11 Days Bush To Beach Ride Holiday

Lake Chala is a crater lake in a caldera on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, East Africa. Lake Chala is on the eastern edge of Mount Kilimanjaro 8km north of Taveta and 55kms from the town of Moshi. Depending on the time of the year, Lake Chala ranges in colour from deep blue to turquoise and green. The Lake is fed by groundwater flows, which come from Mount Kilimanjaro, fed and drained underground with a rate of about 10milion m3/year. It is surrounded by 100meters high crater rim. The Lake is home to the endemic Lake Chala Tilapia (Oreochromis hunter), which is now considered critically endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species.

The stunning volcanic area is rapidly growing in tourism and it is now possible to stay at Lake Chala. The lake is safe for swimming; however, as everywhere in Africa it pays to be careful.

The Elephant Motel is ideally situated along the Moshi – Dar es Salaam road, only half a kilometre from Same Town. The motel offers spectacular views of the South Pare Mountains and because of its location, it is the ideal gateway to Mkomazi National Park, the South Pare Mountains and Shengena Forest.

Mambo Village, is on the far northwestern rim of the Usambara’s, is perched on a cliff overlooking the Masaai plains and Mkomazi National Park. Authentic, easy going and a place to experience rural African life as it comes and goes. Rustic Mambo View Point Eco Lodge is in the middle of things and is also the home base for some unique community projects. The beautiful cottages, build in an authentic style, are comfortable and with a beautiful sunset view from your own terrace.

The adventure today starts soon after the breakfast. We are going to ride on to Usambara Mountains passing Amani rain forest while watching the scenic beauty of the area. The supply truck will turn down to Muheza town with chefs and tents to prepare a hot lunch for the bikers. As we show up at Muheza town the lunch will be ready and there will be time for a nap. After the short nap, we are going to take the bikes down to where the coast lays with an easy ride to Pangani town, where we are going to put the bikes on the ferry to cross this massive river. We will start 15min ride down to Ushongo beach for a night. The night may be humid, hot and mosquitoes will be around. Soon after your shower, it’s an effective time to use your repellants.

There will be a bunch of activities to do in Pangani beach like visiting the Marine park of Maziwe, scuba diving and snorkelling. Also, a canoe cruising to crocodiles breeding sites but this depends much on the daily tides.

The Maasai Steppe Conservancy is located between the Tarangire National Park and the Simanjiro Plains, within the Northern Safari Circuit. Safaris in the Maasai Steppe provide a wonderfully varied experience for people wanting a combination of wildlife viewing, walking, and authentic, ‘un-canned’ cultural experiences with the Maasai.

The Maasai Steppe is a vibrant and important ecological stronghold for the wildlife and people of northern Tanzania. Nearly 92% of this critical ecosystem is designated Maasai village lands where livestock husbandry represents the primary livelihood. Maintaining healthy rangelands is critical to both the Maasai people and the wildlife dependent on this arid environment.

This is a unique opportunity to experience and explore the Tarangire and Manyara ecosystem. Maramboi Tented Camp offers permanent camp facilities and endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands and palm lined desert between Tarangire and Manyara Lake. A visit to the area is essential for anyone interested in evolution and the origins of Mankind and an explanation of the Rift Valley and Africa’s big picture. It is a complete semi-desert experience focusing on game animals on their free range.

After breakfast we are going to leave this awesome lodge, riding on the rift valley escarpment towards the Hadza community. The Hadza, who are hunters and gatherers in the east and Southern Africa whom we are going to hunt with on their grounds in their traditional way.

The trip will take you East along winding dirt trails away from the lush area surrounding the mountain and out into the savannah scenery of the Maasai plains. You will ride towards the wall of the Great Rift Valley at the base of which stands the mighty volcano Ol Donyo Lengai. The Ol Donyo Lengai is an active volcano which last erupted in the 1970’s. It is revered by the Maasai as the home of ‘Ngai’, their god. It’s almost

perfect cone looms over an area of astonishing barren beauty. At the foot of the mountain, there is an area of rocky desert. Here we find the cones of small extinct volcano, and Lake Natron, a huge soda lake, which stretches up to the

Kenyan border. Flamingos come here to, breed and in the late afternoon sun, the colourful flamingo colonies make a spectacular sight, adding a dash of colour against the shimmering water.

After a night under the incomparable star-filled African sky, you will wake up refreshed. First, enjoy a hearty breakfast, and then we set off to explore the gorge that houses our campsite. A trail leads over boulders, and through narrow chasms. In some places, we cross the torrent and scramble up rocky walls. In some spots, we find strange cactuses clinging to the hot rock, in others we see lush ferns and palms in the damp shady gorge bottom. We duck under waterfalls and pass bubbling Jacuzzi-like pools and chutes where the brave can ride the natural water slide. Eventually, we arrive at the head of the valley, a huge natural amphitheatre cut into the imposing cliff. Here we find the source of the waters where many springs gush from the cliff walls and form pools and streams. We can play in the pools, shower in the waterfalls and enjoy our packed lunch.

We can also have a chance to ride to the hot springs, footprints and around the Lakeshores for a closer view of the flamingos. We return to camp for an early BBQ and then off to bed.

We pack up a camp and follow trails which wind along the base of the rift valley to the Maasai trading post of Mto Wa Mbu. Along the way we will see Maasai in traditional dress tending their herds. There is a good chance of seeing game animals close to the track. Zebra and antelope are often in this area, perhaps we will even see a giraffe or if we are very lucky elephant. We stop for a break at a huge crater, and then push on to Engaruka for lunch.

After lunch, we will head back to Arusha, where a cold drink will be waiting for us, and we can tell stories from our safari.