Bicycle Africa

EAST AFRICA ADVENTURE

East Africa offers a potpourri from anthropology to zoology; pearls of geological wonders, renowned wildlife, tantalizing environmental diversity, motivated rural economic development, modern urban centers and specimens of the oldest known human fossils. This is the land so eloquently described in the writings of Karen Blixen ('Out Of Africa'), Beryl Markham ('West With The Night') and dozens of other writers.

Splitting the highlands of East Africa is the 3000 mile long Great Rift Valley. The same powerful forces that split the earth set the stage for the diverse habitats that not only support the big game animals, but also nurture more species of birds than any similar sized area on earth. Equally fascinating are social forces in the region -- a long history of highly organized kingdoms, shifting indigenous populations, centuries of trade with seafaring Arabs and a far shorter but intense period of European colonialism.

Bicycle across beautiful steppes and scenic plateaus, past lakes, lush green forests and hills, and countless traditional villages. Bicycling is restricted in the game parks (for good reason) so vans are used where necessary on the program. These programs are run January-February or July-August-September and can be in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda and Burundi (full schedule).

UGANDA BY BICYCLE / TANZANIA BY BICYCLE / KENYA BY BICYCLE

For those who would don’t check their mind, body and spirit when they travel, the Bicycle Africa schedules a series of unique two-week, people-to-people, bicycle tour in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.  The programs are designed to provide participants with an enjoyable introduction to the grandeur and diversity of East Africa.  Not your off the shelf, canned safari, these program visit untouristed areas; markets, traditional villages, schools, development projects, cottage industries, spiritual centers and other entities that are part of the fabric of life.  Past participants have been thrilled by the many opportunities to meet and discuss issues with local people and sample the local cuisine.  The Uganda itinerary offer prime photography and sketching subjects; including wildlife, rural and village life, and the spectacular landforms of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, and opportunities to observe chimpanzees and other primates in the Kibale National Park. The Tanzania itinerary takes you from the world culture of the shores Indian Ocean, through semi-arid Maasai land, to the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro.  Participants will quickly come to appreciate why Uganda and Tanzania are so highly regarded and praised by the international communities for their great strides in economic and social development over the last decade and why they are becoming major tourist destinations.

A report (text and photos) on program to East Africa can be viewed at:

Uganda: Trip Essay

Journey to Uganda: Not Your Usual First Tour, by Eric Mathurin (pdf format)

Uganda Bicycle Journey, by Hansruedi Schudel

Return to top of the page