Kenya Cycle
Bike 400km through breathtaking Kenya, from the foothills of Mount Kenya to Lake Victoria and the Lake Nakuru National Park!
Our adventure begins in the town of Nyeri, set in Kenya’s central highlands and known for its lush, green surroundings. From here our journey will take us past tea and pineapple farms and through beautiful game conservations, where we might be lucky enough to spot impalas, zebras and even giraffes! Our challenge comes to a close with a day at the beautiful Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its population of flamingos.
Our boundaries will be put to the test as we take on tough climbs and long days in the saddle, but we’ll be rewarded with an experience we’ll never forget!
397km
Approx. distance
Tough (2)
Challenge Grading
10 days
Challenge Duration
Kenya
Challenge Location
Challenge Highlights
Experience some of the most beautiful scenery Kenya and the Great Rift Valley has to offer including a visit to the Great Rift Valley viewpoint (2,550m)
Cycle across the Kerio Valley and to the top of the Elgeyo escarpment
Our cycling challenge finishes at Lake Victoria!
A full day game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park located at the floor of the Great Rift Valley!
Challenge Itinerary
Day 1 - Depart UK
We depart the UK for our overnight flight to Kenya.
Day 2 - Arrive in Kenya
We arrive in Kenya and take a transfer to our hotel in Nyeri. Our journey will take around 3 – 4 hours, passing through agricultural land where coffee, tea and pineapple are farmed. After checking in and having lunch at our hotel, we’ll have a bike fitting followed by a short warm up ride into the small town of Naro Moru. If it’s a clear day, we’ll enjoy views of Mount Kenya! After dinner tonight we’ll hear more about the challenge ahead.
Cycling distance – approx. 2km
Day 3 - Naro Moru - Nyahururu
Our challenge gets underway! We have a long day ahead, but every bit of it is enchanting. Hopping on our bikes, we follow a mixed dirt and tarmac route through a gorgeous game conservation. From our saddles, we can look out for the many species of wildlife Kenya is renowned for – keep your eyes peeled for impalas, zebras, giraffes, buffalos and more!
Our route today crosses the Laikipia plateau which is flat with only a few hills – making our first day’s ride an enjoyable one. After a mighty first day in the saddle, it’ll be time to settle down at our accommodation, have our group dinner and get a good night’s sleep!
Cycling distance – approx. 100km
Day 4 - Nyahururu – Nakuru – Kabarnet
We have a shorter day today, with some uphill cycling through lush countryside. Following breakfast we leave Nyahururu and head into the Subukia Valley, stopping after around 14km at The Great Rift Valley viewpoint (2,550m). From here we continue downhill to Subukia town before ascending out of the Rift valley. As the day progresses we pass vast tea plantations with their light green hues – an amazing sight! After lunch we’ll transfer to our accommodation in Kabarnet Town.
Cycling distance – approx. 57km
Day 5 - Kabarnet – Eldoret
Today is our most challenging day, as we cross the Kerio Valley and climb the Elgeyo escarpment. We start off with a downhill ride which is steep in parts, followed by some gentler terrain. Later on we take on a challenging climb of more than 26km on windy roads, but the forest scenery and its native butterflies will keep us going! When we reach the top of the hill (2,293m) we’ll feel a huge sense of achievement, with fantastic views across the Rift Valley as our reward. After lunch the final part of our ride is mostly downhill through a beautiful area with little traffic. Our day ends at the outskirts of Eldoret Town, with a short transfer to our night’s accommodation.
Cycling distance – approx. 93km
Day 6 - Eldoret – Kakamega
Today is made up of two halves – for the first part of the day we’ll cycle on very hilly tarmac roads, undulating through plantations and farms with some steeper hills as we reach Kapsabet. Following lunch, we’ll cycle on a dirt track past small farms and villages and into the rainforest, towards Kakamega.
Cycling distance – approx. 92km
Day 7 - Kakamega – Kisumu – Nakuru
Today’s ride is mainly downhill with some steep climbs in store. After 39km we get our first view of our final destination – the breathtaking Lake Victoria! One of the African Great Lakes, Lake Victoria covers a massive 70,000 square kilometres. We start to encounter more traffic as we near Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest City, and finish cycling around lunch time. Following lunch, we transfer to our hotel in Nakuru town.
Cycling distance – approx. 53km
Day 8 - Lake Nakuru National Park
Today we’ll enjoy a full day game drive into Lake Nakuru National Park, located at the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The National Park is rich with wild game and a birdwatcher’s paradise, but is possibly best known for its abundant population of flamingos – which can reach over a million at its peak!
Day 9 - Nakuru – Nairobi - Depart kenya
Following breakfast we depart for Nairobi, arriving in late afternoon for lunch. Later we’ll depart to the airport for our flight back to the UK.
Day 10 - Arrive UK
We arrive in the UK, where we say our goodbyes and set off on our onward journeys home.
Please note this is a complex itinerary, and is subject to change.
Challenge Inclusions
What's Included
Before Your Challenge
- Your own personalised account hub that houses all your challenge support information to ensure you are fully prepared for your challenge
- Support documents to aid your preparation including but not limited to further information about your challenge, detailed challenge itinerary, kit lists, training plan/schedule, fundraising advice
- Discount vouchers with affiliate partners such as Nomad Travel
- A dedicated Customer Care team supports each participant from registration and is always on hand to answer queries
- Financial Protection
- Risk Management including but not limited to challenge specific risk assessments, emergency management plans and medical screening.
On Your Challenge
- Return flights from a London Airport to Nairobi
- All transfers per the itinerary including to and from the in-country airport
- 7 nights accommodation, a mixture of hotels and camping. Hotels will be twin share, with private bathrooms
- All meals including celebratory dinner, starting from lunch on Day 2 through to lunch on Day 9
- Support vehicles for the cycling days
- Bottled drinking water and snacks for all cycling days
- Game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park
- Local English-speaking cycling guide(s) and bike mechanic(s)
- Global Adventure Challenges cycle Leader from the UK
- Full and comprehensive first aid / medical kits
- Local bicycle hire
- Challenge Medal
- GAC 24 hour emergency on call team
What's Not Included
- Airport Tax and Fuel Surcharge Contribution – Please refer to Dates and Costs section. These are approximately £250 and payable 12 weeks prior to departure.
- Personal travel insurance
- Alcoholic drinks and drinks during meals
- Tips and gratuities
- Any meals not detailed in the What’s Included section
- Please note that for bespoke challenges, inclusions and exclusions may differ
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m interested... What do I do now?
You can register online below – payment of the registration fee is due at time of booking. Once your registration is received we will get in touch with further information on what to expect from this awesome adventure! Your charity will also be in contact to discuss your fundraising.
Is this trip for me?
ABSOLUTELY! This cycle is suitable for all ages with the correct training. The minimum age for this cycle is 18 years old (14-17 years must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). The one thing everyone will have in common is a great sense of adventure and a desire to help a charity. Whether you are taking part as an individual or as a team with friends, team spirit will be flying high on the challenge.
How fit do I need to be?
This cycle ride has been graded as Tough (2) on our challenge grading scheme, and is designed to be challenging but achievable by anyone as long as you have fitness trained beforehand. Remember you are cycling for 7 – 8 hours a day for 5 days – the fitter you are the more you will enjoy this challenge. Cycling training tips can be found on the Global Adventure Challenges website (in the Taking Part section) to point you in the right direction and once registered they will be available in your Account Hub to help point you in the right direction
Our policy is to encourage and support as many people as possible to take part in our challenges. But they may not be suitable for all people due to restriction posed by limitation in mobility, physical or cognitive disability, pregnancy or other various medical conditions. If you have any doubts regarding your suitability for your challenge please contact our office to speak to one of the team.
What is the challenge grading scheme?
All our challenges are graded on a scale from 1 to 3 to indicate the level of difficulty, 1 being the lowest challenge grade and 3 being the most challenging. (1 = Challenging, 2 = Tough and 3 = Extreme).
Do I need specialist kit?
Once you have registered on to the challenge a kit list can be found in your account hub. Apart from some cycling shorts, a cycling helmet and maybe some cycling gloves, you do not need any specialist kit.
Do I have to carry my own luggage?
No. All luggage will be transported between accommodation by our support vehicles. You may wish to bring a small saddle bag/bum bag and hydration pack while cycling, to carry items such as camera, sunscreen, etc.
Food Matters...
All meals will be provided from lunch on Day 2 through to lunch on Day 9. We will endeavour to cater for most dietary requirements as long as we know in advance – once registered on to the challenge, your will be asked to give any dietary requirements via your account hub.
What support is there on the challenge?
There will be a strong support team with a professional Global Adventure Challenges Leader from the UK, as well as local English speaking guides and cycle mechanics. Comprehensive first aid kits will be taken.
Can I stay in Kenya after the challenge?
Yes you can, but this is subject to us being able to amend your booking from our flights inclusive package to our ground only package. For further information on how our ground only packages work, please visit our guide to ground only challenges.
If you have already registered and would like to request a change to our ground only package, please contact [email protected].
What happens if I get tired?
There will be regular rest stops for drinks and snacks – there is no problem if you need to take more rest stops. We will ensure that no-one is left alone – remember though, this is not a race!
How do I go about raising the sponsorship?
Once you have signed up you will receive a fundraising pack from your charity in order to make your fundraising as easy as possible. You will also receive a few tips and ideas from Global Adventure Challenges to help you on your way.
Request a Call Back
We understand that booking your challenge is a big step, and you may have some questions before you take the plunge! If you'd like to talk to our Customer Care team before you book your space, just click the button below to request a call.
Request a Call Back
Need more information before you book your space? Just enter your details and our friendly team will give you a call back!
If you have any particular questions or would like to request a specific time for your call, please include this in the message section.
Please note, our office hours are 9am - 5:15pm Monday - Thursday, and 9am - 4:15pm on Fridays.
Request a Call Back
Need more information before you book your space? Just enter your details and our friendly team will give you a call back!
If you have any particular questions or would like to request a specific time for your call, please include this in the message section.
Please note, our office hours are 9am - 5:15pm Monday - Thursday, and 9am - 4:15pm on Fridays.
dates and costs
Payment Option A - Minimum Sponsorship
This option means the challenge balance of your event cost is met through raising a minimum sponsorship for a charity of your choice.
Step 1 – To join the challenge you pay the non-refundable registration fee directly to us and commit to raising the minimum sponsorship shown on the challenge page.
Step 2 – Start fundraising and send your sponsorship money to your chosen charity as you raise it. Your charity will most likely keep a log of monies you are sending in.
Step 3 – 80% of your minimum sponsorship must be received by your charity no later than 12 weeks before departure. If you have raised the required amount, your charity would then be in a position to pay the challenge balance, which is never more than 50% of the minimum sponsorship figure.
Step 4 – The remaining 20% of your minimum sponsorship should be sent to your charity no later than 6 weeks following your return after the challenge. Some charities may request you send this 20% to them before the challenge takes place – your charity will guide you further on this.
Payment Option B - Self-Funding
This option enables you to fund the entire challenge yourself, which means you do not have to commit to raising a set sponsorship. Although no fundraising is required, we do strongly encourage you to support a charity of your choice and raise as much as you possibly can.
Step 1 – You pay the non-refundable registration fee to us, in order to join the challenge.
Step 2 – Prior to your departure, you will receive an invoice to pay the challenge balance as shown on the respective challenge page.
Step 3 – The challenge balance invoice is to be paid no later than 12 weeks before departure.
2027
Registration Fee
£375
Option A – Minimum Sponsorship
£5,300
Option B – Self-Funding
£2,650
Airport Tax & Fuel Surcharge
£250
Single Occupancy Supplement (Optional)
TBC
When?