Traveling Overland from Nairobi to Capetown

There are several ways of traveling overland from Nairobi, Kenya to Capetown, South Africa. These depend on your preference and what you want to experience. You can fly, drive, join a trip, cycle, ride a motorcycle, hitchhike, or board buses and trains. Also, although time-consuming and exhaustive, walking is possible.

In this article, we will look at the possible means of overland transport from Nairobi to Cape town.

#1 Join a tour

Every year several tour companies organize trips from Nairobi to Capetown. These journeys are based in an overland truck and take travelers through some of the best destinations in Southern Africa.

Group Tour in an Overland Truck

If you want to go on an overland trip from Nairobi to Capetown through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia, check out the following groups.

  1. Green Ranger Safaris: The Okavango Delta, Lake Malawi, and Victoria Falls tour.
  2. TK Extreme Adventures: Nairobi to Victoria Falls Road Trip.
  3. African Budget Safaris: Nairobi to Victoria Falls Overland Camping Safari.
  4. Oasis Overland Travels: Nairobi to Victoria Falls (34 Days) Savanna Dawn.
  5. Absolute Africa: Nairobi to The Victoria Falls Safari

#2 Use Buses from Nairobi to Capetown

There are no direct buses from Nairobi to South Africa. However, travelers can connect through Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Several bus companies operate daily services from Nairobi to Dar; from there it’s easy to travel further south.

There are direct buses from Dar Es Salaam to Capetown through Lusaka and Johannesburg. However, it’s recommended to break the journey at Lusaka. Zambia has some of the best long-distance buses to Jo’burg and Capetown like Shalom, Juldan, and Mazhandu.

Route

  • Nairobi to Dar es Saalam
  • Dar es es Saalam to Lusaka
  • Lusaka to Johannesburg
  • Johannesburg to Capetown

Best Buses from Nairobi to Capetown

  • Nairobi-Dar: Dar Lux and Dar Express.
  • Dar-Lusaka: Taqwa Bus, Falcon and Classic coach.
  • Lusaka-Capetown: Shalom, UBZ, and Juldan motors.

# Trains from Nairobi to Capetown

Besides joining an overland tour or traveling by bus, you can also use trains from Kenya to South Africa. However, there will be places where you have to use other means like hitchhiking or taking a bus. There are several passenger trains to take you from Nairobi to Cape town. These include local services and regional trains.

Routes and Trains From Nairobi to Capetown

  1. Nairobi to Mombasa: Madaraka Express Train.
  2. Mombasa to Dar es Saalam: Bus
  3. Dar es Saalam to Kapiri Mposhi: TAZARA Trains
  4. Kapiri Mposhi/Ndola to Livingstone: Zambezi Express, Zambia
  5. Victoria Falls town to Bulawayo: Zimbabwe Train
  6. Bulawayo to Gaborone: Blue Train, Botswana
  7. Gaborone to Johannesburg: Bus
  8. Johannesburg to Capetown: Shosholoza Meyl Train

Related Read: How I traveled from Nairobi, Kenya to Victoria Falls,(Zambia/Zimbabwe) by road and rail.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer solo travel or group tours, it’s easy to take an overland trip from Nairobi to South Africa. This is possible either by road or rail; By buses and trains, overland trucks, driving, cycling a bike, by motorcycle, or hitchhiking.

Featured Image: An overland trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls by Intrepid Travel.