Cycling on and around Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro National Park allows mountain bikes on two routes: the Kilema route towards the summit, and a day ride on the Shira Plateau. Below the park, village rides need no permit at all. The rules, the fees, and which ride suits you.
You can take a mountain bike onto Kilimanjaro. The national park allows riding on two routes. The Kilema route climbs the south-east slope to Horombo Hut and is the only way to take a bike towards the summit. The Shira Plateau ride, on the western side, is a long day out above 3,500 m11,483 ft with no summit. Below the park, the dirt roads through the villages and coffee farms of the lower slopes make easy rides of a day or more, before or after a climb.
This section covers all three. The Kilema route is a full expedition with a bike, the Shira Plateau ride is a day trip, and riding below the mountain needs no park permit at all.
Which ride suits you
The Kilema route is for a confident mountain biker who is also fit enough to climb Kilimanjaro on foot. The lower track and the Saddle are rideable, but the summit cone is a carry, and the descent is steep and loose. Expect a mountain expedition with a bike rather than a ride to the top.
The Shira Plateau ride suits a fit rider who wants big views at altitude without a summit night. Children of 10 and over may ride inside the park up to 3,700 m12,139 ft with an adult, which makes this the park ride for a family.
Riding below the mountain suits anyone who can ride a bike. It is also a gentle way to spend a spare day in Moshi before a climb.
What the park asks of a bike trip
Kilimanjaro National Park publishes its own guidelines for cycling, and they shape every trip:
- The ride must be organized by a tour operator with a valid Tanzania Tourism Licensing Board licence and a professional guide who knows first aid and bike handling.
- The operator provides the safety kit: helmet, whistle, GPS, first-aid kit, protective glasses, a repair kit and a reliable means of communication.
- A park official gives a briefing first, every rider registers at the gate on the way in and out, and every rider signs an indemnity form.
- One person per bike, designated trails only, and no riding under the influence of alcohol.
- Riding is allowed in daylight only, between 6.30 am and 6 pm.
- Children of 10 and over may ride up to 3,700 m12,139 ft, accompanied by adults.
- Rubbish goes out with you, as on every route ("trash in, trash out").
What it costs
The park charges a cycling fee on top of the daily conservation fee every visitor pays. The park tariff that ran from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026 set it at US$50 per person per day for visitors from outside East Africa and for residents. East African citizens paid TSh 30,000. Fees are reviewed from time to time, so check the current figure with your operator. The other park fees are in Permits and costs.
Some operators quote a single "cycling permit" price that differs from the park's own figure. Ask what it covers: the park's daily fee for each day on the mountain, or a package of fees and services.
Finding an operator
Only a handful of companies run bike trips inside the park, and more run rides below it. The Kilimanjaro operators page lists which companies on this site sell either, read from their own websites.
Before you book, ask how much of each day is really rideable and who carries your bike on the summit section. Ask how many days the itinerary allows for acclimatization, what bike and spares are provided, and how the descent is guided. A company that answers all of those plainly has done the trip before.
Further reading
Nicholas and Richard Crane rode to the summit over Christmas 1984 and New Year 1985 and wrote about it in Bicycles Up Kilimanjaro. For the walking version of the Kilema route's upper half, read the Marangu route chapters, and for a few days of a different kind after the climb, add a safari.