are a good pair of sunglasses, lip balm, and sunscreen, and a helmet with a visor or a good pair of glasses that also protects against the dust on unpaved roads.

Insurance

The motorcycles have basic, compulsory third-party liability insurance. However, since most countries in Africa are not used to the concept of insurance, things often need to be resolved on the spot.

Skill level(s) required for this tour: beginner, intermediate, and advanced

Beginner

can ride for two to three hours
minimal riding experience
assistance required
comfortable with curves and leans
basic experience with unsurfaced roads
short distance ascents and descents

Intermediate

can ride for three to four hours
average riding experience
little assistance required
comfortable with extreme curves and leans
average experience with unsurfaced roads
steep ascents and descents

Advanced

can ride for five to six hours
extensive riding experience
assistance on demand (if required)
experienced with riding a variety of motorcycles
comfortable with any terrain and weather conditions

Instructors

Ko Duijivestein

In the Netherlands Ko rides a big Moto Guzzi. However, when he first arrived in Kenya in 2011 he started riding off-road, for which he used, for the first time, a small and light motorcycle. He fell in love with this continent and continued exploring the continent, always using a small motorbike for easy off-road riding. Ko traveled from Kenya to Cape Town in 2017 on a 200 cc. But before that he already made countless smaller trips through East Africa. Every year he goes to the African continent for 3 months to further explore this continent, and to guide our motorbike tours. Ko knows a lot a

Food

Most breakfasts are included during the tour.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

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