Backpacking Overland from Luxor to Capetown

Backpacking overland from Luxor to Capetown for 125 days through Africa. This is how I did it using public transport and a Safari.

I started in April 2016 from Luxor in Egypt. I choose the North to South direction because of the ease of getting visas for Sudan and Ethiopia.

The research I did on and off online in 2016 showed that there was not a lot of information for the crossing from Abel Simbel in Egypt to Wadi Haifa in Sudan by road, so it was going to be “see what happens” when I got to Aswan.

HERE IS HOW I DID IT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. FLIGHTS
2. TRAVEL INSURANCE
3. VISAS
4. MONEY MATTERS
5. LUGGAGE
6. THE ROUTE
7. ACCOMMODATION
8. TRANSPORT
9. SAFETY
10. HERE ARE THE PLACES I VISITED ALONG THE WAY
11. EXPENSES
12. RESOURCES

FLIGHTS

I had saved Qatar Airways frequent flyer points which I  used with cash to reduce the cost of my one way fare from Perth, Australia to Luxor, Egypt.

The return one way flight was with emirates  Capetown, South Africa to Bali, Indonesia.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Because I had used frequent flyer points I could no longer use the free Travel Insurance on my Credit Card. So I purchased insurance through  worldnomads

VISAS

All these visa’s were brought using a New Zealand passport. Please check the requirements for your own countries passport as the requirements and costs can be different.

The  Visa requirements below have been updated to 2018 but please be aware as governments change their minds on a regular basis, so it always pays to check visa requirements closer to the time of intended arrival.

Eygpt. Visa on arrival US$25, valid for 30 days.

Sudan, Ethiopia see my blog “How to cross the borders of Egypt to Sudan into Ethiopia”

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda. An EAST AFRICA TOURIST VISA can be brought on the border of Ethiopia and Kenya in Moyale. It covers the 3 countries for 90 days, multiple entry. US$100.

Tanzania. Single Entry Visa brought at the Rusumo border crossing. Valid for 90 days.US$50

Malawi. Visa brought at the Songwe border. Single Journey. Valid for 1 month. US$75.

Zimbabwe. Visa brought at the border. Valid for 1 month. Double entry US$45, Single US$30. evisa.gov.zw

Zambia. Visa brought at the border. E-visa’s are now available. Please check the requirements on: zambiaimmigration Single Entry Valid for 90 days, US$50.

There are also other options for day visas between Zambia and Zimbabwe for visiting both sides of the Victoria Falls.

Mozambique. Single Entry Visa at the Machipanda border. Valid 30 days. US$95. Suspect that I was overcharged then.

There does not seem to be an official Mozambican Government website stating exact visa fees and conditions.

Swaziland. No visa required. Stamp only.

South Africa. No visa required. Stamp only.

MONEY MATTERS

Cash. I brought US$ no older than 2014 from the bank in Australia.

I did have much older notes which I was able to use in Zimbabwe, but definitely not acceptable anywhere else. The US$ notes in Zimbabwe are that worn out, you could not tell what was old and what wasn’t.

ATM card. Make sure you have a backup one. Had no problems using them when needed.

LUGGAGE

When you are backpacking overland through Africa the least you carry the better. I took carry-on luggage only 7 kgs. The reason being is that there is not a lot of room in the jam-packed minibuses in Africa. Your bag will either be on your lap or under your seat. So the smaller and the lighter it is the better, the more comfortable it will be for you.

You only need the minimum amount of clothing. Most things you can buy along the way as you need them.

Now regardless of that, if you could carry an ultra light tent, sleeping mat and sleeping sheet in your 7 kgs it would be great for Malawi, Zanzibar, South Africa, Swaziland. The camping gear will help save money for accommodation.

THE ROUTE

I did the minimum of planning for backpacking overland through East Africa as I only had 4 months to do it in, so the route was based on how easy the visas were to acquire and in the case of Mozambique in June -July 2016, internal conflict.

I did cross  the border into Mozambique from Zimbabwe to avoid the conflict further north but I still ended up in an armed convoy  as there was a possibility of fighting occurring further south.

Check out the route from Luxor to Capetown  on the map:luxor-to-capetown-overland

ACCOMMODATION

A mixture of small hotels, rented tents, hostels and guesthouses all easy to find. I did not have to book in advance as there were few tourists travelling at the time.

Average daily cost for accommodation was: US$13.00,  (2016 price converted into Nov 2018 exchange rates).

TRANSPORT

Transport consists of trains, ferry’s, buses, minibuses, boats, motorbikes and share cars.

Minibuses:  Backpacking overland, Minibuses will be your main transport, to travel from village to village or to major towns.

In Sudan they were comfortable not overcrowded but the further south you went that would change to over-packed. Which of course made for a lot of fun for the multiple times you would have to get out at the many police checkpoints, in particular Malawi.

Share taxis in Uganda were  over-packed which would cause arguments between the passengers and the driver.

Train I took was  Luxor to Aswan was comfortable and on time.

Ferries  taken  between Abel Simbel, Egypt and Wadi Haifa, Sudan.  Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Stone town, Zanzibar.

SAFETY

Backpacking through Africa was as safe as any other continent I had been on.

I rarely go out late at night alone when travelling but if I do it will be with a photocopy of my passport, a business card of the place I am staying in, and a enough cash for the night stuffed in my pocket. The rest I leave in my room hidden or in a locker if in a dorm.

Carrying your own padlock is a must. You can change it out with the one that may be provided, knowing that you have the only keys.

HERE ARE THE PLACES I VISITED ALONG THE WAY

Egypt

Aswan Nubian Village, Nubian Museum

Sudan

Jebel Barkal  I hired a three wheeled motorbike taxi and driver in Karima  for the trip out.

Meroe Pyramids 

Getting there:

Traveled there on the Atbara to Shendi bus and was dropped off on the highway where  I walked 1 kilometer across the desert to the entrance.

After the visit I walked  back to the highway to stop a passing bus, but no luck. I hitched hiked instead to Shendi, and caught a bus to Khartoum.

Ethiopia

Danakil Depression. ETT tour 3 nights 4 days US$400.00 Well worth doing. Attraction_Reviews-Danakil_Depression-Afar_Region

Lalibela Rock Hewn Churches US$50.00 entry valid for 4 days.

Gonder Castles 200Brr, US$7. Gondar

Uganda

White Water Rafting  in Jinja with NRE US$140.00. raftafrica

Tanzania

Serengeti/Ngongora Crater 3 days 2 night Safari from Mwanza to Arusha US$500.00. Doing this tour worked out well as it fitted into my route from Rwanda to Dar es Salaam.

Depending on the time of the year, it can be a little difficult to get enough people together to do the tour. There were only 4 people on the tour I did.

Zambia

Victoria Falls entry fee US$20

Sunset tour on the Zambezi . Shop around for a decent price in Livingstone.

Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls entry fee US$30

Great Zimbabwe Ruins US$25.  Visit-Great-Zimbabwe-Ruins

Bulawayo Matapos day tour US$120.00. Unfortunately there were barely any other tourists in town to share costs. Matobo_National_Park

Swaziland

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. You can actually stay in accommodation in the sanctuary and do day hikes. mlilwane-wildlife-sanctuary

South Africa

Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant  Park day tour US$75. Worth doing. addopark

Hiked Table Top Mountain and Lions Head. No cost.

Backpacking overland through Africa was a great experience, and easier than I imagine it to be. It was a lot of traveling to cover the distance I did, but there was also the variety of transport, the scenery and of course the interaction with the locals that made it worth while.

EXPENSES

My costs broken down for the 125 days on the road backpacking overland from Luxor to Capetown are below in Australian dollars 2016.

ACCOMMODATION	A$2153.24
FOOD	A$1854.05
TRANSPORT	A$966.67
AIRFARES	A$1045.38
SIGHTSEEING	A$1938.48
VISAS	A$782.45
PERSONAL EXPENSES	A$330.21
OTHER	A$120.65
TOTAL	A$9191.13

RESOURCES

• Emirates.com
• Worldnomads
• Zambiaimmigration
• Evisa.gov.zw
• Ancient-places-africa/pyramids-mero-stand-last-remnants-powerful-civilization
• Thebackpackinghiker.travelmap luxor-to-capetown-overland
• Tripadvisor Attraction-Reviews-Danakil_Depression-Afar_Region
• Ancient-places-africa/rock-hewn-churches-lalibela-ethiopia
• Gondar
• Raftafrica
• Visit-Great-Zimbabwe-Ruins
• Matobo_National_Park
• Mlilwane-wildlife-sanctuay
• Addo elephant park