Unicycle tours, Kenya and Tanzania

country:	Kenya, Tanzania
trip type:	Challenging cycling holidays
departures:	2010: 5 Jun
price:	From NZ $4190 (16 days) excluding flights. Local payment US $300. Price includes accommodation, transport, activities and most meals
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

Challenging cycling holidays

Tanzania holidays

Kenya holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

We are a small personal travel company with a passion for getting out and exploring new and exciting destinations around the world. Most people believe that the only way to see Africa is by vehicle. We know from experience that after a couple of days riding with us you will realise that this is the perfect way to truly appreciate this magnificent continent.

On our 16 day unicycle adventure we travel from Nairobi in Kenya through Tanzania to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast. Riding far from busy roads and main tourist routes you will experience a different face of Africa - local villages and traditional tribesmen, breathtaking scenery and wildlife grazing on the plains. We travel through open savannah, desert, mountain rainforest and tropical coastline. We follow the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro with its snow-covered peaks and camp in the wilderness under a cloudless African sky.

We take a break from our unicycles to view Amboseli National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, which hosts the largest concentration of plains game anywhere in the world and gives you the wildlife experience that East Africa is famous for. Enjoy a day hike and visit a local school in the unspoilt Usambara Mountains. Riding through the Usambara Mountains and down to the tropical coastal forest and villages brings us finally to Dar es Salaam, “Haven of Peace”.

Some people choose to extend their trip and follow with a trek of Mt Kilimanjaro or experience the culture and buzz of Zanzibar Island. Either of which we can help you to arrange.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrive in Nairobi, free day. We will meet for a pre departure meeting at 5pm. NOTE- please change money on arrival at the airport for at least the first week of your trip.
Day 2:	We take a short drive out to the surrounding plains. From here we begin riding on undulating tarmac and dirt roads through the African savannah. A fairly gentle day of approx 25kms to ease us into the saddle brings us to an ostrich farm where we camp for the night.
Day 3:	Heading away from civilisation we ride on dirt roads towards Amboseli National Park, meeting up with Maasai tribesmen and various plains game along the way before spending the night under the clear African sky in the open bush. Approx 82kms riding.
Day 4:	We continue riding on dirt roads and tracks to Amboseli National Park, renown for its huge herds of elephant and stunning views of Mt Kilimanjaro. We finish the day with a short game drive into the park to the campsite. Approx 50kms riding.
Day 5:	With an early start we spend the morning on a game drive through Amboseli. Leaving the park after lunch we ride across the dry bed of Lake Amboseli and around the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro to camp in the shadow of the massive mountain. Approx 25kms riding.
Day 6:	A relaxed morning gives us the chance to visit a Maasai manyatta, (village) and experience their traditional culture and lifestyle. We continue riding around the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro towards the Tanzanian border. Approx 45kms riding.
Day 7:	After crossing through the Kenya/Tanzania border we drive on towards Arusha the safari capital of East Africa. After lunch, back on our unicycles and you choose between the paved road or dirt roads and tracks for approx 25kms to the Meserani Snake Park. Lunch at own cost.
Day 8:	A full day of paved roads to really stretch out the legs as we ride away from Arusha. We again encounter Maasai tribesmen herding their cattle and some plains game. The afternoon brings us to Mto Wa Mbu, a small town at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment. Explore the town and visit local craft markets. Evening meal at own cost. Approx 89kms riding.
Day 9:	With an early start we drive into the Ngorongoro Crater, a natural Garden of Eden, and spend the day game viewing the highest concentration of plains game in Africa, returning to Arusha in the evening.
Day 10:	Departing Arusha we begin heading towards the coast, driving south past Kilimanjaro and the huge wide open spaces of the Maasai Steppe. We finish the day with a 40km ride to a secluded campsite on the banks of a quiet meandering river.
Day 11:	Climbing away from the plains we head up into the Usambara Mountains, driving up for the main climb then riding on towards Lushoto - an old German colonial town nestled high in the mountains. From here we cycle up to a viewpoint overlooking the endless plains below then continue further into the mountains to camp at a rustic colonial lodge. Approx 45kms riding.
Day 12:	A well earned rest day for those who wish. Or join with a guide from the local village for a day hike into the stunning Usambara Mountains with unspoilt forests and views that go on forever. Here we have a chance to visit a local school.
Day 13:	The ultimate day - What goes up must come down; riding further into these beautiful mountains we pass through pristine rainforest and village farmland. This is an area that rarely, if ever gets visited by travellers and the welcome and response we receive from the local population is fantastic. You have the choice of 2 routes back down, and then after lunch a gentle 14kms of scenic winding tarmac to get us back down to the plains below. Approx 60kms riding.
Day 14:	With the tropical coastline as our goal we ride along a little used dirt road and through sleepy palm lined villages to meet the Indian Ocean at Bagamoyo. This small historic town right on the coast is at the end of what once was the major slave and trading route through East Africa. We camp at a lodge right on the beach. Approx 65kms riding.
Day 15:	We ride through old Bagamoyo town then follow the coastal road to Dar es Salaam “Haven of peace”. A quick check of the local fish market to choose our dinner then a last gentle ride along the coast to our campsite - arriving in time to enjoy a swim in the Indian Ocean. Approx 25kms riding.
Day 16:	If you are flying out today we can arrange a transfer to the airport or to your hotel if you are staying on in Dar es Salaam. If you are staying on in Africa, we can help you arrange beach bungalow accommodation or a trip to Zanzibar Island.

how this holiday makes a difference

It is important to us that when we travel to different parts of our amazing planet that our exchange is always a mutual one and that we make a positive contribution to people and places that we visit along the way.

These days ‘responsible travel' and ‘sustainability' are hot topics. Responsible travel is not about donating large sums of money to charity (at least not without thoroughly researching the long-term intentions or effects of the charity). We believe responsible travel is about taking time to think about how our actions can benefit or how they impact the people, communities, economies, environments and eco-systems we visit, and then use this to make a difference (or sometimes more appropriately - how we can NOT make a difference). We are constantly considering our actions and how we and the people who travel with us can improve our impact on the places we visit.

Here are just some of the ways that we ‘make a difference’:

Social integration with the local people is a central part of our trips. Simply travelling by bike is a great start – a great way for our bikers and local people to meet and start a conversation. We camp with two different local families. As well as the fantastic social and cultural exchange experienced by visitors and locals alike, our visit also brings a regular income to the two communities (by paying for camping and other services).
We have a relationship with a Primary School in the Usambara Mountains. Our main goal of the visit is the fantastic social and cultural exchange experienced by both the school pupils and our bikers. During our family trips our younger bikers have the opportunity to teach a classroom about their lifestyles where they are from; and the Tanzanian children reciprocate by teaching us about theirs. Over the past years money donated by our bikers has been used to employ local carpenters to build more than 100 much needed school desks for the school.
We visit a very small Maasai Pre-School under the shade of an acacia tree. Our main goal of the visit is a mutual social exchange where children and bikers open their minds and learn more about the other’s way of life. Our bikers can also support the school by donating basic stationery if they like.
We employ a local Kenyan support driver for our Kenya and Tanzania trips.
We always buy locally grown food and shop in small local markets; we support local businesses by staying in locally owned campsites and using local operators for our safaris.
Educate our bikers – about the effects of buying products that come from endangered species, or products that are destructive to wildlife or the environment (ivory and endangered hardwoods for example).
Waste/rubbish management – when we travel we should treat our surrounding as we would treat our home (or better!). We do our best to avoid ‘single use packaging’ only using reusable or recyclable packaging. We recycle what can be, and manage any rubbish in the best possible way e.g. in Africa – all of our organic waste is feed to local domestic pigs and goats, and we always leave our campsites as we find them (or better!).
We avoid campfires to help prevent deforestation. (Three are some places where wood is purpose grown and replanted for fire wood - for the occasional campfire – but it is important to carefully check the source of firewood).
We have an environmentally conscious office – To avoid paper waste we aim to use as much computer technology as possible in our office. And when we do print we use paper from recycled sources!
For every person who flies to join our trips we donate 10 trees to a reforestation project.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.