Cairo to Cape Town overland tours
Dispelling easy stereotypes every step of the way, on an overland tour from Cairo to Cape Town you’ll quickly learn the truth behind the saying that ‘Africa is not a country’. Naturally, exploring the big ticket locations: the Nile, the Great Rift Valley, the Sahara, will captivate you, but this is also an opportunity to really delve beneath the headlines and catch sight of the ‘real Africa’ on a continent that is often visited but rarely well explored.
Our Overland Holidays
Cape Town to Vic Falls holiday in Southern Africa
A spectacular and diverse African journey
From
£3799 to £4299
22 days
inc UK flights
The Grand Southern Africa safari
21-day tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls
From
£2260 to £3311
20 days
ex flights
Namibia and Botswana camping safari
Camping safari to Namib desert, Caprivi, Etosha & Okavango
From
€2640
21 days
ex flights
Nairobi to Cape Town overland tour
Discover the incredible landscapes and cultures of Africa
From
£2475 to £2595
56 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group lodge tour
Classic route lodge safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
€3695
21 days
ex flights
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe expedition safari
Expedition trip through Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
From
€3660
20 days
ex flights
Cairo to Cape Town itinerary & highlights
Travelling the length of a continent, some 10,400km as the crow flies, it can take up to 20 weeks to get from Cairo to Cape Town, or indeed the other way. Luckily, for those with more ambition than time, it’s easily possible to break this route up into shorter stages that you can tackle over several years if you wish.
Michael Battley from our supplier Dragoman on the flexibility of overland Africa itineraries:
“Often you can make a tour as long or as short as you wish. For example we have had passengers that have completed Cairo to Cape Town but done it over a five year period as they come back and rejoin at the point they left last time. Each individual leg is designed as a trip in its own right, which then just has the benefit of tying together with other legs to form the longer itineraries.”
“Often you can make a tour as long or as short as you wish. For example we have had passengers that have completed Cairo to Cape Town but done it over a five year period as they come back and rejoin at the point they left last time. Each individual leg is designed as a trip in its own right, which then just has the benefit of tying together with other legs to form the longer itineraries.”
Over the course of an odyssey from Egypt to South Africa you can pass through countries including Botswana, Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Kenya. The breadth of landscapes and cultures that you will experience is immense.
In respect of activities, you might be raising your adrenaline levels with white water rafting, or scuba diving in the Red Sea. You will equally be gaining valuable insights into the realities of life in different parts of Africa, by meeting Maasai communities, taking bush walks with San tribespeople, and eye opening, ethical tours around townships.
In respect of activities, you might be raising your adrenaline levels with white water rafting, or scuba diving in the Red Sea. You will equally be gaining valuable insights into the realities of life in different parts of Africa, by meeting Maasai communities, taking bush walks with San tribespeople, and eye opening, ethical tours around townships.
Our top Overland Holiday
The Grand Southern Africa safari
21-day tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls
From
£2260 to £3311
20 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2023: 21 Feb, 25 Feb, 7 Mar, 11 Mar, 14 Mar, 18 Mar, 21 Mar, 28 Mar, 1 Apr, 8 Apr, 11 Apr, 15 Apr, 18 Apr, 25 Apr, 29 Apr, 2 May, 13 May, 16 May, 20 May, 23 May, 30 May, 3 Jun, 10 Jun, 17 Jun, 20 Jun, 24 Jun, 1 Jul, 4 Jul, 8 Jul, 11 Jul, 15 Jul, 18 Jul, 22 Jul, 25 Jul, 29 Jul, 1 Aug, 5 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, 29 Aug, 2 Sep, 5 Sep, 9 Sep, 12 Sep, 16 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 30 Sep, 3 Oct, 7 Oct, 10 Oct, 14 Oct, 17 Oct ...
2023: 21 Feb, 25 Feb, 7 Mar, 11 Mar, 14 Mar, 18 Mar, 21 Mar, 28 Mar, 1 Apr, 8 Apr, 11 Apr, 15 Apr, 18 Apr, 25 Apr, 29 Apr, 2 May, 13 May, 16 May, 20 May, 23 May, 30 May, 3 Jun, 10 Jun, 17 Jun, 20 Jun, 24 Jun, 1 Jul, 4 Jul, 8 Jul, 11 Jul, 15 Jul, 18 Jul, 22 Jul, 25 Jul, 29 Jul, 1 Aug, 5 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, 29 Aug, 2 Sep, 5 Sep, 9 Sep, 12 Sep, 16 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 30 Sep, 3 Oct, 7 Oct, 10 Oct, 14 Oct, 17 Oct ...
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Overland or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
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Practicalities
On a Cairo to Cape Town overland tour, you can definitely expect to be roughing it for the most part. Wild camping, or bush camps with limited toilet facilities are the norm, and by the time you reach the finish line, you’ll be an expert at setting up tents, collecting water, and choosing food at local markets.
Roads can be dusty, waterlogged, pitted with potholes or blocked by bad tempered buffalo, making progress slow. But travel in Africa is rarely fast, and its unpredictable nature should be embraced. The luxury comes from the experiences you’ll have as you travel, such as sleeping beneath a starry African sky every night. That is something that never, ever gets boring.
More about Overland
Jump aboard our overland holidays travel guide to find out all about what this kind of holiday involves, and get ready to unleash the explorer within.
Our exciting guide to the best overland tour routes is stuffed with useful info on what to expect, but don’t forget our helpdesk team can go into much more detail if you need it.
It’s easy to find useful information about the destinations you’ll be visiting, but more difficult to get a feel for one important aspect of overland travel – what it’s like to spend weeks on end in a truck.
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Will my kids enjoy an overland holiday? What if I can only take a few weeks off work? Where are the best places to take an overland tour? All these questions and more are answered by the experts.
All our overland guides. Find all of our overland guides in one place; includes all rail and self-drive holidays as well as trips using a combination of transport; or see our regional overland trips.
