Cycling Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean

DestinationsTanzania
Tour MeetsMoshi
Tour EndsDar es Salaam
Fly in toKilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Fly out ofJulius Nyerere International Airport (DAR)
Group Size2-16 riders
Minimum Age18 (on scheduled departures)
350kmTotal cycling distance
50kmAvg distance / day
157mAvg climbing / day

Trip Profile

We ride a total of 350 km in 7 cycling days. The route is primarily flat and along vehicle-width dirt roads through the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, the savannah, and the shrublands of the Indian Ocean coast. While the cycling component is a highlight of the tour, the journey also includes a diverse off-saddle program so you can experience Tanzania’s vibrant cultures and world-famous wildlife. We have one day entirely off the bikes when we do a game drive in Mkomazi National Park and visit the Amboni Caves en-route to the coast.

Your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: While the terrain is mainly flat, the main challenge on this tour comes from navigating East Africa’s notoriously bumpy, dusty, and cratered dirt roads. Having a basic level of physical fitness, being comfortable on a mountain bike, and possessing good handling skills will allow you to enjoy this tour more. A support vehicle is available at all times to provide refuge for weary riders.

Biking Conditions: Most of the riding takes place on vehicle-width dirt roads. The conditions of these surfaces vary widely depending on the specific location, but be prepared for potholes and dust! In more developed agricultural areas and near towns and cities, we’ll be riding on paved roads. Tanzania is undergoing road construction projects, especially near the coast, and until these are complete, machinery and debris may impact conditions as well, though we avoid this as much as possible. Please note that while we have scheduled our tours to avoid the rainy season, unseasonal showers can occur at any time. This can cause water logging and render parts of the roads unrideable. Alterations to the cycling route or vehicle transfers may, at times, be required to cope with such situations.

What's Included

  • SpiceRoads jersey
  • Water bottle
  • Support vehicle
  • Guide(s)
  • Meals (as indicated)
  • Airport drop off
  • Hotel pick up
  • Accommodation
  • Snacks and drinks
  • Entrance fees

What's Excluded

  • International flights
  • Visa fees
  • Alcohol
  • Tips

Nuts & Bolts

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. The bikes are Trek 4300 mountain bikes with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, and Shimano components and front suspension. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain bike, preferably with front suspension, in good mechanical order.

There are also a limited number of E-Bikes available for the price listed in the tour pricing section.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

The Nitty Gritty

Passports and Visas

A visa for Tanzania is required for most nationals. Both E-Visa and Visa on Arrival are available, however we suggest obtaining the E-Visa as it will save you time on arrival in Tanzania. You may apply and make payment through this website here. For more detailed information on the process, fees, exemptions and more please refer to these visa guidelines and review the details carefully. Processing time for E-Visa can be up to 10 days so make sure you apply well in advance, we suggest no later than 2 weeks.

If you do not have enough time to procure an E-Visa or prefer to do Visa on Arrival, then please see here for further information and make sure you have all the required documents when travelling. Most important are the following:

  • Applicant’s valid passport. It must have at least 6 months validity and available blank pages;
  • Respective visa fee depending on the type of Visa (only USD in cash is accepted);
  • Passport sized photos (bring 2-3);
  • Return ticket

Note for USA nationals: Due to a bilateral agreement with Tanzania, USA passport holders who visit Tanzania for tourism or holiday MUST apply for Multiple Visa even If they come for single entry. This applies to both E-Visa and Visa on Arrival.

Health

For travel into Tanzania, some doctors recommend getting vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, as well as for rabies. Visit your medical professional to confirm what precautions you should take, specifically regarding cholera and malaria.  The government of Tanzania requires proof of yellow fever vaccination upon arrival only if you are traveling from a country with risk of yellow fever.

Weather

Tanzania, being close to the equator, has a pleasant, tropical climate that varies by region. The coast is the hottest and most humid area, while other low-lying areas are also hot but much less humid. The rest of the interior is much milder, cooling significantly after sunset. The main rainy season is during March to May. The dry season is longer, from June to October. November and December has the mildest weather, so it is a great time to visit.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Tanzanian cuisine is both unique and widely varied. Spicy foods are common, and there is also much use of coconut milk. In the interior of Tanzania, people eat cooked or steamed green bananas (matoke) or maize and millet meal eaten with relish made with beans, fish, or meat. There are also grilled meats (nyama choma) and plantain soup. We’ll make sure you get to sample a large variety of local cuisine. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Money

The official currency of Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shilling. US Dollars are widely accepted and sometimes preferred, but you should have some shillings handy for small purchases. There are ATMs that accept foreign VISA cards in the more touristic locations, but you should ask your guide if you’ll be heading into a remote area that may not have ATMs available or won’t accept cards.

General booking info

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

Booking a SpiceRoads cycling adventure is easy and we try to do everything possible to make sure you have full flexibility and peace of mind. We do not require a deposit to hold your place on a tour and once full payment has been made your money is protected in our client account and you have the flexibility to cancel or change your booking if needed.

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

Loyalty Riders Club

For those who have been on several long tours with us, we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for a loyalty discount.

International Flights

International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.

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