Kenya and Tanzania Family Cycle Tour

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+64 3 545 1789

info@escapeadventures.co.nz

Why Book With Us?

  • Small cycle groups
  • Hand-picked Cycle Tours & Activities
  • Family Run Business
  • 16 Days
  • 12 People Per Tour
  • Fitness Level: 1 - 2
  • Fully Supported Bike Tour
  • 230-300 km
  • Nairobi to Dar es Salaam

Kenya & Tanzania Family Cycle Tour A REAL adventure... for adventurous families

Family Cycle Tour, your kids will experience the real Africa as you can only do on a bike. Encounter wildlife from your saddle, immerse yourself in to the culture and colour of the people and landscapes, and camp in the wilderness under a cloudless African sky.

East Africa is colourful, lively and a wonderful place to travel as a family. Our family cycle tour has been designed for adventurous families with challenging, but achievable riding distances, riding on remote back roads.

Our 16 day biking adventure takes you from Nairobi in Kenya to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Fully immerse yourself into East Africa and experience the people, culture, wildlife and landscapes of this amazing continent. We leave the fancy hotels to the less intrepid, ride on remote back roads and camp with local families and villages along the way. Ride from the chaos of Nairobi city to the sudden sparseness of open savannah with wildlife grazing the plains. We spend time in the classroom and sports field of a Tanzanian school, visit National Parks, the cool rain forested Usambara Mountains and ultimately the tropical Indian Ocean coast.
Kenya and Tanzania is where we began in 1999 and it is still our most popular cycle tour!

We have planned daily riding distances to be achievable for kids aged 10-16. Some teens/parents may enjoy more riding challenge – and on some days it will be possible to offer more riding for those who wish.

Note: We run family tours on request, rather than having a tour scheduled every season. We require a minimum of 8 people to confirm a family cycle tour – so get your friends and family together then get in touch to chat about suitable dates, and lock in your trip!

Family Tour Pricing (NZD):

Adults: $6500   |   Children <16: $5800

Departure & Return Location

Start: Nairobi, Kenya
Finish: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Price Includes

  • Transfer from the airport to your hotel
  • 15 nights Accommodation
  • Meals as per tour itinerary
  • Two NZ based Escape Adventures leaders
  • Local interpreter/driver
  • Purpose made support vehicle
  • Camping Equipment - tents and mattresses
  • Entry to Amboseli National Park
  • Entry to Ngorongoro Crater
  • Entry to Ngorongoro Crater

Optional Extras

  • Bike Hire: If required hire fee is NZD $450

Price Excludes

  • Airfares, visas, or airport taxes
  • Optional activities and excursions
  • A couple of meals as per the detailed itinerary
  • Personal vaccinations or personal equipment

Itinerary - Kenya & Tanzania Supported Family Cycle Tour

DAY 1: Arrival day in Nairobi

Arrive in Nairobi, pre-departure meeting and first dinner together.

Accommodation: Safari Camp

DAY 2: Bike Nairobi to Africa Savannah

A gentle day getting used to our bikes. We cycle from the city out into the savannah.

Cycling Distance: 25km.
Accommodation: Camping 

DAY 3: Biking through the African Savannah, Kenya

A great day’s biking in the real African savannah.

Cycling Distance: 82km.
Accomodation: Camping

 

DAY 4: Cycling Southern Kenya & Amboseli National Park Game Drive

Cycling to Amboseli National Park. Game drive. Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya’s most popular parks

Cycling Distance: 35km.
Accomodation: Camping

DAY 5: Morning African Game drive & Cycle Mt Kilimanjaro

Morning game drive, afternoon bike around the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. 

Cycling Distance: 20km.
Accomodation: Camping

DAY 6: Visit Maasai Friends & Cross the border into Tanzania

Visit our wonderful Maasai Friends who we have known for years & Cross the border into Tanzania

DAY 7: Cycle the Rift Valley Escarpment, Tanzania

Paved road ride out to the foot of the Rift Valley Escarpment.

Cycling Distance: 105km. 
Accommodation: Camping/Upgrades available

DAY 8: Game Drive wildlife-rich Ngorongoro Crater

All day game drive Ngorongoro Crater. If you are after the ‘The Big Five’, it is all here waiting for you. 

Accommodation: Guesthouse

DAY 9: Bike the Maasai Steppe. Tanzania

Heading towards the coast, cycle through the wide open spaces of the memorable Maasai Steppe. 

Cycling Distance: 20-40km.
Accommodation: Riverside Camping

DAY 10: Tanzania, Usambara Mountains by bike

Explore the Usambara Mountains. 

Cycling Distance: 45km.
Accommodation: Camping/Upgrades available

DAY 11: You Choose - Relax, Hike, Visit School, Reforestation

It’s up to you what you want to do today… a total rest day, or choose from other activities like going for a local hike, visiting a local school or helping with a local reforestation project. 

Accommodation: Camping/Upgrades available

DAY 12: Rainforest & highland smooth cycle trail

Rainforest & highland smooth cycle trail

DAY 13: Bike alongside palm-lined Tanzanian villages

Cycling towards the tropical coast through sleepy palm-lined villages. 

Cycling Distance: 57km.
Accommodation: Camping on our family’s farm

DAY 14: Cycle to Tanzania's Indian Ocean Beach

Ride rolling dirt roads to meet the Indian Ocean and our campsite near a palm-lined beach.  

Cycling Distance: 40km.
Accommodation: Camping

DAY 15: Bike through fishing villages to Bagamoyo town

Our final ride on mostly quiet dirt roads, through small fishing villages and finally to Bagamoyo town. 

Cycling Distance: 47km.
Accommodation: Coastal Lodge

DAY 16: Dar es Salaam Tanzania, Final Breakfast

Final breakfast together and a morning transfer to Dar es Salaam for those who are flying out. / enjoying the beach / onward travel.

Family Cycle Tour - Kenya & Tanzania Family Cycle Tour Photos

Map - Kenya & Tanzania Family Cycle Tour

Kenya & Tanzania Family Cycle Tour Frequently Asked Questions

Escape Adventures fully supported family cycle tours have been running for decades, if you have any questions "just ask us"

The biking lowdown

Your tour itinerary offers 10-45km biking per day; a total distance of 230-300km spread over 12 days of biking.

The Terrain is mostly undulating and flat with some short rolling hills.  The riding surface (80% dirt roads, 15% paved roads and 5% non-technical single track) can be rough at times, slow going, pot-holed and sandy and the riding challenge of the tour should not be judged by mileage alone.  The trip is suited to riders with a good level of biking fitness and off-road biking experience will greatly enhance handling on rough roads and add to the enjoyment of your tour.  A mountain bike with front suspension is the ideal bike and we have a fleet of our own mountain bikes available for hire.

We have planned daily riding distances to be achievable for kids aged 10-16.  Some teens/parents may enjoy more riding challenge – and on some days it will be possible to offer more riding for those who wish. 

Support: Our trusty support vehicle carries all your luggage, has lunch, snacks and water at hand, and is there if you need a break from the saddle.

Group Size: 2-3 like minded biking families.

How fit do I need to be for this cycle tour?

Your cycle tour includes rides of up to 45km per day.  Please do read about the daily riding distances and riding terrain in the itinerary below and prepare accordingly.  The more prepared you are the more you will enjoy your adventure!  You should be comfortable riding 3-4 times a week with regular rides of 10-30km in length. Preparing for your cycle tour should involve gravel, dirt and off-road riding, with some hills.

What type of bikes do we ride?

In Kenya and Tanzania we have our own fleet of custom built bikes available for hire.  They are hard tail mountain bikes custom built to be perfect for off-road touring in Kenya & Tanzania.  They have full SLX 2×11, 120mm travel forks, XT tubeless 27.5 wheelsets and Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes (mechanical disc brakes are ideal for maintaining in Africa).  We have them available in S, M, L and XL.

We carry all our spare parts out to East Africa and maintain them ourselves to make sure they are in optimal riding condition for your ride with us. If you will be hiring a bike from us please let us know prior to your trip, and please feel free to bring your favourite saddle and clip in pedals (if you normally clip in).

 

What kind of meals do you provide?

Your tour leaders will take care of your meals and snacks throughout your adventure with us. This excludes one lunch and two evening meals which are at your own cost to give you the opportunity to explore eating options of your own choosing. We are most definitely able to cater for vegetarians and special diets and if this includes you, it is essential to advise us of this before your tour begins, so that the support vehicle can be stocked with the necessary supplies. Typical meals include:

  • Breakfasts – Fresh fruit, muesli, toast and spreads, hot drinks. Cooked breakfast on occasions.
  • Lunches – Picnic style lunches, fresh salads, cold meats, cheese & bread.
  • Evening Meals – Good wholesome camp-cooked meals using as much local fresh produce as possible.

What kind of accommodation can I expect?

All accommodation for the duration of your tour is included. Eleven nights are camping and four nights are in small guesthouses and lodges on a family basis (2-4 star).  The camping is ‘real camping’ and sometimes in remote locations.

We supply spacious dome tents which we will show you how to erect, and foam mattresses. 

  • You will need to bring your own 2-3 season sleeping bag and a small travel pillow. 
  • Washing facilities & toilets are available every night. 
  • Upgrades to rooms are available at some campsites.

What is the maximum size of the cycle group?

This trip has 8- 12 bikers, plus two experienced Escape Adventures tour leaders and a local interpreter and driver.

5 Reviews
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Euan McIntosh

Family Traveller

This tour was utterly amazing! The places visited and the people we met were so far from the traditional tourist routes…the Kenya to Tanzania route offered by Escape Adventures is the remarkable conclusion of 25 years of adventuring by the founders. As three families travelling together, our friendships and family ties strengthened enormously from the shared experiences of what we saw and who we met. The EA team during the trip kept us safe, informed and entertained. It was a big trip in every sense, and will remain an important family moment.

September 5, 2023

Di Malcolmson

Family Traveller

We were lucky enough to do the Kenya & Tanzania family tour in 2019. Suffice to say, it is a brilliant escape! Perryn, Alice & Joseph, the tour leaders, driver, cooks, mechanics, translator & kid wranglers, were nothing short of fantastic. The meals were fab, details clear & they worked really hard to make it a holiday each one of our diverse group would enjoy & remember. John & Mandy have developed a tour off the beaten track, literally & figuratively, that is breathtaking and very special. The relationships they have with key people meant we got to see & learn about what is happening for locals & to stay in incredible places you wouldn’t normally be able to. We can’t recommend this trip highly enough!

August 3, 2019

Poz & Steve Wilkes

Family Traveller

Our family of 5 (including 3 kids 11,11 and 14 years) recently travelled with Escape Adventures on the Kenya Tanzania family tour. We usually travel independently, but chose to do this tour for the safety, security and local knowledge of the company. We had an incredible, amazing adventure. The tour captures the diversity of these countries – from the Savannah to the mountains, from the game parks to the back country roads. We trained for it, made sure we were all fit and healthy for travel, packed light and brought our sense of adventure with us. All important to enjoying the trip even more.The three tour leaders were a fantastic team. We were well fed, well informed and well cared for. Hire bikes and support vehicle were great and regularly maintained. We highly recommend this trip to any family who are keen to get in with the locals and experience these third world countries.

July 25, 2019

Diana Pedlow

Family Traveller

Our Keyna-Tanzania family trip was awesome! We did and experienced things that we could not have achieved in any other way. It gave us experiences and funny stories that our family is going to recall and laugh about for years to come. We were so impressed with all aspects of the tour – right from the friendly welcome at Nairobi airport through until the tearful farewells in Dar es Salaam. So much we could say…but everyone always wants to know about the food – the meals from the truck kitchen were delicious. We were really happy with the abundance of local fruit and veges used in the cooking – and zero junk food. Emma made lots of little extras: sauces, herbs, & side dishes which made every meal special and burst with flavour. And there were always plenty of options to suit all tastes.

October 28, 2018

Stephen Nattrass

Family Traveller

Escaping to an amazing African adventure this summer was so much more than we had imagined it would be. A little apprehensive about taking two children camping and on their first big cycling trip plus in Kenya an Tanzania, we should not have worried. Escape Adventures had it all covered for us. Their experience certainly showed as the itinerary was spot on for both kids and adults. A great mix of interesting riding, on and off road, challenging at times but never too much for the assembled group. A real focus on slow travel with real local interactions most trips to the area never get to experience as they fly past in a cloud of dust to the next ‘exciting’ viewing opportunity… Meeting Kenyans and Tanzanians and not those working in tourism gave an insight not often experienced but one very visitor should endeavor to do. We were able to see and get an appreciation of the real countries and that was as fascinating for children and adults alike. We were not disappointed by the game either. Elephants, elephants and more elephants in Amboseli ranks up there as an exceptional and privileged day. Cycling along and watching giraffes watching us with equal fascination is unforgettable and the children’s faces as we watched lions nonchalantly ignoring us was out of this world. So if you are looking for a family cycling experience and Africa is on the list, in our experience this one would be difficult to beat. Thanks to Mandy, John, Mushi and Joseph you all made the trip something special.

October 15, 2018