About the Tour
Embark on the adventure of a lifetime from Cairo to Capetown
In January 2009, in the gentle mist of the African dawn, a group of intrepid and strong-willed men and women will begin a journey of both body and soul as they pedal their way through an epic adventure like no other.
Welcome to the 7th annual Tour d'Afrique, an 11,900 km (7,438 mile) bicycle race/expedition across the world's most exotic and alluring continent.
The Cairo to Cape Town route will challenge you physically and mentally like no other - and reward you as you have never been rewarded before, with scenes of unsurpassed splendor and an incomparable feeling of accomplishment.
The mandate is threefold: first, to create an athletic event for both amateurs and professionals; second, to foster international goodwill; and third, raise funds for environmental protection and promote bicycles use in Africa.
Trials and Tribulations
Racers will start each day’s stage at the signal from the race director. The pace is fast, and each racer contests every day of the 96 stages of the tour. It is an exceptional and epic race requiring unique equipment, intense motivation, and the constant struggle to keep yourself and your equipment in top working order in, sometimes, unfavourable conditions.
Traveling through 10 countries in all, you will cycle past ancient temples, through game reserves teeming with wildlife, across the foothills of legendary Mount Kilimanjaro, alongside the rugged and biblical landscape of Ethiopia's Simian Mountains, and the edge of Botswana's magnificent Kalahari. (See Route).
Facts and Figures
The program features approximately 96 cycling days, averaging 124 km (77 miles) each, broken up by 23 rest days and a day of travel for a total of 120 days in Africa. Support trucks will collect your equipment and travel ahead to set up camp.
Those who complete the event will savor the triumph of conquering the longest and most difficult bike race in the history of sport. For some, they also seek certain additional classification such as reaching EFI status, winning a stage, winning a section or country, or winning the entire tour in either the men’s or women’s category. Commemorative festivities and celebrations, special medals await victorious cyclists. We look forward to celebrating with you.
Participation and Eligibility
There are three types of participants:
- Racers: open to individuals who plan to go all the way.
- Expedition riders: will cover the distance at their own pace.
- Sectional riders: will ride a section of the trip.
The Tour d’Afrique race and expedition are open to any individuals over the age 18 who have undertaken a medical examination to ensure that they are physically capable of partaking in this journey. Individuals under 18 must provide release from their legal guardian in order to partake, and no one under the age of 16 years is eligible.
Entry Fees - 2009
Please note that the 2009 entry fee is in Euros, not US dollars.
The entry fee does not include your airfare to and from Africa, health and travel insurance, visas, vaccinations, and incidental costs incurred on your rest days. The Entry Fee is in addition to the registration fee.
- Certified check, money order or bank draft made payable to: Tour d’Afrique Ltd.
- Bank wire transfer- our bank account details can be found in your registration kit
- Entry Fee cannot be paid with a credit card, we apologize for the inconvenience
| Section |
Distance |
Start |
End |
Entry Fee |
| Full Tour |
Cairo to Cape Town |
11,884 |
January 10 |
May 9 |
€7,900 |
| Pharoah's Delight |
Cairo to Khartoum |
1,996 |
January 10 |
January 31 |
€2,050 |
| The Gorge |
Khartoum to Addis Ababa |
1,592 |
February 2 |
February 16 |
€1,300 |
| Meltdown Madness |
Addis Ababa to Nairobi |
1,630 |
February 19 |
March 8 |
€1,600 |
| The Maasai Step |
Nairobi to Iringa |
1,012 |
March 10 |
March 21 |
€900 |
| Malawi Gin |
Iringa to Lilongwe |
1,124 |
March 23 |
April 1 |
€900 |
| Zambezi Zone |
Lilongwe to Victoria Falls |
1,264 |
April 3 |
April 11 |
€800 |
| Elephant Highway |
Victoria Falls to Windhoek |
1,576 |
April 14 |
April 24 |
€1,000 |
| Diamond Coast |
Windhoek to Cape Town |
1,690 |
April 27 |
May 9 |
€1,200 |
Discounts
Euro 400 early payment discount for the full Tour if payment is received in full on or before June 1, 2008
There is a 10% discount for doing two or more sections. This does not apply to full tour riders.
Former Tour d'Afrique/Orient Express/Silk Route riders will receive a 5% discount.
Riders completing two full TDA Expeditions in the same calendar year will receive a 10% discount on the entry fee for both tours. Riders completing 3 full TDA Expeditions in the same calendar year will receive a 15% discount on the entry fee for all three tours.
Group and student discounts also available – click here for further details