Motorbike Adventure Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Beware
Beware! Don't trust this company by sending money ahead of your journey.
We paid in full one month prior to departure and then the manager Alpha Malinda started spinning his web of lies about new taxes and fees, he even was cheeky enough to try to convince us that 18% VAT been added by the government on June 1. 2017 all though everybody is aware of that it came in on July 1. 2016. We even had one of his subcontractors to contact him on our behalf and then he asserted that we had bought our trip prior to July 1. 2016 so we were supposed to to pay this extra 18%. Our receipt is dated January 27. 2017.
We took off 3rd of September and soon it was very clear to us that the money we sent had been spent on something else then our accommodation and food, every morning we started with bargaining with him trough our tour guide since Alpha was in Australia at the time. When our guides were totally out of money we took over budgeting and paying for gas and everything else and with their help we managed to book the rest of the tour as it had previously been scheduled. We ended up with total cost that was about 45% higher than Alphas offer.
The four tour guides we had were very helpful trough all of this and we had a really good relationship with them, it's such a shame that they are working fore a shitty company like this.
Any further information I will gladly give in PM.
CA
Email Chris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Be Careful with this tour operator
First of all Tanzania is a wonderful country, the people are great, and the animals are amazing.
About the tour operator. It appears that the owner Alpha made this great website offering tours but that's about as far as it goes. Alpha lives in Australia, not Tanzania, and wasn't there for the tour...
The motorcycles are old Honda 250's, the bike I was given was a 1991, twenty seven (27) years old. No horn, no speedo, but to Honda's credit the bike ran fine with only one break down in 7 days. When you're riding a motorcycle you need a horn, its dangerous not to have one. I complained, they fixed it but it stopped working a day later. The other bikes didn't appear to have horns either...
When we arrived Alpha was not there. We were met by his "associate" who picked us up at the airport and then dropped us off at the hotel saying someone would meet us there in the morning. The next morning we met Kalifa and David. There wasn't really any instruction or pre trip discussions about roads, hazards, hand signals, what to be careful of etc just hop on an go (David the lead rider, didn't speak english).
In retrospect the disaster that happened on the second day might have been avoided if the operators had talked a bit about the trip prior to setting off.
What happened is one of our party drove over a small road bump, wasn't paying attention and crashed at a low speed. He fell on his ankle and broke it, a freak accident but it ruined his trip. I know it was his fault but I think the operators should have emphasized to watch out for these sort of things. At least two other times we came over a rises in the road to find that the road was washed out. Numerous times there could have been horrible crashes. There was no warning from the lead rider David...
On that note, If you get hurt in this country you have a real problem. Seeing what happened to my friend with a broken leg opened our eyes to the level of medical attention in this area. In this area the hospitals are basically just clinics with limited resources.
If you are seriously hurt they have to get you on a plane to fly you out. Getting that plane can take hours... If you suffer an internal injury you could die waiting for medical attention. Subsequently you'd think that the operators would display a high level of safety... nope. If you take this tour make sure you bring pain pills in case you are hurt otherwise you will suffer as there is no pharmacy close by. (Tanzania for the most part is a third world county).
Having ridden motorcycles and dirt bikes (I'm 60 years old) for many years my understanding is the tour operator riding out front ( the lead rider) is responsible for leading the way and pointing out hazards to the clients. There was none of this.
Also the front rider tour operator constantly placed himself in front of me so that I was constantly covered with his dust. I complained twice but he just keep riding there, when I tried to pass he just accelerated. Finally I got him to back off and stop spraying me with his dust but I ended up with an eye and nose infection from the constant dust at the end of the trip.
We had 7 days riding and then got into a truck for a safari through the Serengeti. When we got to the park gates, the guy driving the truck (who had been subcontracted from Alpha) didn't have the money for the entrance fee, nor did the credit card that was given to him work. I had to pay the 475 dollar US fee.
They promised to pay me back when we got to town at the end of the trip, didn't happen. They promised to email me the payment by the end of the week, didn't happen. As of 7 weeks after the tour Alpha is paying me about 100 dollars every 2 weeks, and I am still owned a couple hundred dollars at this point. Having paid Alpha $4,800 US Dollars for this trip this is unacceptable.
I understand how things can happen, but when you make a mistake you should fix it and act responsibly. If I didn't harass this operator I don't believe he would have ever paid me anything.
The drivers, Mohammed, Kalifa and David were all nice, professional but I think they could use some feed back from the owner who is just absent. They should make the effort to stop every once in a while to explain to clients about the area and points of interest. I think these 3 guys did an ok job but the owner should give them more instruction, or the owner should be there...
Use caution with this operator
Email Steve | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome Experience
My wife and I spent 5 weeks in Tanzania in August 2018 and it was a last minute decision to go on a motorbike tour as we had a few days available at the end of our trip. So we booked a tour with Karanga Tours for my 55th birthday with both my wife and I to ride on separate bikes. Alpha made a huge effort to accommodate our needs by lowering the bike twice for Steph but as she wasn’t confident, she decided not to ride and instead take the 4 x 4. This was also a last minute decision, but it was no problem for Karanga to organise a 4 x 4 and guide on short notice. As we hadn’t planned on riding motorbikes, I’d brought none of my gear with me and they kitted me up with all the gear that I would use at home in Australia.
We left Arusha weaving our way through traffic to fuel up for the first day’s ride. We soon made our way from the bitumen onto undulating dirt tracks. My guide Alphi was very helpful and took me on the best tracks over the Monduli mountains and down into the rift valley. The bikes are old school XR 250’s, easy to ride but required running repairs along the way. This only added to the experience as it gave us some time to stop and chat and take in this part of remote Tanzania. We had time to deviate up mountain trails for views and get close up to wildlife. We caught up with Steph at Lake Natron as she travelled via Manyara National Park. While we both had different journeys, we were given a fantastic exposure to the best of Tanzania. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Karanga Adventure Tours if you want a great motorbike riding experience.
Email Seline | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic tour from start to finish
Great to have a tour guide that made sure that our experience was fantastic all the way through. The views were amazing and it gave us an experience we will never forget.
Definitely will be recommending this tour to my friends and family.
Email Andrew Duane | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great and thrilling
Was a great experience - thanks to alpha and the team
Off road Tanzania september - october 2018
Great local guiding off the beaten tracks of Tanzania. Bikes were great for the purpose. Light, nimble and powerful enogh for most of the terrain. Some technical problems could maybe have been avoided by preventive maintenance, however technical problems were always solved as soon as possible by qualified mechanics. Along the way we experience the friendly and curious atposphere of the people (locals, masai-tribe, hadza tribe) along the way and wild animals like giraffe,zebra,wildebeast, gazelle etc. Truly a great experience
Email Claudine Sithole | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service, friendly staff, clean car, accommodation amazing and can't wait to go back!
AMAZING!
Amazing service from Alpha and his crew. The car was clean and well maintained. The guide knew everything about the 3 parks we went to, the animals and trivia. The service was amazing, the food was great and all the small details were looked after. We sat back and enjoyed all the amazing service, style and hospitality. So accommodation was the best I have ever had on safari and as a family we have been twice now. The accommodation was rated 4.8 stars, and it was so much more than 4.8 stars. The photos are amazing of the accommodation. Staff were excellent and loved our two kids.
Would use this service again when we go, no doubt in my mind!
Email Robert Downe | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very helpful, would recommend to friends
Communications were always prompt, service and the offers of help were very good and welcome as it was our first time in Africa. Certainly lived up to expectations. Arranged exactly the holiday that I wanted.
US
Email Derek | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible way to see the country
Tanzania by motorbike is an unbelievable way to see the country. I took a 3 day drip from Arusha - Lake Natron and back, and the terrain and scenery was incredible. I've been on several traditional safaris (in a 4x4), and in those cases the journey is what you endure to get to where you see animals. But being out in nature on a bike makes the journey the highlight. Also riding next to / through wildebeest and zebra herds is pretty darn cool. If you know how to ride a motorcycle, I'd recommend a motorcycle safari hands down over pretty much anything else you can do in Tanzania.
Regarding some of the comments I've seen from others, I have a few thoughts. First off, I'm an American living in Tanzania, so I may be more more used to the casual attitude that pervades Tanzania, but which may come as a surprise to those who are used to more "polished" tour operators in other parts of the world (Kenya, South Africa, Costa Rica, etc.). That said, the Karanga organization was relatively buttoned up and professional. We didn't have any mechanical issues on our trip (a minor miracle in Tanzania). And since I live in country, I don't have any motorcycle gear with me - they had some spares lying around that worked great (full pads, helmet, goggles, gloves, boots, etc.). Not nearly as janky as other rental equipment I've encountered here. The lodge we stayed in was good, the food was great, and there was no funny business with money. They were efficient with setting up excursions on our 'off' day, and super flexible in accommodating my schedule and last-minute change of plans.
The only point of feedback i'd have for the organization is that their guides are mostly motorcycle focused (eg: bike maintenance and the route), and could use a bit of education and polish on how to lead a tour and better communicate with the people they’re leading (eg: things that are or are not necessary to pack, timing expectations, stopping for pictures, etc.).
Still, probably the best use of 3 days that I've ever had.
Email Drazen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tanzania
We are group of off road motorbike enthusiasts with a lot of motocross,enduro and trial rides experience .We have been riding motorbikes across many different countries like Australia,Mexico,Vietnam,Mongolia,Serbia etc .Our goal is to cover in this lifetime as much rides around the globe as possible or to have at least one ride on different continent and squeeze it between our busy lifestyle work and family obligations .This year after meeting Alfa at one of Melbourne motorbike exhibition/show he was working very hard to fulfill our requests even as we preferred specific latest model KTM's 450 he organised them as well in order to meet and satisfied all our demands. So Tanzania was on our list and to be honest we had no high expectations or better say no expectations at all....YES we did it and I can tell wow wow
