London to Cape Town - Route Outline

The continent of Africa

The 2012 London to Cape Town Route Map
Click the link to open a map of the route >>  Route Map

The route drives across Europe before taking a ferry from Greece to to North Africa. After Egypt the route moves on to Saudi Arabia and on to Jeddah. From Jeddah we cross the Red Sea to Sudan, and a day’s run then brings us to Ethiopia, and a stunning mountain road takes us from the frontier deep into Ethiopia and the road to Kenya. Here we cross a demanding desert track and on to Nairobi for a day off …we then head south to Tanzania, driving from Arusha to Dodoma, and continue heading south for Zambia, where the local Motor Federation will be organising some Time Trials in the Plantations around Lusaka.

After taking in the splendours of Victoria Falls at Livingstone, we cross the Caprivi Strip, the narrow passage of land that takes us into Namibia, lots of gravel roads here… finally into South Africa and on to Clanwilliam, gateway to the Cederberg Mountains, and our drive into Cape Town …the celebrations will be an all-night section run from the bar of the Table Bay Hotel!

This is the first rally to stage a timed-drive with the clock ticking every day from Europe to Cape Town without recourse to airlifts or special shipping – the only boats involved are scheduled ferry-services, in a route that aims to keep the wheels turning all the way, clocking up results daily with the successful survivors going home with trophies at the end of a very special rally-adventure.

The 2012 London to Cape Town Rally

Preliminary Route Outline - Updated October 2011
DateRouteCountryKms
Jan 1 Scrutineering, Brooklands. London Start: 7.00pmUK130
Jan 2 London to Beaune via Dover-Calais ferry, 3.40amFrance610
Jan 3 Beaune to FlorenceFrance, Italy 840
Jan 4Florence to Ancona (Port) - ferry, 4pmItaly300
Jan 5Igoumenitsa (Port) to Kamena VourlaGreece470
Jan 6Kamena Vourla to Piraeus (Port) - ferry, 12amGreece490
Jan 7On Ferry - Rest DayMediterranean
Jan 8 Alexandria (Port) to Ain SokhnaEgypt350
Jan 9 Ain Sokhna to Safaga (Port) - ferry, 4amEgypt460
Jan 10Duba (Port) to YanbuSaudi Arabia520
Jan 11Yanbu to Jeddah (Port) - ferry, 9pmSaudi Arabia350
Jan 12Suakin (Port) to GedarefSudan720
Jan 13Gedaref to Bahir DarSudan, Ethiopia510
Jan 14Bahir Dar to AwasaEthiopia760
Jan 15Awasa to MoyaleEthiopia, Kenya510
Jan 16Moyale to MarsabitKenya250
Jan 17Marsabit to NairobiKenya540
Jan 18Nairobi - Rest DayKenya
Jan 19Nairobi to ArushaKenya, Tanzania410
Jan 20Arusha to DodomaTanzania440
Jan 21Dodoma to MbeyaTanzania610
Jan 22Mbeya to MpikaTanzania, Zambia500
Jan 23Mpika to LusakaZambia700
Jan 24Lusaka to LivingstoneZambia500
Jan 25Livingstone to TsumebZambia, Namibia1050
Jan 26Tsumeb to WindhoekNamibia650
Jan 27Windhoek to Ai-AisNamibia840
Jan 28Ai-Ais to ClanwilliamNamibia, South Africa650
Jan 29Clanwilliam to Cape TownSouth Africa330
Total distance (kms) :  (14,400)