Experience a real African Odyssey
Trans-Africa Cape to Cairo
Explore this exotic continent in depth from north to south or south to north - which ever suits you better!
This journey will see us visiting 15 countries over 20 weeks. From amazing wildlife in some of the greatest wildlife reserves in the world, exotic tribes with interesting cultures, tropical islands, historic ruins and churches, diving, rafting, hiking, even a visit to Nelson Mandela’s home town, this route has so much to offer.
Details of Upcoming Expeditions
At Odyssey we focus on running extended expeditions that cross many borders and countries, and while we always expect challenges to be thrown our way, we have now been faced with restrictions in several countries in southern Africa that mean that it is no longer possible for us to run our trans-Africa expeditions. Our final expedition in Africa arrived into Cairo in March 2012.
We understand that this will be disappointing for those of you who were planning to book onto one of these trips, and we apologise for having to cancel our future expeditions in Africa - Africa is where Pete started overlanding and where his heart is, and so having to withdraw from Africa is heart-breaking for all of us at Odyssey. We are hopeful that at some stage in the future we will again be able to offer an epic trans-Africa expedition and give you the chance to see Africa Odyssey-style, but in the meantime we will continue to run all our expeditions from London to Australia, Kathmandu to Istanbul and in South America, and would be delighted to have you along on one of these Odyssey Overland expeditions.
Overview
Join Odyssey Overland for the adventure of a lifetime as we drive overland north from Cape Town, South Africa, to Cairo, Egypt, or southbound from Cairo to Cape Town. This is an epic adventure which provides amazing opportunities to see wildlife, awe-inspiring scenery, tropical beaches and islands, and to experience African cultures, from nomadic tribes to crazy capital cities.
There are plenty of companies out there running overland trips through southern Africa, however very few offer the opportunity to cover as much of the continent as we will. At Odyssey, it is the journey, not the ultimate destination that is important, and we believe in taking a bit more time to really allow us to see and experience the countries that we visit, not just rushing through. Our route encompasses well-known highlights, but we have spent a lot of time ensuring that we don’t just follow the well-beaten tourist paths, but rather we have the chance to get away from it all and head to some incredible national parks and scenic destinations which have not yet been overrun by hordes of camera-wielding tourists in safari suits!
We run smaller groups, with a maximum of 20 clients per trip in Africa, and rather than being “racked and packed” like some other operators who run trucks with up to 38 people on board, we have lots of legroom and space. We believe that travelling into the wilds doesn’t mean that we have to rough it too much, so we have kitted out the trucks with lots of little things that can make all the difference – comfortable camp chairs that make sitting around a campfire a pleasure, large tents that are easy to erect, a laptop for photo downloading, and lots of other little touches that can make all the difference. When we aren’t camping, we stay in good quality local-run guest houses and hotels, which helps to ensure that the money we spend stays in the local community.
We are an owner operated company with over 12 years experience of running overland trips in Africa and around the world and we know what works in overlanding – from truck design and equipment to route planning and all the logistics on the road, not to mention the cooking, which is a particular passion of ours! We are able to provide the personal touch that can turn a great overland experience into an incredible one. We may be slightly more expensive, but we believe that our trips represent great value. And on such an epic trip it is worth doing it properly!
On our expedition we will be exploring South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
HIGHLIGHTS
As you might imagine, on a trip that spans the world’s largest continent, there are just too many highlights and amazing experiences to be able to list them all! The Route Plan Northbound or Route Plan Southbound has more detail, a week-by-week itinerary and some amazing photos to whet your appetite…
-
Beautiful Cape Town, the “Mother City”.
-
Historic Stellenbosch and its fabulous vineyards.
-
Hermanus, a funky town with whale watching and Great White Shark diving.
-
Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point in Africa.
-
The Garden Route and the fantastic Tsitsikama National Park.
-
Get your adrenalin flowing with the highest bridge bungee jump in the world – 216 metres!
-
Addo Elephant Park, home to one of the highest concentration of elephants in Africa, as well as Rhino and Buffalo.
-
Visit to Nelson Mandela’s birthplace.
-
Beach hop on the Wild Coast.
-
Explore the Kingdom of Swaziland.
-
Exotic Mozambique, home to amazing beaches, diving, seafood and remnants of Portuguese culture.
-
Ponder at the majestic Great Zimbabwe Ruins, only surpassed by the Pyramids of Egypt in size and scale.
-
Walk with lions in a lion sanctuary and head off on foot with an experienced guide tracking the elusive Black Rhino.
-
Explore the immense Makgadikgadi Pans, so vast that you can see the curvature of the earth.
-
Float through the narrow waterways of the lush green gem that is the Okavango Delta.
-
Explore the dune fields of the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world.
-
Swakopmund, the adventure playground of Namibia, for skydiving, quadbiking, horseriding, sandboarding, deep sea fishing or just relaxing in this funky town.
-
Top game viewing in Etosha National Park, chances to see more of the Big Five.
-
The incredible Victoria Falls, a must-see.
-
Whitewater raft the mighty Zambezi River, some of the biggest raft-able whitewater rapids in the world.
-
South Luangwe National Park, Zambia’s premier national park, and in the top three in Africa, prime country to see leopard.
-
Beach hop the shores of Lake Malawi in the friendly heart of Africa.
-
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania’s second biggest national park, a great combination of lots of wildlife and very few tourists.
-
Zanzibar, the Spice Island, home to stunning beaches and fascinating history, the birthplace of Freddy Mercury.
-
Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, or the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater – the choice is yours!
-
Nairobi, the bustling heart of central Africa, a crazy mix of Africa with its colonial past.
-
Mountain gorillas – trek into the Parc National des Virunga for the chance to see these endangered gentle giants.
-
Camp at the source of the Nile, the longest river in the world, with a chance to raft the White Nile.
-
Travel north up the Rift Valley looking for the indigenous tribes of the Samburu, Rendille, Hamer, Arbore, Dascensch, Mursi, Dorze, Guji or Ganjule, still living their traditional lifestyle, from lip plates and other adornments to amazing facial painting.
-
Explore the Nubian ruins of Ethiopia and southern Sudan visiting Lalibela and the church of Bete Giorgos as well as the church clusters of Gheralta and Takatsfi, as well as the world heritage site of Axum, birthplace of Christianity, and possibly the final resting place of the Arc of the Covenant.
-
Go trekking in the Simein Mountains.
-
Whirling dervishes at Khartoum’s Friday market.
-
Explore the ancient pyramids of Merowe and Jebel Bakul.
-
Wander the souq of Aswan and the Nubian Museum.
-
Visit the Valley of the Kings, and feel the history of ancient times as you wander up the Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor.
-
Cruise the Nile on a felucca.
-
Hop from oasis to oasis in the stunning Western Desert.
-
Cairo, the largest city in Africa, and a great base to explore the iconic Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza and the Egyptian Museum.
This is only just scratching the surface of all the amazing things we will see and experience as we travel along this epic route of 13,950 miles.
TRANSPORT
A custom built Mercedes Benz overland truck, designed especially for this expedition will be our home whilst on the road. It will do all the land legs possible with other forms of transport taking us to those more inaccessible areas required to get us to see as much as possible while en route. It might be jeeps, donkey carts, camels, mokoro, or river boats. It's all an adventure and as an expedition member you can do it all and be involved in every stage. The more you are involved, the more you will enjoy it! Please see the Our Trucks page.
FOOD & ACCOMMODATION
We camp about 90% of the time during our expedition in Africa, with the remaining time spent in small local-run hotels or guesthouses. Don’t worry if you haven’t camped a lot in the past, we do it in style with large, easy-to-erect tents, comfy camp chairs, and amazing food cooked over an open fire or the gas cooker using fresh ingredients from the markets we visit along the way. Most of our expedition members rate camping as a highlight of the trip as it really allows us to get off the beaten track, away from the crowds (other than curious locals!), and to experience some breathtaking scenery and wildlife – from camping in the wilds with the Big Five wandering by, to camping on the shores of the Indian Ocean and Lake Malawi, or possibly even spending the night in a local schoolyard where we get to meet the students and teachers and maybe kick a ball around with some of the kids – and everything in between!
Remember that we run small groups (up to 20) with a focus on really exploring all the amazing places we will pass through on this epic trans-Africa journey. Our itinerary allows enough time to see all the incredible sights along the way, as well as time to chill out and relax. We have been there and done it and have the knowledge and skills to make this the trip of your lifetime, and we are there to give you as much or as little help as you want along the way. This is a traveller’s journey, no packaged holiday!
So take the plunge, do your research and book onto the expedition of a lifetime. Due to the nature of these expeditions, they do book up a long way in advance, so if you are considering it, don’t delay, and get in touch with us.
Click here to get details of how to book, and let the adventures begin!
Want to know more?
Click on the links below to find out everything you need to know about this epic expedition: