Alexandria to Cape Town by train and bus
Photo: Kevin Gabbert - User: (WT-shared) Kevin James at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
This Alexandria to Cape Town by train and bus itinerary covers the overland route from Alexandria, Egypt, to Cape Town, South Africa, and is one of the very few land routes from north to south in Africa available to foreigners.
UnderstandTrains are available for the majority of the route, but there are also many buses. This itinerary passes through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
PrepareVisa-free entry is rather rare in Africa and you will need a visa for most countries no matter what your citizenship is, or in the worst case, even all of the countries.
Get inThere are no ferries from Europe to Alexandria. There used to be a Venice-Alexandria route, but it has been cancelled until further notice.
RouteFollowing this route will take roughly 84 days.
Stay safeCheck the current political situation. As of 2019, travel warnings are in effect at least for Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Alexandria to Cape Town by train and bus" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Kevin Gabbert - User: (WT-shared) Kevin James at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons