Tour d'Afrique Ltd. | Global Bicycle Expeditions, Races and Tours

The 2010 Route

Full Tour

Cairo to Cape Town

Full Tour
Cyclists arrive to lunch Security
Start: January 16, Cairo, Egypt
Finish: May 15, Cape Town, South Africa
Price: €8,200
Distance: 11,884km
Riding Days: 96 days
Resting Days: 24 days
From the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian civilizations to the Rainbow Nation that is post-apartheid South Africa, the African continent has intrigued travelers since time immemorial, luring them into the unknown on journeys of exploration and self-discovery. Often misrepresented as overrun by disease, drought, and unrest, Africa reveals its secrets and splendors to those nomadic souls who enter its realms with open minds and the willingness to accept whatever challenges it may offer.

Your trans-Africa odyssey ride begins at the fabled pyramids near Cairo and follows the Nile River southwards into Upper Egypt, and thence the Sudan, a much maligned country whose peoples are among the world’s most friendly. Leaving the Arabic world and the heat of the eastern Sahara desert, the Tour ascends into the spectacular biblical landscapes of the Ethiopian plateau before descending towards the notorious lava road across northern Kenya.

The safari capital, Arusha, Tanzania marks the Tour’s midway point and the chance for riders to explore the legendary landmarks of Mt Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti Plain, and Ngorongoro Crater. Departing East Africa, we descend once again into the Great African Rift Valley and Lake Malawi’s beaches before turning our wheels southwest towards Zambia and the magnificent Victoria Falls.

While each year brings more pavement to the route, the Tour is designed and redesigned to ensure that riders experience every kind of surface imaginable, from the smooth flat tarmac of Botswana alongside which elephants roam, to the corrugated and sandy off-roads that lead to the world’s highest sand dunes and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia. Finally, the Tour spins into South Africa where we meet the Atlantic Ocean and, with Cape Town and Table Mountain in sight, raise our bikes in celebration of this unique and intrepid journey now completed.