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How To Prepare For A Cycling Holiday In Tanzania
If your first thought when you consider a 360km bike ride isn’t preparation, then you might just be a little bit fitter than me!
In all seriousness, a cycling adventure in Tanzania is a serious adrenaline-generator in the best possible way… BUT there are few things to consider first.
If cycling’s your thing, you’re in the right place – this is far from a casual bike ride in the park on a Sunday morning, after all.
Bucket List adventures aren’t all mountain expeditions and treks, which is why we love this particular trip so much. It’s a unique adventure where you get to experience the very best Tanzania has to offer while speeding on two wheels.
It packs the sort of punch that we love here at the Bucket List Company but before we discuss how much fun it’ll be, let’s take a look at what you might need to do to prepare for your 360km cycling adventure….
What Happens On Our Tanzanian Cycling Trip?
The 360km route will take you and your bike across Tanzania’s famous northern circuit in 7 days, from the base of the world’s highest free-standing mountain – Kili herself – to the biggest unbroken caldera on earth, the Ngorongoro Crater.
We’ll pack in incredible scenery, impressive mountains, unbroken calderas and plain upon plain of rich wildlife are mere cherries on top of one heck of a sense of achievement along the way.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers some 8292 square kilometres. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park? That’s smaller at 1,699 km², but equally beautiful and equally diverse. And on a bike, you’ll be able to see so much of both.
But it wouldn’t be a trip to East Africa without a full-on safari, so you’ll be relieved to know that you’ll be doing that too. Of course you will. But since we’re saving the animals for your final day, you’ll have to prove yourself on the bike first.
Is A Cycling Adventure The Best Way To See Tanzania?
While some of the riding will be tough, great effort comes great reward.
That means that along the way, you’ll get some of the best possible views and pack so much more in than if you were just trekking – two wheels are faster than two feet, after all!
Need more convincing? Here are just a few reasons why we think cycling from Kili to Ngorongoro deserves a spot on your Bucket List.
You’ll see so much
It’s hard to really feel “at one” with nature from the backseat of a car, but you can’t cover the 360km it takes to see all the insane splendour of these conservation areas on foot. With breathtakingly beautiful landscape all around you for 7 days straight and your best chance of seeing the Big Five, a cycling adventure is the greatest way to see it all.
It’s a workout for the senses, as well as the calves
That feeling of the sun on your back and the smell of the dust around your feet? There’s nothing like it. Just don’t expect your shoes to look too clean at the end of each day.
You’ll feel proud and humbled at the same time
When you cycle 360km to see Tanzania’s most iconic natural attractions, you aren’t just humbled by jaw-dropping panoramas, extreme cultural diversity and incredible wildlife. You feel a huge sense of achievement too.
Great food tastes even better
On this trip, you won’t just see magnificent lakes, fascinating Maasai settlements, or spectacular valleys and plantations. You’ll taste some of the most delicious home-cooked food every day too. And you know what makes these meals especially tasty, aside from the love, experience and ingredients that go into them? A good day’s peddling.
How To Prepare For A Cycling Holiday In Tanzania
If you’re crazy enough to be seriously thinking about joining us on a cycling tour from Kilimanjaro to the Ngorongoro Crater, you’ll probably want to know how to prepare.
You don’t want to burst out the blocks when you get there and burn out before the end of the first day, after all.
If you’re already cycling long distances regularly, keep it up. If you’re not, start building up some miles well in advance of your trip to Tanzania. The more practice you do, the more you’ll enjoy your trip.
There’s no need to try and log the full 360km in at home, but if you can work some long weekend rides into your routine, you’ll prepare your body and your mind for what’s ahead.
There’s no need to prepare your wheels as you’ll be given a rental bike upon arrival in Kilimanjaro National Park, but it is worth making sure your travel insurance covers you for cycling ahead of the trip.
Now that you know what happens on these trips and how to prepare, the only question that really remains is whether you’re prepared (or mad enough) to take on the challenge to win the reward. What say you (and your calves)?
If you don’t book it now…will you ever?
