Goway’s Cape to Cairo Fulfills the Ultimate Africa Bucket List

One ultimate Africa journey offers 14 ‘Bucket List’ items in one great adventure.

The phrase ‘bucket list’ might polarize some travellers. Some see an ever-expanding list of sights and destinations that goes far beyond what they think they can reach in a lifetime. Others see it as a challenge!

Whichever camp you’re in, Africa contains quite a few of those ‘hard to reach’ bucket list items. Not that travel to Africa has to be difficult, but it does require planning, along with some expert advice. It’s also huge. Almost 4500 miles stretch between Cape Town, South Africa, and Cairo, Egypt.

This of course didn’t stop British businessman Cecil Rhodes from wanting to link the two by train, and it shouldn’t stop travellers from wanting to make the trip either. While the end of the colonial age and a shifting political environment put an end to Rhodes’ dream (at least for now), the route is open to travellers willing to fly some of the way.

To experience this kind of epic journey, Goway offers an ultimate 32-Day Cape to Cairo itinerary, which takes in no less than 14 unique experiences we think should be on everyone’s Africa bucket list.

1) On a continent not known for its tourist-friendly cities, Cape Town sparkles between the ocean and awe-inspiring Table Mountain. This is a place where Africa’s natural beauty meets multi-cultural modernity, often compared to ocean-side favourites like San Francisco or Sydney. Cape Town is also a bargain compared to these cities, with South Africa’s best wine regions sitting just to the east.

2) A game safari might be an obvious addition to the list, but with good reason. While other destinations might outdo Africa for diversity, none rival the majesty of watching the Big 5, or witnessing an event such as the Serengeti migration (3).

4) The world’s most luxurious train, the Rovos Rail Edwardian offers a fast and comfortable way to move between the continent’s highlights, with a sophistication that evokes the splendour of another era, ensuring a journey worthy of its name. The colonial comfort continues with accommodation at iconic African properties (5) such as the Victoria Falls Hotel and Mena House Cairo.

6) Splendid though the accommodation might be, Southern Africa is nature’s show, nowhere more so than at Victoria Falls, the world’s largest sheet of falling water. The mighty Zambezi River crashes over its cliffs into the Batoka Gorges below, each of which is a former location of the Falls, cut from soft sandstone in the basalt plateau.

7) An African safari is all about life in the wild. A night sleeping under canvas gives Africa adventurers a taste of this without missing too many of the train’s comforts (Sorry! We know you’ve gotten a taste for it!). It also adds a layer of outdoor romance to an afternoon of African sundowners (8), the perfect way to end each safari day.

9) The animal sightings aren’t limited to the open plains. The only way to see African gorillas in the wild is to hit the mountain trail to one of the few parts of the world they can still be seen. Unlike other wildlife encounters, this is a chance to get right up close to a wild gorilla family, admiring just how closely their social structure resembles ours.

10) Speaking of social structure, Africa’s not all about the animals. A range of human cultures have thrived here for centuries too. The people of the Masai Mara in Kenya for instance, have a history, culture, and way of life entirely separate from Southern Africa’s Zulu descendents. For a real glimpse into African civilization however, visit the World Heritage Sites of Ethiopia (11). Here, you’ll discover the rich culture and architecture of the only African nation to have remained independent throughout its entire history.

12) Africa’s most famous human civilization however is found in its north. Indeed, what new can be said about Egypt? Cruise the Nile as you approach Cairo, then visit the Great Pyramid (13), looming just beyond the edge of the city.

14) Be one of the few travellers to Transverse Africa. While Cecil Rhodes’ dream of a rail link between Cape Town and Cairo may be, at best, many years off, you’ll join an elite group of travellers who can say they’ve made the trip.

A trip that offers all fourteen of these experiences truly deserves to be considered the Ultimate Journey of a Lifetime. Goway’s Cape to Cairo is one such adventure, lasting 32 days, starting September 29, 2017.