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 Vacations
Cape Town to Victoria Falls vacation in South Africa
A spectacular and diverse African journey
From
US $3095 to US $4885
20 days
ex flights
Namibia and Botswana camping safari
Camping safari to Namib desert, Caprivi, Etosha & Okavango
From
US $2460 to US $2950
21 days
ex flights
West Africa overland expedition
Travel from the Sahara to the Ocean at Guinea Bissau
From
£6495
4 weeks
ex flights
Nairobi and Cape Town African overland truck tour
The best of Eastern and Southern Africa overland
From
US $4165 to US $4490
71 days
ex flights
Cape to Windhoek Namibia Desert tour
Lodge safari from Cape Town to Namibia, Sossusvlei Etosha
From
US $2665 to US $2890
13 days
ex flights
The Grand Southern Africa safari
21-day tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls
From
£2549
20 days
ex flights
Victoria Falls to Cape Town small group vacation
Explore the best of Southern Africa's wildlife and nature.
From
US $2755 to US $2975
22 days
ex flights
Safari adventure vacation, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique
An extraordinary camping safari across South Eastern Africa
From
US $2840
22 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group lodge tour
Classic route lodge safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
US $3825 to US $4195
21 days
ex flights
Ethiopia to Kenya overland truck tour
Overland through Ethiopia's remarkable tribal lands
From
US $1620 to US $1655
24 days
ex flights
South Africa and Swaziland safari
Lodge safari all encompassing South Africa & Swaziland
From
US $2395 to US $2660
17 days
ex flights
Uganda and Kenya overland truck tour
Overland adventure in East Africa
From
US $1320 to US $1380
21 days
ex flights
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe expedition
Expedition through the wildlife havens of Zimbabwe & Zambia
From
US $3980
20 days
ex flights
Victoria Falls to Cape Town overland truck tour
A classic overland route through Southern Africa
From
US $1395 to US $1450
24 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Vic Falls small group tour
Adventure packed vacation from Cape Town to Victoria Falls.
From
US $2265 to US $3030
22 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group camping safari
"Overland" camping safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
US $2795 to US $3080
21 days
ex flights
Best of Africa vacation, Nairobi to Cape Town
Experience the ultimate overland Africa adventure
From
US $7899 to US $8529
53 days
ex flights
South Africa, Botswana and Zambia vacation
A taste of Africa through the continent’s popular highlights
From
US $1419 to US $1539
14 days
ex flights
West Africa tours, Ghana Togo & Benin
Explore West Africa's highlights overland
From
US $1260 to US $1300
21 days
ex flights
West Africa tour, Bissau to Cotonou
Voodoo heartlands, traditional storytellers and lush islands
From
£6699
23 days
ex flights
East African budget overland tour
3-week wildlife odyssey in the heart of East Africa
From
£2079
21 days
ex flights
East Africa adventure vacation, safari, gorillas & beach
An extensive journey through east Africa
From
US $3789 to US $4089
22 days
ex flights
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe expedition safari
Expedition trip through Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
From
US $3980
20 days
ex flights
Family overland safari in Zimbabwe, Botswana & Namibia
Family overland tour in Southern Africa
From
US $2220 to US $2275
19 days
ex flights
Cairo to Nairobi overland safari truck tour
Overland through the Sahara and the Ethiopian Highlands
From
US $5120 to US $5170
72 days
ex flights
Cairo to Cape Town overland truck tour, the Nile route
Explore the length of Africa on this epic overland journey
From
US $9380
142 days
ex flights
Southern Africa overland tour
Experience South Africa on this adventure overland tour
From
US $2160 to US $2799
17 days
ex flights
Ethiopia tour by overland truck
A pioneering expedition through Ethiopia's incredible north
From
US $1465 to US $1555
21 days
ex flights
Cairo to Cape Town itinerary & highlights
Traveling 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 Vacation
Cape Town to Victoria Falls vacation in South Africa
A spectacular and diverse African journey
From
US $3095 to US $4885
20 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2018: 15 Dec
2019: 23 Mar, 13 Apr, 27 Apr, 18 May, 8 Jun, 29 Jun, 6 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 7 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov, 9 Nov, 23 Nov, 12 Dec
2018: 15 Dec
2019: 23 Mar, 13 Apr, 27 Apr, 18 May, 8 Jun, 29 Jun, 6 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 7 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov, 9 Nov, 23 Nov, 12 Dec
Helpdesk
Hello. If you'd like to chat about Overland or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.
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 vacations travel guide to find out all about what this kind of vacation 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 vacation? 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 vacations as well as trips using a combination of transport; or see our regional overland trips.
Why book with Responsible Travel
Photo credits: [Page banner: Phil Whitehouse] [Intro: Ferran Feixas]
[Itinerary & highlights: ray rui]
[Practicalities 1: Gopal Vijayaraghavan]
[Practicalities 2: Maxim Medvedev]
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