Cape Town to Cairo - Itinerary

Week 1 – 2 : South Africa

Leaving Cape Town we follow the Garden Route. We cross the Outeniqua Mountains to Oudtshoorn; here you can ride ostriches and visit the Cango Caves. On to Knysna; SA’s favourite town and enjoy a sun set cruise on its beautiful blue lagoon. Storms River; an adrenalin hot spot with; bungee jumping, river tubing, forest and canopy walks in Tsitsikamma Park. Addo National Park – game drive to Africa’s “Big 7” – whales and sharks added to the “Big 5” of lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo & leopard.  East London and camp by the beautiful Chintsa Beach, to Buccaneers Lodge; where you can try canoeing, take surf lessons, volunteer or just hang out on the beach.

Underberg in the majestic Southern Drakensberg Mountains, at the foot of the Sani Pass, the Gateway to the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, we visit a peaceful country haven with a laid back atmosphere, hike to mountain pools. While based here for three days you can go n to the Kingdom of Lesotho; with traditional villages and a chance to go pony trekking on the narrow trails across the remote hills. Northern Drakensburg Mountains to Bergville. Here you can go; on hiking trails and overnight hiking, abseiling and rock climbing, horse riding, mountain-biking and game viewing in the local reserve or just go touring historical sites. Dundee and Rourk’s Drift battle field sites. It was here the Zulu nation fought historic pitched battles with the British army in 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War, where cow hide shields and spears confronted rifles with initial successes.

Week 3: South Africa & Zimbabwe

Across the high plains to Johannesburg – “City of Gold”. Good cinemas and restaurants. We stay in town and you can do a tour of Soweto, the mines or just go shopping.  We leave Johannesburg for Zimbabwe,  camping before the border, near Beit Bridge crossing. Great Zimbabwe ruins, a thousand year old stone built city that was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. The Antelope Park with their wild lion rehabilitation programme you can go walking with lions, ride elephants, go on a night game drive and ride polo ponies, and watch the lions feed. Near Bulawayo is Matobo National Park, here on a day trip in the cool wooded valleys you can find rare Rhino and the ‘end of the world view’ with the grave of Cecil Rhodes.

Week 4: Zambia, Malawi

We reach the Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi River plunges 100 metres down a mile wide chasm, creating one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world.

We stay near Livingstone beside the Zambezi and above Victoria Falls, for a few days, as there is so much to see and do. Adventure activities abound - you can bungee jump, white water raft and go game-viewing on horse back. More sedate excursions include canoeing, light aircraft or helicopter flights over the falls, and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Of course, the falls themselves are the main attraction and you can walk through the rain forest along the cliff opposite for an excellent view.

Crossing the border into Malawi, we soon reach the shores of its huge lake. The campsites and small resorts along Lake Malawi offer sandy beaches, swimming and snorkeling, water skiing and walking in the surrounding countryside. You will also find markets selling beautifully carved Malawi chairs, tables and other souvenirs.

Week 5 - 6: Tanzania, Kenya

Heading north through Tanzania, our route takes us through Mikumi National Park where we may well see giraffe or pygmy elephants grazing along the roadside. At Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast, we can cross to Zanzibar Island. Here is the old stone capital of the Omani Sultanate and away from the town are stunning beaches, and World Heritage Listed buildings, forests and ruins.  You can take a spice tour of the island, go diving, swimming with dolphins or visit remote islands by the traditional dhow boats..

Heading inland we pass Africa’s highest peak, that of Mt Kilimanjaro.  From Arusha we hire Landrovers to visit the Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti National Park, which has the heaviest concentration of plains game found all over East Africa.  From Tanzania we cross in Kenya the Athi Plains, passing gazelle, giraffe and troops of baboons on our way to Nairobi.

Week 7 - 8: Uganda, Kenya

Leaving Nairobi we pass the dramatic landscape of the Rift Valley to the highlands of Kenya. Crossing the border at Malaba we drive through rain forests and tea and sugar plantations to Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Crossing the equator we camp on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest crater lake in Uganda. We climb through lush terraced hills to Kisoro, from here we trek the famed Mountain Gorillas or you could visit Mgahinga National Park for a day hike up a volcano or a guided nature trail. We meander back to Lake Bunyonyi to relax, canoe, mountain bike and swim.

In the modern bustling city of Kampala you may wish to visit the National Museum, the Kasubi Tombs of the Buganda people. Crossing the Owen Falls dam we arrive at Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria. Spend an action-filled day white water rafting down the Nile, bungee jump, fish on Lake Victoria, take a guided village walk; or give up a day of your holiday to volunteer for the local community education project.

Returning to Kenya and Nakuru Town, the capital of the Rift Valley Province, we stay at Kembu Camp a working farm. We spend a full day at Lake Nakuru, viewing game in a park famous for its soda lake surrounded by thousands, sometimes millions of pink flamingoes. We move on to camp on the shores of Lake Naivasha where hippos come to graze in the evenings.

Close by is Hell's Gate National Park and Elsamere, once the home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of 'Born Free' fame. From here we return to Nairobi with the chance to feast at the renowned Carnivores Game Restaurant.

Week 9: Layover in Nairobi, Kenya.

This week will be used to restock the truck and get all the washing done ready for the next leg of the Journey which will be taking us up to the Middle East and finish in Europe. Some people take the train down to Mombasa and the coast for a few days on the beach.

Week 10: Kenya

We visit the base of Mount Kenya and continue north through the Northern Frontier District of Kenya, a restricted area; semi arid with a spectacular diversity of people, wild game on the road side and a warm dry climate

Week 11-13: Ethiopia

We enter Ethiopia and we climb the mountains into the highlands and follow the Rift Valley Lakes to the capital; Addis Ababa. Take boats to visit Bahir Dar Monasteries on islands on Lake Tana the source of the Blue Nile, with hippos and crocs at the outflow of the river. Tissisat Falls is the source of the Blue Nile. We visit Gondar; a city of castles and churches. You can take a Landrover to visit the Simien Mountains where you can horse trek and see grazing Gelada Baboons.

 Week 14-15: Sudan

We enter Sudan following the Blue Nile to Gedaref then Khartoum where the Blue & White Nile join; watch dervish dancing or even join in the Nubian wrestling - safer just to watch. We visit the Pharonic Pyramids of Meroe in an un-spoilt seldom visited desert. We drive across the Bauda Desert sands through friendly villages on the Nile. From Wadi Halfa we take a ferry across Lake Nasser to Aswan in Egypt.

Week 16: Egypt - Cairo - Pyramids & Sphinx.

In Aswan we visit the High Dam & Philae Island Temple.  Luxor, we visit Karnack Temple the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings with Tutankhamen's Tomb. We do a big day trip to the monuments on friendly happy donkeys. They tent to walk off home alone after we arrive at the Valley of the Kings leaving us free to do the rest of the day in a bus.  From Luxor, we travel to Cairo where we spent a few days to look at the; markets, the best mosques in the Middle East, a fortress citadel,  great pyramids in Giza and the immense collections of the Cairo Museum.