FAQs 

Your trip fee covers: accommodation from Saturday - Saturday (not including the evening of the final Saturday) at a series of safari lodges, camps and beach resorts; transport from Nairobi to the start point on the first day, and return to Nairobi on the final day (as well as all transfers and transport in between); food and water - 3 daily meals, and snacks and water throughout the day; a mountain bike, mechanics and guides - your bike will be fitted to you and our guides are on hand to fix any mechanical issues. Professional guides are on hand to manage the peleton, your safety and comfort; National Park entrance fees and permits - your fee covers the permit to cycle through National Parks and the support of Kenya Wildlife Service rangers who will escort us through the parks.

Your fees do NOT cover: your flights to and from Kenya, your entry visa, personal travel insurance, additional soft or alcoholic drinks, additional travel or hotel accommodation beyond the travel package dates.

Yes.

You will need to pay a £100 deposit to secure your place, which we will ask for up front. If you need some time to raise this - speak to our team.

The remainder of your fees can be paid in instalments, or in one lump sum. The balance is due 100 days before the event’s start date.

Yes. We ask that all participants commit to fundraising £1,800 (€2,000). It is our job to guide and support you to reach this target and we’ll be on hand to support you all the way.

If you are nervous about fundraising, please give us a call or get in touch. We are professional fundraisers so we’ll give you all the tips and tricks we have!

Alternatively, you can chose to donate the £1,800 target. Get in touch with the team if you’d like this option.

Yes - groups of 10 or more are eligble for a 10% discount on their trip fees. Speak to the team for more information.

Ride Africa covers up to 500km in 5 days. Its an achievable distance, but the conditions will be tough (lumpy bumpy tracks in Kenyan heat!). We recommend you follow our 12-week training plan and the advice we have on our training page to make sure you are ready to ride.

Ride Africa is not a race and no one gets left behind. We have a broom wagon following us for anyone who needs a break/rest and will manage our pace to keep the group together.

Check out our training page to download a 12-week plan; and how to prepare for Ride Africa.

We are limited to 60 places per event and anticipate high demand so we recommend signing up as soon as you are ready to commit.

If you’re seriously interested but can’t commit yet, do get in touch with the team and make yourself known - we’ll keep you in the loop and make sure you know when/if spots on your chosen ride are likely to sell out.

We will be cycling on entry-level Diamondback mountain bikes in Kenya. We will ask you for your height before you arrive in Kenya, match you to a frame and then when you arrive the bike will be fitted to you. This will be your bike for the week. You can bring your own saddle and pedals with you to be fitted to the bike, and you might like to bring your own handlebar grips.

Our route is planned with consultation from local cycle guides, KWS (National Parks authorities) and our team. We’ll update our website and the riders who have signed up with the planned stages and approximate distances (and end stops!) once they are finalised.

We will have a fairly detailed outline of the route which we will send to you in the weeks before your ride is due. However, please bear in mind that rainfall, animal migrations and poaching can affect our plans and so we may need to mitigate, shorten or change some of the route.

We’ll send you a full, updated kit list a month before you’re due to depart. In the meantime, do look at the training kit advised on our training page - it details the equiptment you’ll need to be using on your training.

Flights: We will be leaving Nairobi on the Saturday morning. Therefore, you should make sure your flight arrives before 8am on Saturday so that you can meet the buses that will take you the start point in Nakuru. Your return flight should be after 10pm on the final Saturday (we will get a transfer back from the Maasai Mara on this day - and traffic can be bad!).

Most flights from Europe arrive in the early morning (Kenya Airways), or the evening (BA, Air France, KML); with the return legs departing a few hours after the arrival flight has landed.

Examples:

OUTBOUND: London Heathrow to Nairobi | British Airways | Departs 08/11/24 at 09.50 | Arrives 08/11/24 at 21.30 Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi

INBOUND: Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport | British Airways | Departs 16/11/24 at 23.25 | Arrives 17/11/24 at 05.40 London Heathrow

You will need to ensure you book your own accommodation for any additional nights (if you arrive before the first Saturday or depart after the last Saturday).

Visas: From January 2024, Kenya has gone visa free. Travellers must now complete an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) 72 hours prior to their travel. You can apply for this online before the event.

Travel health: We can’t give you medical advice on which immunisations you need - you need to book an appointment with your GP to discuss.

We will be travelling through regions where a yellow fever vaccination is recommended, and you should be prepared to show your certificate on entering the country. Your GP will recommend additional vaccinations as appropriate. You will also be recommended anti-malarials, which you should take to protect you from malaria during your trip.

You will be staying in great hotels and drinking only bottled water. Be sure to inform your GP or travel nurse of this as the vaccinations may vary, based on the type of travelling you’re doing!

*Covid-19* You not longer need proof of covid vaccination to enter Kenya.

Insurance It is a condition of your participation in Ride Africa that you book appropriate travel insurance.

Be sure that the insurance you get covers an endurance ride as regular travel insurance doesn’t always cover you. If you have travel insurance, be sure to call them up and talk them through the event, they may need to change your cover or you may have to go through another provider.