This tour begins in the beautiful Moroccan city of Fez, the largest living mediaeval Islamic city in the world, and it is here that we will spend our first 2 days exploring the city’s famous covered markets, leather tanneries, winding alleys and beautiful mosques.

Entering central Morocco we are now in the High Atlas mountains where we travel along the Draa valley, an area of earth-red Kasbahs and stunning Berber villages where we visit the spectacular pink canyons of the Todra Gorge.

Our next stop is Marrakech, an ancient caravan town that today offers fantastic souqs and the awesome Djemaa el-Fna, a nightly spectacle in the old medina where you can wander streets full of acrobats, snake-charmers, food stalls and musicians, simply amazing!

On the coast we now visit the laid-back fishing port town of Essaouira where you have the opportunity to relax and just soak up the Moroccan atmosphere.

Our final few days here are spent travelling down the rugged coast of Western Sahara where we will be wild camping on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

We now enter the Sahara proper where the desert camping is fantastic and reveals a night-sky that is probably one of the clearest in the world and littered with stars.

In Nouadhibou we restock our supplies before heading into The Adrar, a spectacular Saharan jewel in Mauritania’s crown. From our base in Atar you have the option to explore the ancient caravan towns of Chinguetti and Ouadane, steeped in history in a vast sand ocean of magnificent dunes.

Mauritania’s young and unassuming capital city, Nouakchott, is our last stop where the highlight is the colourful and frantic fish market.

We will spend our first couple of days in Senegal at Langue de Barbarie National Park which offers great kayaking and bird-watching opportunities. With its crumbling architecture and peaceful ambience the nearby town of St. Louis is also a great day out.

Our next stop is the lively Senegalese capital Dakar where we spend a couple of days exploring the city and applying for visas. The nearby Ngor Island is a fabulous escape from the frenetic city where you can enjoy a day of surf, sand and seafood.

At Toubacouta we visit the Grand Mosque of Touba and have time to explore the Sine-Saloum Delta, a series of brackish channels where you have the option to take boat trips to visit islands with baobab trees, shellfish beaches and most famously, a female chief called ‘The Queen’.

The Gambia is a tranquil place where our first destination here is the eco-tourism Camp Tendaba on the banks of the Gambia River. From here you have the option to explore the wetlands by boat and visit the Kiang West National Park, home to the clawless river otter, caracals, hyenas, pythons and crocodiles.

Banjul is the country's laid-back capital where you have the chance to explore the city’s highlights including visiting the local markets and wandering the atmospheric back streets.

A real highlight of our visit to The Gambia is visiting the Tumani Tenda Eco Lodge, a self-sustaining local community where the villagers are happy to teach you about their daily lives which include oyster collecting, soap making, bee keeping, fishing and farming.

Back in Senegal we visit one of West Africa’s finest beaches at Cap Skirring where great seafood and live music is the order of the day. The cows love it here too and can be found enjoying the beach with the tourists.

Entering the friendly country Guinea-Bissau we head straight for the capital city Bissau. Don’t let the crumbling colonial buildings fool you, when the sun goes down the stylish restaurants and bars open and offer great evenings out on the town.

From Bissau we head east through some lush countryside and eerie ghost-towns on our route to Guinea.

After 2 nights of wild camping we reach the small town of Labe from where you will have the option to go on a 2 day hike to explore the amazing Fouta Djallon region. Trekking through the area’s rolling grasslands you will discover an area of majestic waterfalls, deep canyons and friendly villagers where we will spend 1 night sleeping in a local village getting to meet the local Fulani people.

The beautiful Bride’s Veil waterfalls are our next stop where we get to camp in a beautiful setting with cascading water to put us to sleep.

Our final destination here is Guinea's capital city, Conakry, where we apply for a couple of visas. While we wait you have the opportunity to visit the Grand Mosque, Botanical Gardens and Loos Islands.

Our first stop here is at the white sand beaches south of Freetown where you can enjoy the sand and surf, explore the relaxed capital city and visit the nearby Tacugama Chimpanzee Reserve.

We continue to the friendly village of Kampai where we stay at an eco-camp and have the option to visit the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. On an afternoon river cruise or evening nature walk you have the chance of spotting the island’s high concentration of primates, and if you are lucky enough, pygmy hippopotamus and river otter.

Having only recently opened its doors to tourists, Liberia is fresh and exciting and our first port of call is the marvellous beach town of Robertsport, a little slice of heaven for surfers and sun-worshippers.

Monrovia is the capital where we base ourselves just outside of town allowing you the chance to explore sites such as the abandoned Ducor Hotel and the National Museum, both offering great insights into this once war-torn city.

In the interior we wild camp at the beautiful Kpatawee Falls where you can either laze in the rock pools or hike up to the falls, one of Liberia’s most picturesque spots.

We first visit the sleepy town of Man where a succession of green-clad mountains rise out of the dusty earth giving our trekkers the option to hike up Mt. Tonkoui, the second highest peak in the country affording awesome views over 3 countries at the summit.

Inland we arrive at the capital city of Yamoussoukro where the absolute highlight is a visit to the spectacular Basilica Of Our Lady Of Peace with its stained glass windows and towering dome.

Down on the coast we base ourselves at a beach resort between the modern city of Abidjan and the colonial town of Grand Bassam allowing you the chance to enjoy the old and the new side of Cote d’Ivoire.

Arriving in the west we camp on a spectacular beach near the town of Axim where you can enjoy a lazy day in the sun or explore the Portuguese Fort Santo Antonio.

Further along the Gold Coast we visit the historical Cape Coast Castle, once the largest slave-trading centre in Africa.

In Kakum National Park you have the opportunity to get a bird’s eye view over the forest from a canopy walkway where if you are lucky you have the chance of spotting elephants, flying squirrels, colobus monkeys and antelopes, as well as over 300 species of birds and 600 species of butterfly.

In Ghana’s 2nd city of Kumasi, Ashanti traditions still abound and in the enormous Kejetia Market you will discover the beating heart of the city where you can easily lose yourself for half a day.

The capital city of Accra offers us a taste of big city life with shopping malls and cafes and the old district of Jamestown’s dishevelled colonial buildings and fishing port are well worth a visit.

Heading inland we visit the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary where you have the chance to get up close and personal with Mona monkeys that will gladly sit on your shoulder as you feed them bananas.

Our last stop is at the beautiful Wli Waterfalls, the tallest in West Africa, where you have the day to hike to the falls and enjoy one of Ghana’s best natural sites.

Togo is only 50 km wide and on our first day we will visit the artistic town of Kpalime which is famous for its traditional crafts of woodcarving and batik. 

We continue to the capital Lome where a day out can include visiting the bizarre fetish markets, marvelling at the displays in the Museum of West African Arts and exploring the labyrinths of the colourful Grand Market.

We now head north and wild camp in the heart of Togo before heading for Benin.

We enter Benin in the northern Tata Somba region, an area of traditional two-storey fortified huts where cattle are kept on the ground floor and grain is dried on the upper floor. Here we can take a half day walking tour to explore the huts, visit a school and see a baobab tree.

We continue to Pendjari National Park where we wild camp in a remote corner of this unspoiled wilderness. Here we take a whole day game drive with a chance of spotting the elephant, lion, buffalo, hippopotamus, monkeys and various antelope species that inhabit the park.

The remarkable town of Abomey is our next stop where you can explore the ruined temples and palaces of the Dahomeyan empire.

Further south we camp on the shores of Lake Aheme and if our luck is in we will get the opportunity to watch the locals perform the traditional Zangbeto voodoo dance for us.

In Grand Popo you have the chance to witness a traditional voodoo ceremony and go looking for green sea turtles on the nearby beach.

In Ouidah we camp on a beautiful beach and you have the option to join a half day tour that includes visiting the forts, temples and museums of this historic region.

At Lake Ganvie you have the option to take a boat out to a village in the middle of the lake that is home to 30,000 Tofinu people who reside here in stilted bamboo huts. You have the option to spend a night here in the stilted village before returning to land and heading for Nigeria.

Abeokuta is our first destination in Nigeria where we visit the Olumo Rock formation, an historical natural fortress used during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century.

In Osogbo we visit the Sacred Grove Forest to explore the sanctuaries, shrines, sculptures and artworks created in honour of Osun, the Goddess of Fertility.

In Benin City the national museum offers us an insight into the Benin Empire with a significant amount of ancient artefacts. For those more interested in modern art a walk down Bronze Casters Street will show you some fine bronze works of art.

In the southeast part of the country we find the lively colonial port town of Calabar where highlights include a visit to the Slave Trade Museum, National Museum and Drill Monkey Ranch.

Crossing into Cameroon at the Southern border of Ekok we now join a military convoy and travel to the relaxed beach town of Limbe where you have the option to either take the 3 day trek up Mt. Cameroon (4095m), visit the local primate reserves or just relax on the beach.

We continue inland to the capital Yaounde where you can visit the local markets and monasteries and enjoy one of west Africa’s most pleasant cities.

In Kribi we find one of West Africa’s finest beaches where we have time to enjoy the sand, surf and seafood that makes this area so unforgettable.

Situated on the equator we get a real taste of Africa at the Reserve de la Lope where we spend a couple of days in the reserve with the option of game drives or trekking through the forest in search of mandrills, forest elephants and buffalo.

In the capital Libreville the National Museum of Arts and Tradition will give you a good insight into local culture. If you are feeling more adventurous you can take a boat over to Pongara National Park, a beautiful mangrove reserve and favourite spot for nesting turtles where you also have the chance of spotting elephants, chimpanzees and buffalo.

In Lamberene we visit Dr Albert Schweitzer’s hospital which is now a museum where we can get an understanding of the Nobel Prize winning work he did here for the African community.

Our first 2 days in the friendly Congo are spent on dirt tracks which often turn into thick mud and test our vehicles off-road ability.

The small town of Dolisie is a welcome relief where we have a day to get a feel for the local culture and sample the delicious street food.

On the coast we visit the red Gorges of Diosso which are referred to as Congo’s Grand Canyon. The local museum is a quaint place that explains the area's history.

In the town of Pointe Noire you have the chance to visit the African Circle Museum and also stock up on goods at a rare supermarket. From our base here you also have the option to visit the Conkouati-Douli National Park on an organised tour. This park is a highlight of the Congo where you have a good chance of seeing the thriving chimpanzee population that inhabit the area's islands. The park is also home to elephants, leopards, turtles and gorillas.

We have a short day’s travel through the oil rich Angolan exclave of Cabinda before we reach the DRC and encounter more mud tracks on our way to the mighty Congo River.

Boma is a bustling little port where you will have the chance to get out and visit a true Congolese river town.

We cross over the Congo River via the huge Matadi suspension bridge and spend a day in Matadi town to sample the local fare and explore the bustling markets.

The town of Mbanza Kongo is the first Kingdom the original Portuguese navigators discovered here and today you can visit one of the oldest churches in sub-Saharan Africa as well as explore the Royal Museum.

The capital city Luanda offers us some modern convenience as well as a step back in time with wonderful colonial architecture and fabulous historical museums.

Travelling through scenic landscapes we arrive at the impressive Kalandula Falls. These falls are one of Africa’s largest waterfalls but because they are so remote they are also rarely visited by tourists so we will most likely have the place all to ourselves.

A brief stop in the town of Benguela will give you enough time to get a feel for this ancient slave port.

Our last stop here is at the cool and picturesque Lubango where Christ the King Statue overlooks the town and the surrounding mountains offer us spectacular views from the Tundavala Gap.

Our first stop in Namibia is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife viewing venues, Etosha National Park, where we spend a couple of days driving through the park's desert and bushveld landscapes in search of lion, buffalo, elephant and giraffe, plus many of Africa’s other great mammals.

After exiting the park we will then visit a traditional Himba village and get an insight into these indigenous nomads' way of life.

Near Kamanjab we will be visiting a Cheetah Park where we get to see these incredible animals up close and watch them feeding.

On our route to the coast you will have the option to visit a petrified forest with 45m long trunks and also take a guided tour around the bushman rock engravings at Twyfelfontein.

The Skeleton Coast is a desolate place and a drive through this wilderness will allow us to see an abandoned oil rig, numerous shipwrecks and a noisy seal colony.

Spitzkoppe is Namibia's ‘Matterhorn’ and the sight of these bold granite outcrops rising dramatically out of the flat surrounding plains make it an awesome spectacle.

The adventure sports capital Swakopmund is where you will have the opportunity to go deep-sea fishing, quad-biking, sand-boarding, camel riding and skydiving, or just relax on the deserted beaches and enjoy the German influenced resort towns hospitality.

We now head to the iconic towering red sand dunes of the Namib Desert at Sossusvlei where you will have the option to climb the famous Dune 45 for sunrise. The more spirited ones can attempt the climb up the much more arduous Big Daddy dune to get a view over one of the driest landscapes on earth.

Our last stop in Namibia is at the awesome Fish River Canyon National Park where you will be amazed by one of Africa’s most incredible natural rifts.

South Africa’s Western Cape coast is wine country and it is here at Highlanders Vineyard where we get a taste of SA’s famous wines and enjoy the beautiful views that make this area world-famous.

Cape Town is our last port of call on this tour. Before heading home we recommend you take time to relax and enjoy the area’s attractions such as the nearby penguin colonies, Robben Island, cage diving with sharks and the brilliant V&A Waterfront. Not to be missed is a day trip around the Stellenbosch wineries, a must-do for any wine lovers and a divine last taste of Africa!

This tour ends in Cape Town after breakfast on the last day of the trip so you can make your onward travel arrangements accordingly.

If you would like to extend your tour and continue with us after Cape Town our truck continues up the East Coast of Africa on a Cape Town to Nairobi expedition so you can add on Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya should you wish to.

We are happy to create a bespoke itinerary and price for you so please feel free to contact us to discuss all options.

If you can’t do the whole tour it may be possible to book a shorter section of your choice. Please get in touch and if this option is available we will be happy to work out a bespoke itinerary and reduced price for you.