Heart of Africa

East Africa
Traffic Jam in Kenya
The Doctor's Ad
Giraffe in the Serengeti
Gnus and Flamingos - The Serengeti
On Safari with the Gorillas
Kilimanjaro
Treed Lion - The Serengeti
Zebra Watering Hole

Tour Schedule 2014

Date
2014 Adventures
Days
Price (USD)
Co-rider
Notes
Sep 13 - 26
Heart of Africa
14
$9,975
$7,500

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At a Glance

Your Heart of Africa Adventure


View Heart of Africa in a larger map

Before the introduction of our motorcycle safaris through East Africa, you’d have to arrange an African vacation with a luxury travel company to experience what we’ve included in our Heart of Africa Adventure.

This 14-day “Luxury Motorcycle Safari” begins and end in Nairobi, Kenya and offers travel through four different countries that can be described as “the heart of Africa”. In addition to stunning riding, amazing landscapes, upscale accommodations and delicious meals, the Adventure includes several of Africa’s most popular wildlife experiences - features available only with Ayres Adventures.

Highlights include:

  • Two full days “on safari” in the Serengeti. Approximately seventy large mammal species are found in the Serengeti, including elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, hippo, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and giraffe. The Serengeti is also famous for it’s large population of lion.
  • A visit to the Ngorongro Crater, adjoining the Serengeti. This conservation area has the densest known population of lion as well as large numbers of leopards and elephant.
  • A free day in Rwanda, including an exclusive gorilla safari. Beginning at our luxurious home base in the jungles of Rwanda, we’ll set off on foot to track down the magnificent animals in their natural environment. It’s a sight experienced by only a few.
  • Stunning views of the Great Rift Valley, which extends more than 3,000 miles from Syria to Mozambique.
  • Several crossings of the Equator, as we pass back and forth between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Although this Adventure takes place almost entirely on paved roads, road conditions are poor at times and we’ll encounter some occasional hectic traffic and poor drivers. The tour is intended for experienced riders with a keen sense of adventure and a taste of the unusual.



The Route


The route is almost entirely paved, with good, hard-packed gravel making up a very small percentage of the trip. Although paved, some poor road conditions exist. The trip is designed for experienced riders.
30%
30%
35%
5%

Additional Information

A deposit of $1,500 per person is required with the booking. Full payment is due 90 days prior to departure.

Includes BMW G650GS with unlimited mileage.
Additional charge of $400 for BMW F650GS
Additional charge of $600 for BMW F800GS
Additional charge of $1,380 for a BMW R1200GS
Additional charge of $1,725 for a BMW R1200GS Adventure
Additional charge of $240 for panniers (BMW F650GS, BMW F800GS, BMW R1200GS)
Additional charge of $350 for panniers (BMW R1200GS Adventure)
Additional charge of $150 for top box - all models
Meals: All breakfasts and and dinners, some lunches
Single room supplement - $1,750

Welcome to Nairobi. Our tour leaders will meet you at Jomo Kenyatta International and escort you to the hotel. Today you will be shown your bike and we will have a short tour briefing at the hotel before our first group dinner.
Nairobi to Kisumu (~ 360 km, 225 miles). Our first day of riding takes us on a north westerly direction out of the city.

Highlights: Our first stop will be a stunning overview of the Great Rift Valley which extends over 3,000 miles from Syria to Mozambique. Then we'll head west through the rift valley to the town of Narok. From Narok we head north through tea plantations to Kisumu where we will spend the night at a pleasant local hotel near the shores of Lake Victoria.
Kisumu to Kampala (~ 320 km, 200 miles).

Highlights: Our first photo stop will be at the Equator sign, as we go from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere. We'll cross the border into Uganda and go through the town of Jinja where we will ride over a dam wall. To our left we'll see Lake Victoria, and to our right, the Nile river - the longest north flowing river in the world. Tonight we'll stay in Kampala - the capital city of Uganda.
Kampala to Kabale (~ 420 km, 260 miles). From the hotel we head north out of the city to get on to the ring road which will get us out of Kampala, avoiding the inner city traffic.

Highlights: Once we are out of the city, the road will open up and we will see a lot of local people selling freshly caught fish from Lake Victoria, which we will see occasionally as we ride along the Northwest shore of the lake. We will cross the equator again as we re-enter the Southern Hemisphere. Tonight's lodge is a small privately owned boutique lodge outside the town of Kabale on the bank of Lake Bunyonyi. It's an absolutely spectacular setting.
Kabale to Ruhengeri, Rwanda (~ 280 km, 175 miles). Todays short ride will take us over the border from Uganda into Rwanda. Be sure to return to the right side of the road).

Highlights: Once we are through the border, the riding in Rwanda is absolutely spectacular. We'll be surrounded bu rolling green hills and extinct volcanoes. We will spend two nights at a small lodge, strategically located near the entrance to Volcanoes National Park where we'll do the gorilla safari in the morning.
Ruhengeri Free Day. Gorilla Safari! We'll be up early to enjoy one of the most amazing wildlife experiences in the world. Our trek to find the gorilla’s will be led by local guides who will take us into the forest to track and find the gorilla’s. Once we have found them, we can spend an hour with these amazing creatures. You will have plenty of time to photograph them, and to simply enjoy watching them - only a few meters away.

Ruhengeri to Kilgali (~ 115 km, 70 miles). This is a short day, but the ride into the capital city of Kigali is stunning.

Highlights: Our hotel for tonight became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. The story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was used as the basis of the film Hotel Rwanda.
Kigali to Kahama, Tanzania (~ 470 km, 290 miles). From Kigali it’s a spectacular ride to the border, where we will cross into Tanzania, a good days riding.
Kahama to Karatu (~ 500 km, 310 miles). A long ride today, through rural areas of Tanzania.

Highlights: We'll ride around Lake Manyara and through the Ngorongoro Conservation area. We'll have to be alert for wildlife on the road as we ride through part of the game reserve. We'll also begin to see Maasai people in their traditional clothing - the Shúkà. We will leave the bikes at the lodge for the next two days while we enjoy game drives through the Serengeti in 4-wheeled safari vehicles.
Free day in the Serengeti. Our Serengeti guides will pick us up from the hotel after breakfast and take us in the Serengeti National park past the Ngorongoro crater. The drive to the hotel inside the park will take most of the day. We'll stop for lunch in the park and enjoy world-class game viewing in one of Africa's most famous national parks.
Second free day in the Serengeti. Two days are hardly enough to do justice to the Serengeti, but we'll give it a try!
Serengeti to Karatu. We'll be driven back to Karatu, where we left the motorcycles. Along the way, we'll visit another world-class game viewing area - the basin of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Karatu to Nairobi (~ 405 km, 250 miles). For our last riding day we'll ride through the town of Arusha and north to the border with Kenya. We'll spend our last evening together in Nairobi.
Departure from Nairobi. Breakfast and airport transfer.
Model
Specifications
Ayres Adventures BMW G650GS

BMW G650GS

Seat Height: 780 mm / 30.7 inches
Dry Weight: 176 kg / 388 lb
Fuel Capacity: 17.3 Liters / 4.6 Gallons
Displacement:652 cc


Damage Deposit:
Africa (except South Africa and Swaziland): $3,000
South Africa and Swaziland: $1,500
Alaska/Canada: $2,500
Argentina: $3,000
Chile: $2,500
Europe (except Spain and Portugal): $1,500
New Zealand: $1,500
Spain and Portugal: $3,000
Model
Specifications
Ayres Adventures BMW F650GS

BMW F650GS

Seat Height: 820 mm / 790 mm
Seat Height: 32.3 inches / 31.1 inches
Dry Weight: 171 kg / 377 lb
Fuel Capacity: 16 Liters / 4.2 Gallons
Displacement: 798 cc


Damage Deposit:
Africa (except South Africa and Swaziland): $3,000
South Africa and Swaziland: $1,500
Alaska/Canada: $2,500
Argentina: $3,500
Chile: $2,500
Europe (except Spain and Portugal): $2,500
New Zealand: $1,500
Spain and Portugal: $3,000
Model
Specifications
Seat Height: 880 mm / 850 mm
Seat Height: 34.65 inches / 33.46 inches
Dry Weight: 178 kg / 392 lb
Fuel Capacity: 16 Liters / 4.3 Gallons
Displacement: 798 cc


Damage Deposit:
Africa (except South Africa and Swaziland): $3,500
South Africa and Swaziland: $1,750
Alaska/Canada: $2,500
Argentina: $4,000
Chile: $2,500
Europe (except Spain and Portugal): $2,500
New Zealand: $1,500
Spain and Portugal: $3,000
Model
Specifications
Ayres Adventures - BMW R1200GS

BMW R1200GS

Seat Height: 870 mm / 850 mm
Seat Height: 34.25 inches / 33.46 inches
Dry Weight: 199 kg / 439 lb
Fuel Capacity: 20 Liters / 5.3 Gallons
Displacement: 1170 cc


Damage Deposit:
Africa (except South Africa and Swaziland): $3,500
South Africa and Swaziland: $1,750
Alaska/Canada: $2,500
Argentina: $4,500
Chile: $2,500
Europe (except Spain and Portugal): $2,500
New Zealand: $3,500
Spain and Portugal: $3,000
Model
Specifications
Ayres Adventures - BMW R1200GS Adventure

BMW R1200GS Adventure

Seat Height: 915 mm / 895 mm
Seat Height: 36.02 inches / 35.24 inches
Dry Weight: 223 kg / 492 lb
Fuel Capacity: 33 Liters / 8.7 Gallons
Displacement: 1170 cc


Damage Deposit:
Africa (except South Africa and Swaziland): $5,000
South Africa and Swaziland: $2,500
Alaska/Canada: $2,500
Argentina: $5,000
Chile: $2,500
The single supplement applies for riders who request single occupancy. It also applies for cases in which a rider wishes to share a room with another rider, but there are no riders available or willing to share a room.