I didn’t book with Escape Adventures because I like biking; I’m not much of a biker really! But seeing Africa from a biker’s perspective seemed perfect. And it was. Zooming through landscapes in a Landrover, you don’t smell the flowers or hear the birds. All you hear is the sound of the engine, and you hardly get a chance to interact with local people.

We were four women: I’m from the Netherlands and my travel companions were from Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States. Our tour leader was John Etherington from New Zealand, Lulu from the USA, who was the cook and Peter from Kenya, who drove the support vehicle.

Our journey started just outside Nairobi, since nobody wanted to risk biking in Nairobi’s traffic. Our bikes were loaded onto the trailer and we drove out of town to start the trip with an easy 25km ride. This took us to an Ostrich farm/hotel just south of the city. Not being a biker I appreciated the slow start and especially the lazy afternoon by the pool. That night we woke to gunshots and animated voices. In the morning we learned that the askaris (guards) had shot a lion that had killed an ostrich. People were coming to have their picture taken with the dead lion, posing proudly, as if they had killed the lion themselves.

After this initial excitement we continued on our way, covering the140kms south to Amboseli National Park, over days two and three. Going at the slower pace made me appreciate the changes in landscape, which went from dry and flat to green and hilly and back again. Amongst the numerous acacia trees we passed we saw giraffes poking their heads out from behind the trees, a nearby herd of zebra, which promptly turned their backs on us and scampered off. We camped in the park and at dawn on day four, went for a game drive. Already attuned to biking, we quickly abandoned the vehicle and hiked up ‘Observation Hill’ to watch the elephants drink from the waterhole below.

Leaving the park, we biked through Lake Amboseli. Though the lake is completely dry, the shimmering heat created mirage puddles in the lakebed. The ride over the sandy surface was tough and we got very hot and sweaty. At the end of day four John promptly told us we had arrived at our campsite. “Is this our camp?” we asked as we arrived at a huge rock in the middle of nowhere. The rock separated our camp from a Maasai manyatta. Apart from the rock and the manyatta there was nothing. Nothing but bare land surrounded us. John prepared a bush shower behind the trailer as we set up our tents. Despite being in the middle of nowhere no shower ever felt better, although while I appreciated the wide view, I was a little worried that a Maasai warrior might come walking by! Once we were all clean again, we climbed on top of the rock with a box of chilled white wine to watch the sunset.

On day five, we had a great day of off-road mountain biking. Great for us, but unfortunately not for John. It was thorny-seed-season and poor John fixed more punctures then he enjoyed! Wherever we stopped to fix a tire, kids appeared from the bushes and wanted to touch our skin, our clothes and our bikes. With our funny clothing and helmets, we must have looked like creatures from outer space.

We spent the night at Maasai Paul’s Camp. By this time we had nearly reached Namanga. After a delicious meal of Mexican bean burritos, we sat around the campfire drinking John’s famous hot chocolate while Maasai Paul shared stories with us about his culture.

On day six we crossed the Tanzanian border and, bypassing the safari capital, Arusha, we biked through coffee plantations to Meserani Snake Park. That night, Lulu surprised us with sushi, made, not with raw fish, but with smoked trout, avocado, spring onions and egg rolls. I never thought I would eat so well whilst in the bush. The next morning, we set off at sunrise admiring the rugged Mount Meru as we biked past sleepy manyattas.

That afternoon we explored the area around Mto wa mbu (mosquito village). Most vehicles speed through this village on their way to Ngorongoro Crater without a glance, but being slower we visited the craft market and had a drink at the Red Banana Bar, before biking up the escarpment to Panorama Campsite. After the struggle to the top we were stunned with beautiful views over the Rift Valley and now appreciated the hard climb. Here we relaxed and watched the sunset over Lake Manyara. That night we ate another of Lulu’s great, non-typical camping meals: cheese fondue.

Day eight was an intermezzo. We spent the day in Ngorongoro Crater enjoying the great herds of zebra and wildebeest. Unfortunately, despite the beauty of the area, we were vehicle ridden and I know we all wanted to just get out there and enjoy the freedom and leisurely pace of our bikes.

On day nine, we wandered through colorful markets in Arusha, drove to Moshi and continued south, passing hundreds of baobab trees and huge sisal plantations. The South Pare Mountains rose up to our left and as we continued on we could see the Pangani River twisting towards us. Pangani River Camp, about 50kms north of Mombo, is an oasis compared with the arid lands around it. The site is unique: an open spot surrounded by palm trees at the river’s edge (sorry, no swimming: crocodiles!).

The camp is very peaceful – sometimes too peaceful for Massey, the owner, who struggles to get enough customers. He entertained us with stories of his experiences in the Rhodesian war, while we ate chicken kebabs. This place was his and it is here that he had worked for years on his autobiography. I say had for one unfortunate day he left his manuscript unattended and, tragically, the pages blew into Pangani River. However, I felt lucky to be able to listen and learn from the man himself.

On day ten we drove to Lushoto, a lively town with friendly people, in the Usambara Mountains. From there we biked to Irente viewpoint and enjoyed a stunning view over the plains of Tanzania. The tough ride to camp was rewarded with a cold beer in the gardens of Muller’s Mountain Lodge. Muller’s is an old colonial house, to which a rustic campsite has recently been added.

The next morning we biked down a back road to Soni. This was the best biking of the trip. We passed through lush forest and followed a winding river. Women were doing laundry and laying bright-colored kangas out to dry. They cheered as we came by, assuming we were competing with one another. Why else would anyone be biking in the heat of the day? As the African says: “only mad dogs and Englishmen!”

Day thirteen was another highlight. We drove to the Bagamoyo turn-off and from there, biked towards the Indian Ocean. As we dropped in altitude the heat was intense, but occasional glimpses of the ocean kept our legs moving. We passed many small villages shaded by huge palm trees and at one a cute kid stopped me wanting me to try out his homemade bicycle. This was made entirely of wood and looked a little too fragile, so I declined, afraid I would break it.

On our last day a visit to Bagamoyo museum gave us a glimpse of Bagamoyo’s fascinating, though horrifying history. We learnt that it was here that an average of fifty thousand slaves a year were sold and shipped from the port in the mid nineteen hundreds. Almost in sympathy with its past the museum was so run down it felt all the more like a ghost town and really reinforced the nature of the terrifying time of those years.

Having been awakened to the disturbing past we drove on down to the ferry in Dar es Salaam and from there we finished off our trip with an easy 10km ride to Kipepeo beach. Here we pitched our tents on the beach and ran, yearning, down to the welcome cool of the ocean. We swam while Lulu prepared a final meal of Zanzibar fish curry and rice pilau with chocolate mousse for dessert!

Although no longer there in body I am on the beach now, watching the sunrise: the sky is filled with small pink clouds and a herd of cows walk by between the ocean and me. I feel tired, but fulfilled.

Travelling by bike is a unique way to see and absorb the wonderful landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania. You cover more ground than if you were walking, but you are slow enough to appreciate everything around you and I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to see the ‘real’ Africa.