It would take almost a week to travel down Africa's longest road which connects Egypt to South Africa.
15:11, Fri, Dec 26, 2025 Updated: 15:18, Fri, Dec 26, 2025
Africa's largest road is over 6,000 miles long (Image: Getty)
Africa’s longest road spans more than 6,000 miles and 10 countries - and it would take drivers determined to drive the length of it almost a week. The Cairo-Cape Town Highway, known as the Trans-African Highway 4, is one of the most important routes in the continent.
The epic route crosses a whopping 10 countries across the continent, running through Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. It should take road users around five or six days to completely traverse the route from North to South. The entire Trans-Africa Highway project comprises nine routes and cost around £23.7billion to construct.
One of the sections of the road in South Africa (Image: Getty)
The highway was built to help facilitate trade between African states and bring down the cost of transportation throughout the continent.
The road was developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the African Union. The route is now classed as fully paved but improvements continue to be made to some parts of the 6,000-mile road.
The route was expected to be completed by 2024 but finishing touches were delayed by conflict in Sudan and construction backlogs in Zambia and Tanzania. The idea for the road originated under British Empire rule as part of a planned Cape to Cairo Road.
Although officially known as the Trans-African Highway, the name is not commonly used on road signs. This is partly because the route was not constructed in one go, with existing and newer routes integrated into the larger network.
Road users keen for a different type of driving tour could tick off some of Africa’s most important landmarks by crossing the route.
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The Pyramids of Giza is located close to the road starting point in Cairo. The route also crosses close to the Ethiopian Highlands and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lalibela churches.
The Nairobi National Park and the Great Rift Valley in Kenya are next, followed by stunning Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Victoria Falls and the Hwange National Park are must-see locations near the route in Zimbabwe, followed by the Okavango Delta in Botswana.