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Lake Magadi - Lake Nivasha 
Bike Ride

Kenya

ABOUT THIS BIKE RIDE

Our 6 day African cycling adventure will take you to three of the most spectacular natural sights in Kenya. This is a cycle challenge suitable for beginner to intermediate cyclist. We will be covering approximately 250km over 4 days of cycling.

Lake Magadi is the southernmost lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley. During the dry season, it is 80% covered by soda and is well known for its wading birds, including flamingos. Lake Magadi is a saline, alkaline lake, approximately 100 square kilometers.

The lake is an example of a "saline pan". The lake water, which is a dense sodium carbonate brine, precipitates vast quantities of the mineral trona (sodium sesquicarbonate). In places, the salt is up to 40 m thick.

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Mt Suswa is a double crater volcano with a shield-shaped cone covering an area of about 270km2. Its inner volcano soars to an altitude of 2356m above sea level at its summit. The inner crater, about 5km across, is covered by a forest that is also home to leopards, hyenas, buffaloes, antelopes and other wildlife, and has breath-taking view that has to be seen to be believed.

 

The outer crater, estimated at about 10km in diameter, is currently dotted with Maasai homesteads. The Maasai graze their livestock on the outer crater and the slopes of the inner volcano, and harvest water for their domestic use from the numerous springs spouting steam and hot water in this area.

 

The lava caves on the outer crater have over 30 entrances, most of which are collapsed roofs into these caves. The caves are home to large populations of bats that are said to travel as far as 30km in search of food at night and then retreat to the caves in the morning. As you walk and crawl through the caves, you can view the colonies of bats hanging from the roof, asleep and dead to the world, until evening when they stream out.

Another interesting location in the caves is the Baboons’ parliament where a large troop of Baboons take shelter at night from their predators. The Baboon troops’ arrival in the evening coincides with the departure of the local bat colonies, creating two way traffic.

It is said that if you peer down the opening in the roof early in the morning, you will find the troop’s leader perched on a pile of rocks at the centre of the chamber, seemingly addressing the rest of the troop perched on ledges high up the walls of the cave.

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Hell's Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha in Kenya, north west of Nairobi. Hell's Gate National Park is named after a narrow break in the cliffs, once a tributary of a prehistoric lake that fed early humans in the Rift Valley. Established in 1984 as a small national park, it is known for its wide variety of wildlife and for its scenery. This includes the Fischer's Tower and Central Tower columns and Hell's Gate Gorge.

 

Hell's Gate National Park is named after a narrow break in the cliffs, once a tributary of a prehistoric lake that fed early humans in the Rift Valley. It received the name "Hell's Gate" by explorers Fisher and Thomson in 1883.

The 1994 film, The Lion King, was heavily modelled after the park, where several lead crew members of the film went to the park to study and gain an appreciation of the environment for the film. The 2003 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life was also shot on location in this park.

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ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival

Drive to Lake Magadi

Day 4: Ewaso Kedong - Mount Suswa 

33 Km: 1,680m - 1,860m

Day  2: Magadi - Olepolos

70km: 700 - 1,800m

Day 5: Mount Suswa - Hells Gate National Park - Lake Nivasha

80 Km: 1,860 - 1,680

Day 3: Olepolos - Ewaso Kedong 

69 Km: 1,800m - 1,680m

Day 6: Departure

What's included?

. 1 night hotel stay in Nairobi
. 2 support vehicles for the entire trip
. Mountain bicycles with helmets (Trek, Specialized, and Giant - with front suspension and wheel-size 26)
. 3 riders (including one mechanic)
. 2 professional first aiders
. Amref medical evacuation cover
. 2 tourist police
. 2 camp assistants
. Tented accommodation for cycling days with camping equipment
. Bottled mineral water for the entire trip
. All necessary camping/park fee where applicable

. All government taxes


. Minimum of 15 riders 

Image by USGS

We know you must have lots of questions...

Check out our  Bike Ride FAQ's!

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For more information regarding private groups

Please contact us below!

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