Moshi Villages: Bike Tour, Rau Forest & Old Railway Station

Summary

Cycle Moshi’s villages see Kilimanjaro and Rau Forest life

You’ll cycle through Moshi’s countryside with a local guide, passing sugarcane fields and lively village markets before entering Rau Forest to spot colobus monkeys overhead. Pause at an old railway station lost in time for lunch with Kilimanjaro on the horizon—the kind of day that lingers long after you’ve washed off the dust.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Cycle Moshi villages and markets

• Ride through sugar cane plantation
• Cycle past rice fields and villages
• Spot colobus monkeys in Rau forest
• Visit old railway station
• Cycle to Moshi town markets
• See historic clock tower and Hindu temple
• Pass Africa gift shop
• Enjoy Kilimanjaro views from savannah

Top questions

How long is the Moshi Villages bike tour?

The tour lasts 4 to 5 hours and covers about 20km.

Is this bike tour suitable for beginners?

Yes, it’s designed for beginners with mostly flat tarmac and gravel roads.

What will I see during the day trip from Moshi?

You’ll cycle through sugarcane plantations, rice fields, Rau Forest (with colobus monkeys), local markets, and visit an old railway station.

Are meals or drinks included on this Moshi bike tour?

Yes, you get lunch (either a lunch box or traditional hot meal), plus soda and mineral water.

Will I have a guide during the Moshi villages bike ride?

Yes, a cycling guide leads the tour throughout.

Can I see Mount Kilimanjaro on this bike tour?

You can see Mount Kilimanjaro from several points along the route if weather allows.

What kind of terrain will we ride on?

The route includes both tarmac roads and gravel/off-road paths through countryside areas.

Is transportation provided to the starting point?

Private transportation is included as part of your booking.

What’s included

Your day includes use of a bicycle with private transportation to start, all entry fees and taxes covered by your cycling guide, plus either a traditional hot lunch at a restaurant or packed lunch boxes along with soda and mineral water before heading back to Moshi town.

What’s the experience like?

We started pedaling just outside Moshi, tires crunching over gravel while the morning air still smelled a bit like woodsmoke and sweet grass. Our guide, Daniel, waved us off the main road into the TPC sugarcane fields—flat as far as you could see. There were kids waving from behind banana trees and women balancing baskets on their heads, laughing when I tried to greet them in Swahili (I think I said something about potatoes by accident). The sun wasn’t too hot yet but already you could feel it warming your back. Every so often, Mount Kilimanjaro peeked out from behind a haze—just there, almost unreal.

We passed rice paddies where herons picked through the mud and stopped at a tiny market in New Land village. It was noisy—radios playing taarab music somewhere, chickens darting between stalls. Daniel bought us little bags of roasted peanuts and explained how the Chagga people manage these small plots all year round. I’m still not sure how they do it; everything looked so green and alive even though the soil seemed dry in places. We cycled on through patches of shade where you could smell damp earth and hear nothing but our own wheels for a minute.

Rau Forest was cooler—a relief after the open fields—and suddenly we were craning our necks up to spot colobus monkeys with their wild tails swinging above us. Someone joked about them being the real locals here. The path got bumpier near the old railway station; bricks chipped and faded signs in German script from another time. Standing there felt weirdly quiet, like history pressed into the walls. We had lunch sitting on the platform (rice and beans in little boxes), just watching clouds drift over Kilimanjaro’s shoulder. I didn’t expect to feel so far away from everything else—maybe that’s what I remember most.