Arusha Cycling Tour

Distance

28 km (17 mi) by bike

Riding time

1.5–2 hours

Difficulty

Easy to moderate

Price

$200 per person, as an add-on

Our Arusha cycling tour is a loop of about 28 km (17 mi) on the eastern side of Arusha, the safari capital of northern Tanzania. It starts and finishes at Arusha Planet Lodge in Moshono, takes 1.5 to 2 hours of riding, and suits anyone who rides a bike with confidence: the roads are paved and the climbs are gentle, between about 1,200 and 1,350 m (4,429 ft) above sea level.

The route

Arusha Planet Lodge, Moshono. Meet your guide, fit your bike and helmet, and set off with Mount Meru on the skyline.
Nelson Mandela Road. Ride east to the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology at Nambala, near Tengeru, past farms, roadside markets and village life.
Arusha Bypass Road to the Kiseriani roundabout. Turn back west on the Arusha Bypass, the road opened in 2022 that loops south of the city, with smooth tarmac and open views to Mount Meru.
Back to Arusha Planet Lodge. A short climb from Kiseriani brings you back to the lodge.

Good to know

Ride early in the morning, when it is cool and the roads are quiet, or late in the afternoon.
Please wear a helmet, drink plenty of water and follow the traffic rules: the bypass and main roads carry trucks and cars.
The ride is easy to add to the start or end of a safari or Kilimanjaro climb, as Arusha is where most northern safaris begin. NM-AIST is a short detour from Lake Duluti, if you want to combine it with our Lake Duluti Bike Ride.

What’s Included

Included

Professional cycling guide
Mountain bike, set up for your height
Helmet
Bottled drinking water
Soft drinks and juices
Coffee or tea break
Snacks and fresh fruit
Support vehicle carrying the bikes, water and spares
Repair kit, pump and spare tubes
First-aid kit

Cycling Route

The route as it runs on the ground, mapped on OpenStreetMap. The solid line is the ride out and the dashed line the way back. Press a stop in the list to find it on the map. About 280 m (919 ft) of climbing in all.