27 Days Safari Guided Motorcycle Tour in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa

Day 0 - Arrive in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Welcome to Tanzania. You can arrive at the Zanzibar International Airport at any time today as the official start of the tour is only the next day. A representative from Sama Tours will be waiting at the airport to take you to your hotel in the North of Zanzibar. Relax and enjoy the colorful culture and white sandy beaches of the “Spice Island”.

Day 1 - Welcome dinner and beach day, Zanzibar

Sama Tour believes that the best way to get over jet lag and a long-haul flight is to relax in paradise. Today you are free to do just that. Why not book yourself a spa treatment or just relax on a sun lounger, drink in hand with beautiful ocean views? For the more energetic there are lots of optional activities on offer including scuba diving, snorkeling, village tours or motorcycle rental and more. Tonight, you will meet your fellow bike travelers at your official welcome dinner.

• Highlights: Relaxation in Zanzibar
• Meals: breakfast and dinner

Day 2 - Tour of Stone Town and flight to Kilimanjaro

This morning, you are up bright and early to make your way to Stone Town. You enjoy a tour through the narrow winding streets of Zanzibar’s capital, taking time to visit the spice markets and learn about Zanzibar’s history. If time allows, you will enjoy a rooftop lunch, before boarding a flight to Kilimanjaro. Look out for views of the highest mountain in Africa as your plane lands in Arusha.

• Highlights: Stone Town Tour
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 3 - Day tour of Kilimanjaro (100 kilometers / 62 miles)

This morning, you will hand over the motorcycles and have a detailed tour briefing. Next up, your local biker guide will take you on an exciting tour of the Kilimanjaro foothills. En-route, you will ride into Kilimanjaro National Park and visit some waterfalls and hot pools as well as a few other surprise stops. This is the perfect day ride to get used to the bikes!

Tonight, you enjoy a Tanzanian feast: dinner will be served with more than twenty assorted Tanzanian dishes, which you can wash down with some local brew, while you are entertained by traditional drumming and dancing.

• Please note you will only be able to ride in Kilimanjaro Park if you are able to obtain a permit.
• Highlights: Riding the Foothills of Kilimanjaro
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 4 - Arusha to Karatu (250 kilometers / 155 miles)

After an early breakfast, you depart for Karatu - right in the heart of the Safari Circuit. Karatu is situated on the edge of Ngorongoro Crater and surrounded by national parks and wildlife. You enjoy a night in a wonderful African lodge as you prepare for your up-coming safari.

• Highlights: Tanzanian Safari Circuit
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 5 - Safari into Serengeti and Ngorongoro (up to 250 kilometers / 155 miles)

Today, you are up bright and early to start your 3-day, 2-night Safari into the spectacular Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks. The Serengeti is world renowned for its large lion population and its one of the best places in Africa to view preys in the wild. Approximately 70 large mammal and 500 bird species are found there.

This high diversity is a function of diverse habitats, including riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands, and woodlands. Blue wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, and buffalos are some of the commonly found large mammals in the region. Tonight, you sleep in a luxurious camp in the middle of the wild plains - fall asleep to the sound of lions roaring in the distance.

• Highlights: Africa’s Best Wildlife experience
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 6 - Safari into Serengeti and Ngorongoro (day 2)

Up with the sun, you once again have a full day to explore the wild plains of the Serengeti. Mid-morning, you arrive back at camp to have a delicious “bush” brunch. Today, you visit a traditional Masai homestead to see how the indigenous people of the Serengeti live in harmony with the wild animals who share their land.

You will get to meet the locals and see their fascinating Jumping Dance. In the late afternoon, you will venture out of camp again to enjoy another Game Drive to see nocturnal animals in their natural habitat.

• Highlights: Wildlife and Masai Village visit
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 7 - Safari into Serengeti and Ngorongoro (day 3)

Today is a major highlight of the Safari as you drive down into Ngorongoro Crater. This caldera is 610 meters deep and its floor covers 260 square kilometers. 25,000 large mammals live within this crater, making for unbelievable wildlife viewing in a confined area.

After an amazing morning of wildlife viewing, you head back to your lodge, where your motorcycles are waiting for the next leg of this exciting motorcycle adventure!

• Highlights: Ngorongoro Crater
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 8 - Karatu to Dodoma (410 kilometers / 255 miles)

Today, you ride South to Tanzania’s official capital city, Dodoma. Your hotel is situated in the midst of the hustle and bustle - a welcome oasis with a pool, bar, and restaurant.

• Highlights: Riding Tanzania
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 9 - Dodoma to Iringa (266 kilometers / 165 miles)

Today’s ride is very scenic and as you ride up and over several beautiful mountain ranges and enjoy the scenery of rural Tanzania. In the early afternoon, you will arrive at the “Old Farm House”; this is an Iconic stop on the African overland route. You spend the night on a working farm that is run by a local family who will amaze you with their hospitality and home cooked food.

• Highlights: Scenic mountain passes
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 10 - Iringa to Mbeya Coffee Farm (162 kilometers / 101 miles)

Today, you travel further South through to the edge of the Great East African Rift Valley, where you spend the night on a working coffee farm! Here, the farm comes alive in June and July when it is harvesting time. You will arrive in the late afternoon, but there should still be time to enjoy a coffee tour and taste the Untengule coffee.

• Highlights: Mbeya Coffee Farm
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 11 - Mbeya, Tanzania to Koronga, Malawi (500 kilometers / 311 miles)

After an early breakfast, you ride way down through the Southern Highlands of Tanzania and into Malawi, where you will get your first glimpse of Lake Malawi - “The Lake of Stars” - the third largest lake in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world. The tropical waters are reportedly the habitat of more species of fish than those of any other body of freshwater on Earth, making it a top diver location. Tonight, you spend your first night in Malawi right on the lake shore with views of the beautiful azure waters.

• Highlights: Lake Malawi
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 12- Koronga to Ngala Beach Resort (300 kilometers / 187 miles)

Today, you enjoy more riding through Malawi as you head south along the lake to Ngala Beach. There are bicycles everywhere and you will see the friendly Malawian people going about their daily lives, selling fresh produce at the market and displaying their daily catch. You will see thousands of kids walking to school. You should arrive early, and you can spend the afternoon enjoying lake activities - take out a paddle ski for free, play a game of beach volleyball, enjoy the local birdlife or enjoy a lake swim/cruise on the Temba Tumba.

• Highlights: Lake Malawi
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 13 - Rest Day Ngala (up to 50 kilometers / 31 miles)

Enjoy a rest day on the shores of this beautiful lake. There are many water-based activities to partake in, including diving, snorkeling, windsurfing or a day trip on an African Sail Boat (dhow.). There is also fishing available, or you could buy a Chambo fish (unique to the lake) and get the chef at your lodge to barbeque it for you…YUM! During the day you also go on a tour to the local fishing village - an eye-opening experience. This truly is a magical place!

• Highlights: Lake Malawi
• Meals: breakfast and dinner

Day 14 – Ngala, Malawi to South Luangwa National Park, Zambia (500 kilometers / 311 miles)

Today, you make your way into Zambia and up to South Luangwa National Park, an icon in Zambia. You sleep at a wildlife camp on the banks of the Luangwa River in Zambia. South Luangwa National Park is a world-famous safari destination and offers some of the best wildlife viewings in Africa! Your lodge is situated right in the wild and you often have elephants walking right through the camp!

• Highlights: Incredible Wildlife at Luangwa
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 15 - South Luangwa to Chipata (136 kilometers / 85 miles)

You enjoy an early morning game safari or walk into South Luangwa Park. This park also has a very dense population of leopards, with one leopard per 4 square kilometers; this means your chances of seeing this elusive wild cat is really good! Back at the lodge, you enjoy a delicious lunch, before riding the short distance to Chipata in the afternoon. Tonight, you celebrate another great day’s ride over a delicious dinner.

• Highlights: Wildlife Safari
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 16 - Chipata to Lusaka (575 kilometers / 357 miles)

You are officially halfway through the tour! You will already have seen so much, with even more to look forward too. You depart Chipata early and ride through Zambia to your lodge for the night which is situated in Zambia’s buzzing metropolis and capital city, Lusaka.

• Highlights: Riding Zambia
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 17 - Lusaka to Victoria Falls, Livingstone (478 kilometers / 297 miles)

Today is a major highlight of the trip. It is a long ride through Zambia, but at the end of the day, you will be rewarded with views of the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls (known to locals as “the Smoke the Thunders”). In the late afternoon, you will arrive at your resort hotel, located right on the edge of the falls. If you arrive early enough, you can enjoy a stroll along the pathways surrounding the falls, sharing the amazing views of tumbling water with inquisitive baboons playing in the spray from the falls.

• Highlights: Victoria Falls
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 18 - Rest day Victoria Falls

You have the whole day free to enjoy all the activities that Victoria Falls has on offer. Included in the tour is a helicopter flight over the falls: this is known as “The Flight of Angels” and it’s the best way to see the Falls. Other optional activities include: canoeing down the Zambezi, riding elephants or enjoying river rafting on the mighty Zambezi. There are also tours available where you can swim either above or below the tumbling waters of the falls!

• Highlights: Victoria Falls Rest Day, Helicopter Flight
• Meals: breakfast and dinner

Day 19 - Victoria Falls, Zambia to Chobe National Park, Botswana (100 kilometers / 62 miles)

It is a short ride from Zambia into Botswana where you will get to Chobe National Park in the early afternoon. Your luxury African lodge is situated right on the Chobe River. This afternoon, you embark on a boat Safari; this is the only place in the world where you can enjoy a BIG 5 Safari by boat. On the boat cruise, you will literally see 1000’s of elephants playing in the reeds and mud pools. If you are lucky, you might even see elephants swimming across the river. Hippos and crocodiles are also an exciting sighting - get your cameras ready.

• Highlights: Sunset Boat Safari in Chobe National Park
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 20 - Chobe National Park to Makgadigadi Salt Pans (330 kilometers / 205 miles)

Botswana is probably the wildest country that you ride through. There are no fences around Nature Reserves and as you ride south through the country, you are likely to see elephants feeding on the side of the road!! You will arrive in Nata in the late afternoon and embark on a Safari out on to the Makgadigadi Salt Pans. It is interesting to see the beautiful salt pans that form part of the largest Salt Pan in the world.

• Highlights: Afternoon Safari onto the Makgadigadi Salt Pans
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 21 - Makgadigadi Salt Pans to the Tuli Block (450 kilometers / 280 miles)

Heading further South, you make your way down to the Botswana/South Africa border. Tonight, you sleep on the Limpopo River (full of crocodiles and hippos) and enjoy a dinner in the beautiful African Boma. If you are lucky, some local African kids will come to dance for you. Fall asleep listening to the great sounds of the African night: lions roaring in the distance.

• Highlights: Tuli Block, African dances
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 22- Tuli Block, Botswana to Magoebaskloof, South Africa (317 kilometers / 197 miles)

It is a short ride to the South African border; after border procedures, you enter in South Africa, “Our Rainbow Nation”. You will see that South Africa is very much a “1st world, 3rd world country” with great quality roads and good infrastructure. You make your way to Magoebaskloof, a little misty town up in the mountains. There is a lot to do at the hotel. You can take a walk to the waterfall, spotting birds and Samango monkeys along the way, or you can chill out at the Phoenix and Fireman Pub!

• Highlights: Magoebaskloof - mountain roads at their finest
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 23 - Magoebaskloof to Hazyview via the Panorama Route (250 kilometers / 154 miles)

Today, you make your way down into Mpumalanga (an area known to local bikers as “Motorcycle Paradise”); the roads here are beautiful and curvy, and there are so many great viewpoints, rock formations, and waterfalls along the way. The route includes stops at Bourke's Luck Potholes, The Three Rondavels, and Gods Window. You will arrive in Hazyview in the late afternoon. Tonight, you enjoy a traditional African meal and African dances at the Shangana cultural village.

• Highlights: God's Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, The Three Rondavel’s, Waterfalls, Magical Views Sites
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 24 - Hazyview Rest Day and Half Day Safari into Kruger National Park

Today, you will bid goodbye to the motorcycles and board a game viewing Safari vehicle which will transport you into the Kruger National Park. This world-famous wildlife reserve is home to the BIG 5 and is roughly the size of a small country. The vastness of the park allows ample opportunity to view wild animals in their natural habitat. You will have the whole morning to spot lions, elephants, birds and many different species of animals. In the afternoon, there is an optional motorcycle ride over the Famous "Long Tom Pass" - a must for anyone who likes to ride twisties!!!

• Highlights: Kruger National Park
• Meals: breakfast and lunch

Day 25 - Hazyview to Pretoria (450 kilometers / 280 miles)

Today, you enjoy some more great roads in Bikers Paradise, traveling through Pilgrims Rest (an old gold mining town) and over the Long Tom Pass, before making your way back to Pretoria, where you will arrive in the late afternoon and where your tour comes to an end. Tonight, you will enjoy a farewell to celebrate the end of a great tour.

• Highlights: Pilgrims Rest, Long Tom Pass
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 26 - End of the tour in Pretoria, South Africa

Sadly, your tour of Southern Africa has come to an end. Sama Tour guarantees that you will take home loads of awesome photographs and fond memories of Southern Africa and the warm people you have met. Transfers to the airport will be arranged. You may also wish to extend your tour with an add-on city stay in Cape Town.

Skill levels required for this tour:

90% of this tour takes place on tarmac roads. The dirt roads are good hard-packed dirt. However, there are some long riding days and long border crossing. Some areas you visit are very rural and the roads sometimes have lots of potholes and other hazards. Need to be a confident rider.

Intermediate:

• can ride for 3-4 hours
• average riding experience
• little assistance required
• comfortable with extreme curves and leans
• average experience with unsurfaced roads
• steep ascents and descents

Advanced:

• can ride for 5-6 hours
• extensive riding experience
• assistance on demand (if required)
• experienced with riding a variety of motorcycles
• comfortable with any terrain and weather conditions

• 3-day, 2-night Safari into Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park - luxury tented camps
• One way flight from Zanzibar to Kilimanjaro
• Walking Tour of Stone Town, Zanzibar
• Tour of Malawian Fishing Village
• Safari into South Luangwa National Park
• Entrance to Victoria Falls View Site
• Helicopter Flight Victoria Falls (The Flight of Angels)
• Safari into Chobe National Park by boat
• Makgadigadi Salt Pan Game Drive
• Safari into Kruger National Park
• Shangaan Cultural evening

This tour will take you through five countries: Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. It will start in Zanzibar, Tanzania and end in Pretoria, South Africa.

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During this tour, you will be provided 23 breakfasts, 16 lunches, and 21 dinners throughout the trip. Bottled water, tea, coffee, and snacks are also included.

Make the most out of your stay! Feel the spice of Zanzibar you tour local markets and awe at its Arabic architecture. Go scuba diving, try an African dhow snorkeling trip, pamper yourself with a spa treatment, have a dip in the ocean, swim with dolphins, visit the monkey sanctuary, rent a 250cc dirt bike, and explore the exotic island.

On Ngala Beach, you can go paddle skiing, play beach volleyball, check out the local bird life, and cruise along a lake on Temba Tumba. Windsurf through Lake Malawi, have a day trip on a dhow and go fishing. Walk with lions in Victoria Falls, canoe down the Zambezi, go elephant riding, and enjoy river rafting. In South Africa, you may want to bike through the Long Tom Pass.

• 26 days motorcycle rental
• 26 nights accommodation
• 26 breakfasts, 19lunches, and 25 dinners
• Tour Guide on a motorcycle
• Backup vehicle to carry luggage and a spare motorcycle
• 3-day, 2-night Safari into Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park - luxury tented camps
• One way flight from Zanzibar to Kilimanjaro
• Walking Tour of Stone Town, Zanzibar
• Tour of Malawian Fishing Village
• Safari into South Luangwa National Park
• Entrance to Victoria Falls View Site
• Helicopter Flight Victoria Falls (The Flight of Angels)
• Safari into Chobe National Park by boat
• Makgadigadi Salt Pan Game Drive
• Safari into Kruger National Park
• Shangaan Cultural evening
• Transfers From Zanzibar International Airport and to the Johannesburg International Airport
• Bottle water, tea, coffee, and snacks
• Detailed guide book
• Map of Southern Africa
• Sama T-shirt

• Petrol
• Cross-border and visa fees
• Domestic and international flights
• Items of a personal nature
• All items not mentioned in What is Included
• All meals and drinks other than those in What is Included
• All entrance fees other than those in What is Included
• Local payments (petrol, lunches, cross-border and visa fees, etc.) - 1,000 USD per rider and 500 USD per pillion

Recommended Airports

• A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.