Tanzania Ngorongoro and Serengeti Route: Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater rim
Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater rim, over 2300 m · one way, about 343 km back to the start
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Why this ride
343 km from Arusha to Ngorongoro, about 4 h 45 of riding. The highest point is about 2,300 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Roadbook
- Arusha
start
Mount Meru gives Arusha a backdrop that most cities would envy. The volcano rises to about 4,500 metres directly behind the town, a jagged crater rim you see on clear mornings and lose in cloud by afternoon, while Kilimanjaro floats above the horizon to the east. Arusha itself sits at around 1,400 metres on fertile volcanic soil, with coffee farms, banana groves and flower plantations on the surrounding slopes. It is a busy, dusty, friendly town of more than 300,000 people, the gateway for safaris to the northern parks, and the place where the Arusha Declaration of 1967 laid out Tanzania's socialist policies under Julius Nyerere. The Maasai are a constant presence, in their red shuka cloths, selling beads and herding cattle on the edge of town.
Leaving Arusha westward, the road, the A104, runs across a plain, past the Maasai steppe, and then climbs the wall of the Rift Valley near Lake Manyara. The road is generally good tarmac, but trucks and buses are heavy, and Tanzanian drivers take risks on blind curves, so patience matters. From the escarpment, the view over the lake and the rift floor is huge, and the colour of the light changes by the hour.
A very important note concerns the national parks. Tanzania charges substantial fees to enter Ngorongoro and Serengeti, and the rules for motorbikes in those areas are strict, as riding in wildlife areas is generally not allowed for visitors. Anyone planning this route should check with park authorities and tour operators well ahead, because a trip may need to be done in a vehicle with a guide. Dangerous animals, including lions, buffalo and elephants, are real, and not something to meet on a motorcycle.
Fuel, supplies and repair shops are plentiful in Arusha, so fill the tank, check the bike and buy water before leaving. Try nyama choma, grilled meat with kachumbari salad, at a local bar, and Kilimanjaro or Safari beer. The dry seasons, June to October and January to February, are best, while April and May bring heavy rain that turns dirt roads to mud.
- Lake Manyara
scenic
The Great Rift Valley has a wall, and at Lake Manyara it stands about six hundred metres high, a green escarpment rising behind the shallow soda lake like the side of a great bowl. The lake is alkaline and shallow, and its edges are fringed with groundwater forest, where giant mahogany and fig trees shade a floor of tall grass. Elephants, buffalo, giraffe and baboons use the forest, and flamingos, pelicans and other water birds gather on the water in vast numbers when conditions are right. The park is also famous for its tree-climbing lions, which lounge on the branches of acacia trees, a habit that is rare elsewhere.
Ernest Hemingway is said to have called Manyara the loveliest lake he had seen in Africa, and on a clear morning, with the mist lifting off the water and the escarpment glowing in the sun, it is easy to agree. The nearest town, Mto wa Mbu, whose name means river of mosquitoes in Swahili, is a lively and colourful place, with a market, banana plantations and a patchwork of people from across Tanzania, selling fruit, carvings and cloth along the main road.
The road to the north, part of the route from Arusha to Ngorongoro, is mostly fast and well surfaced, until it reaches the escarpment, where it climbs in tight bends through forest and farmland to the highlands. Trucks, buses and minibuses are everywhere, and overtaking is ambitious, so stay alert. Cattle and goats wander onto the road, and herders from the Maasai communities walk beside it with their flocks. Motorbikes are not allowed in national parks, so the park itself is for safari vehicles, but the road around is yours.
Fuel is available in Mto wa Mbu and at Karatu, up on the highlands, and it is a good idea to fill the tank before climbing. The weather is hot in the valley and noticeably cooler on the highlands, so dress in layers. The dry season, from June to October, is best for game viewing, and the rains of March to May turn the track to mud. At dusk, the sound of frogs and insects rises from the lake, and the sunset glows red over the water.
- Ngorongoro Crater rim
finish · 2300 m
On the rim of Ngorongoro the first thing that hits you is the cold. At around 2,300 metres the air is thin and damp, the forest is wrapped in mist most mornings, and the wind whips over the edge of the caldera with a bite that surprises people who think of Africa as hot. Then the mist tears and the floor appears about six hundred metres below, a vast grassy bowl twenty kilometres across, with a lake glinting in the middle and tiny dots of animals scattered over the plain. It is one of the great views on the planet, and it takes a while to understand the scale.
The crater is the remains of a giant volcano that collapsed in on itself two or three million years ago. It is the largest intact caldera in the world, and the walls act like a fence, holding a dense population of wildlife: wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, lions, hyenas, flamingos on the soda lake and some of the last black rhinos in Tanzania. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and part of a conservation area where Maasai herders live alongside the animals, grazing their cattle on the highlands. You will see them walking the road in red robes, carrying sticks, with great dignity.
The road along the rim, from Karatu to Lodoare gate, is a good, smooth climb through cloud forest, with big trees draped in lichen, tight bends and fog. Beyond, the route to Olduvai Gorge and the Serengeti is rougher and drier, with stretches of dust and corrugation. Rules for motorcycles in the conservation area are strict, and entry fees are high, so you must check access, permits and guide requirements in advance. Wildlife can be on the road, and elephants and buffalo have right of way.
Fuel is available at Karatu, a pleasant highland town of about twenty thousand people to the east, and it is wise to be full before climbing, as there is nothing reliable on the rim. Lodges along the edge serve meals and rooms at a price, but a picnic at a viewpoint is fine too.
Olduvai Gorge, further on, is where Mary and Louis Leakey found some of the oldest remains of early humans, and the small museum is worth a visit. Look for the Maasai villages as you ride, and respect their privacy.