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We start our big loop in Nairobi, a
place which has grown in one century from a basic camp
into a vibrant African capital. Once on the bike, the
hectic, noise and bustle of Kenya's metropolis make soon
place for the quiet Maasai land where zebras, impalas
and ostriches cross our path.
We head in the south-eastern direction to the
Amboseli National Park where the first rest day
is planned. Elephants and giraffes wander around the
park with the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro
in the background; the iconic picture of Africa.
Africa's highest mountain with almost 5.900 meters and
the last bits of African snow stays in our sight when we
continue and enter Tanzania.
We cycle over the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro -
and a bit further Mount Meru - via good rolling dirt
roads. At the foot of Mount Meru
sprawls Arusha at about 1.300 meter altitude, one of
Tanzania's most developed and fastest-growing towns. We
cross the safari capital of the country and make camp at
the Meserani Snake Park. Next to an
impressive collection of snakes and other reptiles
offers the park an informative Maasai cultural museum.
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One stage is left to Karatu where we
are situated in the heart of the best game reserves in
the world. It's up to you how you want to spend the
three rest days. Superb safaris to the Lake Manyara
National Park, the Tarangire National Park, the
Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park, are
all within your reach.
Lake Manyara National Park is well
known for its rich birdlife and has a lot of game
including baboons, herbivores and big cats.
Tarangire National Park has a permanent
water source with environments ranging from swamps and
flood plains to dry savannah which guarantees exciting
opportunities to see wildlife abound. Impressive herds
of elephants, over 550 species of birds, antelopes and
many predators such as lions, leopards and cheetah can
be seen.
The world famous Ngorongoro Crater -
the name has an almost mystical ring to it - conjuring
images of a giant wildlife-filled volcanic caldera,
where the big five and many other animals roam. It's
considered the "Garden of Eden" of Tanzania in
terms of game viewing. The crater is 610 meters deep and
19 km across. The floor contains a small soda lake and
it is estimated that 30.000 animals are living in the
crater, making it the most intensive safari game viewing
area on earth!
And than Serengeti : nature's mystery,
power and beauty surround you like few other places in a
setting of waving golden grasses and flat-topped acacia
trees. It's here that one of earth's most impressive
natural cycles has played out for eons as hundreds of
thousands of stampeding wildebeest and zebras sweeping
across the endless plain, driven by primeval rhythms of
survival.
We must not forget that we are on a bike expedition with
all this game viewing. Once we are back on the bicycle,
the African dirt roads are waiting and bring us in three
stages to Singida. The town is most
notable for a pair of Rift Valley lakes on its
outskirts, in particular the shallow and hypersaline
Lake Singida, a surreal apparition
whose eerie green waters are offset by a shimmering
white salt-encrusted shore and weird rock formations.
Acacia trees dot the relatively flat landscape in the
northern part of Tanzania and baobab trees stand between
the green rice fields. You must not be surprised when
you are passed by some Tanzanians riding their fully
loaded rickety bicycles with old sandals.
You reach the first time Lake Victoria when we camp
along the shores of this immense lake near
Mwanza. A rest day is planned in Tanzania's
second-largest city which is surrounded by hills strewn
with enormous boulders. We camp at the sandy beach far
away from the major industrial centre and busy port. The
serene and tranquil atmosphere is extremely relaxing and
refreshing. It's an ideal spot for a rest day after the
first 19 strenuous days of our loop around the lake. |
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