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See all reviewsNorthern Tanzania is the Africa of the great explorers: the Great Rift Valley, active volcanoes, soda lakes, Maasai herders and herds of giraffe and zebra crossing the tracks. Our Tanzania motorcycle tour, An Adventure Tour across Maasai Lands, is a 10-day loop from Arusha with 8 riding days and about 559 miles (900 km) on a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, two thirds of it on tracks.
You ride with an English-speaking guide, a mechanic and a support vehicle for your luggage, and sleep in comfortable hotels and lodges. A full-day 4×4 safari in Tarangire National Park and the Lake Natron fees are included. From £3,990 (€4,490) per rider, with departures in January and October.
From Arusha, at the foot of Mount Meru, the route heads towards Kilimanjaro and the green hills of Matadi, then crosses dry plains where antelope, giraffe and zebra graze, to Lake Natron, a few miles from the Kenyan border. A day around the lake takes you to the gorges of the Ngare Sero river and along shores tinted pink and blue.
The route then runs south along the Rift escarpment, below the volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai and across the Maasai steppe, climbs towards the Ngorongoro highlands and drops to Lake Eyasi. The most beautiful and most technical stage crosses the land of the baobabs to Lake Burunge, before a day out of the saddle on safari in Tarangire National Park and a last ride back to Arusha.
This is an adventure tour: about two thirds of the distance is on tracks, with sand, steep and stony sections, heat and long days. You need regular riding experience, real off-road experience and good physical fitness. A pillion is only accepted if you both have off-road experience.
We ride in the dry seasons: in January, during the short dry season, and in October, at the end of the long one. The tracks are firm, the wildlife gathers around the water and the views over the volcanoes are clear. We avoid the long rains, from March to May, when tracks turn to mud.
Read our 5 reasons to travel across Tanzania by motorbike. Looking for another African ride? Discover the land of a thousand hills in Rwanda, the Karoo and the Cape in South Africa or all our motorcycle tours in Africa.
Stories and practical advice from our riders and tour leaders:
An Adventure Tour across Maasai Lands costs £3,990 (€4,490) per rider and £3,090 (€3,480) per pillion for 10 days, including 8 riding days. The price includes the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 with fuel, spare parts and third-party insurance, an English-speaking motorcycle guide, a mechanic and a support vehicle, comfortable hotels and lodges in twin or double rooms, full board, the Lake Natron fees and a full-day safari in Tarangire National Park. International flights, visa fees, insurance, drinks and a refundable deposit of €600 per motorcycle are not included. A registration fee of £31 (€35) applies on your first trip with us.
Yes. On day 8 you leave the motorcycles for a full day in a 4×4 in Tarangire National Park, famous for its elephants and baobabs. On the riding days, you will often cross antelope, giraffe and zebra on the plains around Lake Natron.
A solid one: about two thirds of the 559 miles (900 km) are on tracks, with sand, steep stony climbs, heat and long days. You need real off-road experience and good physical fitness.
The dry seasons. Our departures run in January and October; we avoid the long rains, from March to May.
A Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, built for this kind of terrain. A pillion is only accepted if rider and pillion both have off-road experience, at £3,090 (€3,480).
Fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where we meet you and take you to your hotel in Arusha. The tour ends there on day 10. International flights are booked separately, and a visa is required for Tanzania: our team will advise you on the formalities.
