Mountain biking itinerary

DETAILED ITINERARY Meals included are specified at the end of each itinerary day as "B," "L," or "D" (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).

Day 1: Arrive Arusha, Tanzania

Late evening arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport near Arusha, where the group flight is met by the Trip Leader for transfer to Kia Lodge for overnight...D

Day 2: Sinya / Mobile Tented Camp

After a morning trip orientation and a chance to get familiar with our bike gear, we head out for a 3‑hour drive to the starting point of our first ride, which begins near Ol Molog, on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, overlooking the Amboseli Basin. Today’s ride is mostly downhill, taking us onto the plains of Sinya, famous for its large population of male elephants. We hope to have the chance to see elephants during our stay in this area. Overnight at Mobile Tented Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 37 miles

On this trip, we stay in two different types of camps. For Day 2 and Day 3, we use Mobile Tented Camps, which have spacious, walk‑in canvas tents. The tents are furnished with two single beds (or one queen bed), sheets, duvets, pillows, sisal matting on the floor, and a small bedside table. Interior lighting is provided by candle lantern. Each tent features an attached bathroom with a toilet/shower (bucket type, with hot water). At the front of the tent is an attached shaded “verandah” with two chairs, a small table, two wash basins, and hurricane lamps. A large rain fly is suspended over each tent unit to provide protection from the rain and sun.

Starting on Day 4, we move each day to a new location, so we must have a lighter weight camp that the staff can easily breakdown, move and reassemble in a day. Our lightweight camps (Days 4-7 and Days 10-12) have dome-shaped nylon tents just tall enough to stand up in. They have cots, foam mattresses, sheets, duvets, and pillows. Small battery-powered lanterns are provided for each person. A toilet and shower tent is provided for every two sleeping tents.

In both types of camps, an experienced staff prepares and serves delicious meals, served under the African sky or in a spacious dining tent (candle‑lit for dinner) with chairs and a table. The food is excellent, with three‑course dinners including wine and beer. The hearty breakfast spread usually includes eggs, bacon, fruit, cereal, and pancakes. Lunch is often a picnic. One great feature of our mobile tented camps is that they operate without noisy generators, a bonus for enjoying the fantastic sounds of the African night.

Day 3: Sinya / Mobile Tented Camp

The Sinya area is so large and so active with wild game that we devote a full day of exploring by bike to enjoy the beauty of the area. The elephant population of Sinya is part of the Amboseli National Park elephant population, which was studied for more than 20 years by renowned researcher Cynthia Moss and thus is relatively used to humans. Many of the giant males are so mellow that we can often approach within 50 feet of them—a very special treat. Overnight at Mobile Tented Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: As much or as little as you like

Day 4: Longido / Private Wilderness Camp

We head west past Longido Mountain in the direction of the Great Rift Valley en route toward our camp. Today is a fairly long day of riding, mostly on dirt track. Tonight’s camp is set at the base of large rock outcrops with good rock climbing routes. Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 45 miles (with about 10 miles on the tarmac of the highway between Kenya and Tanzania)

Day 5: Great Rift Valley / Private Wilderness Camp

Today our bike route is mostly a descent as it brings us into the Great Rift Valley, the longest valley in the world, a continental fault system stretching from the Dead Sea to Mozambique. This volcanically and seismically active zone has produced some of East Africa’s most famous natural features, including the Mount Kilimanjaro and the deep lakes of Victoria and Tanganyika. As we descend, we see the dramatic walls of the continental fault, rising in huge escarpments to enclose vast stretches of Masai steppes. We make our way along small trails and through good wildlife habitat dotted with Masai bomas to our camp. Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 40 miles

Day 6: Enguruka Lava Towers / Private Wilderness Camp

Our route follows the track south along baobab-dotted floor of the Rift Valley, bringing us along the flanks of Kitembeni Mountain. Our camp is set amongst the ancient lava spires left by one of the many lava flows that have made up the Rift Valley’s tumultuous geologic history Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 45 miles

Day 7: Losimingori / Private Wilderness Camp

Not far from the lava towers is a huge waterhole that attracts animals from miles around. We ride out to the waterhole for a look before heading off on the day’s ride. This evening our camp is at the base of the Losimingori Mountains, a small range carved with dramatic river gorges and capped with thick beautiful forests. This area is home to huge numbers of large herbivores and many carnivores. Those interested in exploring and game viewing can take their time going to camp, while others can take a more direct route to camp and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure or a hike. Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 34 miles

Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater / Lodge Overnight

Taking a break from biking, we drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a morning 4WD game drive and picnic lunch. We continue to the crater highlands, crossing the Great Rift Valley and fertile agricultural foothills of Ngorongoro to ascend into the montane forest of the Ngorongoro highlands. Our accommodation tonight is near the Ngorongoro Crater area….BLD

Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater / Lodge Overnight

With a picnic lunch, we set out by 4WD into the crater for a half-day of gameviewing. Ngorongoro's beauty and vastness must be seen to be believed: on the crater's 105‑square‑mile grassy floor lives Africa's largest permanent concentration of wildlife, a sort of mini‑Serengeti in a phenomenally scenic setting. During our time exploring this famous crater, we're likely to see elephant, zebra, wildebeest, and buffalo, and there's hardly a better place on earth for observing lions than on the crater floor, where the lion prides are large. This is also one of the best places to see the endangered black rhino—about a dozen have been introduced into the crater environment and they are carefully monitored by biologists. In the afternoon, we enjoy a crater walk that ends at a Masai village. Overnight at lodge…BLD

Day 10: Ngare Sero River / Private Wilderness Camp

After our two days of lodge accommodations, we begin our biking and camping journey again with a ride above the escarpment that overlooks the Great Rift Valley, Lake Natron, and the active volcano Ol Donyo Lengai. We descend a steep, winding road on a 3,000‑foot escarpment to the Rift Valley floor on the western shore of Lake Natron. Our ride follows along the lake shore to our camp, which is on the Ngare Sero, a huge river gushing forth from the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Today’s ride is fun, fast, and an easy way to break us back in after our two days at Ngorongoro. Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Day 11: Gelai / Private Wilderness Camp

We cross many sand rivers that flow from the western escarpment above the valley, ride beneath the slopes of the spectacular mountain Ol Donyo Lengai (the Masai “mountain of god”), and cross the small volcanic craters that perforate the Rift Valley floor. Our camp tonight is on the slopes of Gelai Mountain. Game is often plentiful in the lush, long‑grass plains around this large volcano. Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 45 miles

Day 12: Sand River / Private Wilderness Camp

The riding today is mostly on a good dirt road heading around Kitembine Mountain. Camp is in a beautiful sand riverbed, and we are near steep rock cliffs on the upper riverbed, for anyone yearning to explore further. Overnight at Private Wilderness Camp…BLD

Approximate riding distance: 30 miles

Day 13: Arusha / Depart

We bid farewell to our camp staff and drive to the town of Arusha, where lunch is arranged and day rooms are held for us at Kia Lodge. We depart on the late‑night group flight, connecting via Europe…BL