Cycle through the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro and witness the day to day lives of the Chagga people who inhabit these areas. The hilly terrain makes it a challenging ride as you pass the Kidia, Marangu and Mwika villages but then you finish off with a relaxing downhill ride to the beautiful Lake Chala, a caldera lake on the edge of the border and overnight at the campsite.
Day 1: Arrive in Tanzania
You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and transferred to Keys Hotel near Moshi town situated on the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Today you will meet your guide who will brief you about your upcoming tour and together you will do the bike fitting. For those arriving on the morning or afternoon flight, you will have ample time to go for a quick test ride through Sugar cane plantation.
Day 2: Moshi to Lake Challa
Lake Challa, a hidden gem, a perfect place to relax and unwind from the busy city life. The remote caldera lake on the border of Tanzania & Kenya is only 55km from Moshi and therefore the perfect get away for a day.
Pure tranquility and beautiful nature await you at the lake. Explore the area on one of the many possible hikes, swim in the crystal clear water, kayak across borders or simply enjoy the stunning vistas of an untouched Africa. In the morning your guide will pick you up from your accommodation. You will ride the bicycle to Lake Challa Safari Camp with a packed lunch box and drinking water.
Upon arrival you will see the beautiful private game reserve overlooking the Crater Lake. Our guide will take you down to the lake. Spend the day swimming, exploring, kayaking (optional). You will experience the natural beauties of the green scenery, landscape and will also have the opportunity to meet local people doing their daily activity.
There is a very high possibility of spotting the baboon monkey, velvet monkey, blue monkey, antelopes, elephants and many different birds, that live in this wonderful savannah land. Overnight in camping site. There is a bar that serves alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages and a restaurant that serves snacks and main meals.
Day 3: Lake Challa to Marangu (27 Km)
Immerse yourself in the history Marangu and its people. Marangu, at the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, is a small town with a great amount of history and ancient traditions. Get carried away by the Chagga tribe, unique rainforest landscape and coffee growing insides.
This tour has it all: action, tradition and culinary. In the morning we ride our bicycle to Marangu Gate (1900m), the starting point for all Kilimanjaro treks via the Marangu Route. You will have the opportunity to take pictures of the mighty Kilimanjaro and get a sense of the spirit of the mountain. The area around Marangu is home to the local Chagga tribe and you will learn all about their history and traditions on this full day excursion. Our second stop will be visit a small coffee farm, where you will learn about how the coffee is grown, harvested and processed locally.
Try your own hand at processing, roasting and preparing a fresh cup of coffee. Once you have finished enjoying your coffee break, we will depart for the Ndoro Waterfalls. Our hike to the base of the waterfall will lead us through lush green landscape and the descend takes approximately 1 hour.
Here you have the opportunity to relax and take a refreshing bath in the pool of the waterfall. Another highlight will be the visit to the Chagga Underground Caves and the Chagga Live Museum. In times of drought the Maasai migrated up the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, in search of food and water. They enslaved and killed the local Chagga people.
In defense of these attacks the Chagga built an extensive network of underground caves. Your guide will lively illustrate you the conflict while you visit the caves. We then continue to spend some time at the Chagga Live Museum, a small outdoor museum, which will give you further insides into traditional chagga life. Our tour also includes a chagga culinary taste, when we stop for lunch in a small restaurant.
Here you will be served a traditional hot meal, later you will also have the chance to try the local spirits such as banana beer and wine.
Camping at Kilimanjaro mountain resort.
Day 4: Marangu to Moshi, In the morning will start our way to Moshi passing through different villages at the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro
Riding Level: Moderate and Challenging
Path: off road and paved road
Highlights: Amazing scenery, Meeting Chagga people, Cave tour, Hiking to the Waterfalls, Coffee tour, Chagga Museum, Campfire and Canoeing