Best African City Tours: Discover the Top 10 Cities Ranked
African City Tours: Entertaining Encounters in African Capitals
African City Tours with Mpenzi Safaris Africa! Our low-cost guided City Tours of Africa’s vibrant capitals are fun and full of local culture – whether you’re in the bustling East African cities or exploring the cultural highs of Southern Africa or the historical sites of North Africa. Our African City Tours combine entertainment and local culture: discover bustling markets, view world-famous buildings, try street food or restaurants offering traditional cuisine and listen to the history of the cities from our knowledgeable guides. We tailor packages for the budget and mid-range travelers (half-day tours from $50–$80, full-day tours up to $300), and you’ll miss the highlights at a budget.
Best Top 10 African City Tours
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Kampala, Uganda
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Kigali, Rwanda
- Stone Town, Zanzibar
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Gaborone, Botswana
- Harare, Zimbabwe
- Cairo, Egypt
- Marrakesh, Morocco
African City Tours of Eastern Africa
Take in the excitement of East Africa by visiting its major cities. Our Nairobi, Kampala, Addis Ababa, and Kigali City Tours (from $50 to $70) include major attractions, animals, and cultural experiences.
Nairobi, Kenya ($60 and up)
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. It began as a railway station in 1898 and became the capital in 1907. Nairobi is also called the “Green City in the Sun.” It combines urban living and nature. You can view giraffes and rhinos at Nairobi National Park, Africa’s first city park outside the city. The park contains over 100 species of mammals such as lions and buffaloes.
Tours include visiting the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage (hand-reared young elephants) and Giraffe Centre (feed the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe from a feeding platform). History buffs like the Karen Blixen Museum, which housed the “Out of Africa” author, and the colorful Bomas of Kenya cultural show. Nairobi’s combination of markets, museums, and nightlife appeal to travelers seeking fun.
Kampala, Uganda (from $55)
The capital of Uganda occupies seven hills and is one of East Africa’s friendliest and most livable cities.
One of the highlights is Kasubi Tombs – the burial ground of the royal Buganda kings and a UNESCO Heritage site.
Others include the Uganda National Mosque at Old Kampala Hill (the largest in East Africa offering panoramic views of the city) beautiful and tranquil Bahá’í Temple (Mother Temple of Africa) at Kikaya Hill, You can also try the vibrant local markets (Owino, Nakasero) for crafts and street food.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (from $65)
Addis is about 2,400 meters high, making it Africa’s third-highest capital. It was started in 1892 by Emperor Menelik II. Now, it is called the “political capital of Africa” because it has the African Union Headquarters and many embassies.
Sightseeing comprises the National Museum (home of “Lucy,” the world-famous hominid fossil) and the old palace of Haile Selassie (Ethiopia’s erstwhile emperor) now the Ethnological Museum. Don’t miss Entoto Hills for panoramic views of the city and Addis’s gargantuan Merkato market – allegedly Africa’s largest outdoor market
Our Addis African City Tours (approximately $65) also include the possibility of sampling Ethiopian coffee culture and ethnic food.
Kigali, Rwanda ($55 and above)
Kigali founded 1907 and capital 1962. Kigali is Rwanda’s clean and safe city with rolling green hills. Today, it is modern and peaceful, but Kigali’s Genocide Memorial is an important museum that remembers the victims of 1994.
On the other hand, the city’s lively art galleries, fancy hotels, and Kigali Convention Centre show how far Rwanda has come.
Our Kigali Tours include places to see the city (like Mount Kigali), shopping at craft markets, and learning about Rwandan hospitality – all in a friendly and welcoming environment.
Stone Town, Zanzibar (from $50)
Stone Town is in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and it is the cultural reserve of the Swahili-Arab world. Stone Town was once the capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate and is today a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Stone Town in Zanzibar also contains tortuous alleys, stone buildings, and intricately carved doors in a combination of Arab, Persian, Indian, and European forms.
You can also go for a walking tour of the 17th-century Old Fort and the House of Wonders, a former sultan’s palace now a museum. You can also visit spice markets. The waterfront Forodhani Gardens get busy every evening with vendors grilling seafood and Zanzibari delicacies.
The cost of African City Tours by Mpenzi’s Stone Town is around $50 and allows you to savor history. These tours also have optional visits at the beach or spice plantations for a complete East Africa experience.
African City Tours of Southern Africa
South African cities mesh nature, history and high culture. Our budget tours (typically $50–$90) encompass the South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and more.
Cape Town, South Africa (from $80)
Cape Town is the lovely capital of South Africa and a favorite spot for travelers in Africa.
The city is also famous for Table Mountain, the flat-topped mountain overlooking Cape Town.
A ride by cable car up Table Mountain provides excellent panoramas of the bay and the city. Highlights also include Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned), the Cape Point peninsula, and the vibrant Malay neighborhood known as the Bo-Kaap. Neighboring the Cape Winelands (vineyards and estates) are the scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive.
Our Cape Town tours (~$80 and up) are adventures galore: you’ll tackle Table Mountain or Signal Hill, ride along the Atlantic coastline, and see the V&A Waterfront – accompanied by knowledgeable and entertaining guides.
Johannesburg, South Africa (from $70)
Johannesburg (“Jo’burg”) is the largest South African city, fathered by the 1886 gold rush. Today Johannesburg is a culturally rich city and the richest in Africa in terms of GDP. The African City Tours usually entail a trip to Soweto township and Nelson Mandela’s residence and the Hector Pieterson Museum. The Apartheid Museum also exists and has emotive exhibits as far as the history of South Africa is concerned.
You’ll also experience modern Joburg in the form of Maboneng (the artists’ district) and Sandton (shopping capital). Day trips from Jo’burg (from about $70) can either proceed to the Cradle of Humankind palaeoanthropology site or the Pilanesberg Game Reserve for a safari side trip. With the best of urban and wild life in one package, Johannesburg tours are the adrenaline part of any South Africa trip.
Lusaka, Zambia (from $50)
The booming capital of Zambia expresses a very vibrant atmosphere. The growing population has brought along a mixture of modern-style shopping centers (like at Manda Hill) and bustling street markets.
Our Lusaka African Safari Tour (about $50) exposes the dichotomies in the city: prosperous areas and stadiums next to vibrant markets like Soweto and Arcades markets, in which you can purchase colorful crafts and street food.
The cultural highlights include the Lusaka National Museum, featuring Zambian history and culture, and the Independence Monument. For nature lovers, Lusaka National Park is literally next door in the city – you can spot antelope in the small park. Mpenzi Safaris Africa provides a low-cost and amiable way of visiting the Zambian capital and a good opportunity for cultural interactions and experiencing Zambian hospitality.
Gaborone, Botswana ($55 and up)
Botswana, Capital Gaborone (named after Kgosi Gaborone) is a very modern town in the dry grasslands. It’s not large but a “buzzing” centre with shops, nightlife and culture
City highlights are the impressive Three Chiefs’ Monument, which honors Botswana’s independence heroes. There is also the National Museum, featuring traditional crafts and fine art, and the railway museum. Make sure to visit the Gaborone Game Reserve, which is one of the few wildlife parks in a city. Here, you can see zebras, wildebeests, and antelopes in an urban environment.
Our Gaborone tours (from approximately ~$55) provides a taste of Botswanan city life, occasionally combined by day trip excursions to the nearby Central Kalahari or Makgadikgadi Pans (in the budget-conscious game drive category).
Harare, Zimbabwe (From $50)
The Zimbabwean capital was founded in 1890 as Salisbury and renamed at independence. It’s Zimbabwe’s economic and cultural centre
Our Harare African City Tours also include green streets and important sites: the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the Museum of African Art and Monuments, the Queen Victoria Museum, and the colorful Mbare Market.
The National Botanic Gardens near the town centre contains numerous indigenous plants and the Mukuvisi Woodlands contains a mini safari featuring giraffes, zebras and antelopes within the city.
Harare enjoys a vibrant nightlife and live music. Mpenzi’s Harare African City Tours (from around $50) combine history with street food (sample the bara and the kapenta) and make Zimbabwe’s capital fun and cheap for budget travelers.
African City Tours of Northern Africa
Our North Africa city tours (from $60-$80) discover for you the cultural treasures of Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco
Cairo, Egypt ($75 and up)
Cairo is Egypt’s cosmopolitan capital and one of Africa’s best cities. The city surrounds the Nile River and blends old and new life. Our African City Tours here starts at the Giza Plateau just outside the city, where you can see the world-famous Pyramids and Sphinx (seven wonders of the ancient world).
In the city, you can see the Egyptian Museum (which contains treasures from the pharaoh Tutankhamun) and navigate the vibrant Khan el-Khalili bazaar (a labyrinth of shops that goes on forever). The Cairo Tower looms in the sky, and ancient neighborhoods such as Coptic Cairo have ancient churches.
Our Cairo African City Tours (which start at about $75) encompass all these highlights, along with a sampling of Egyptian street food — an adventure in and of itself.
Tunis, Tunisia ($60 and more)
The coastal capital of Tunisia is historical. The walled old town in the old medina qualifies as a UNESCO World Heritage site and houses about 700 monuments.
During Almohad and Hafsid ages (12th–16th centuries), the town was one of the wealthiest in the Islamic world. You can stroll down skinny streets today and view the Great Mosque (Zitouna), lovely palaces, bazaars, and the fabled Bab el Bahr gate. The contemporary city also boasts coastal walking paths and French-style streets.
Key sites along our Tunis African City tours is the Bardo Museum (famous for Roman mosaics) and a charming rest at a café and mint tea. Backpackers and budget travelers enjoy our Tunis African City Tours (from around $60) and appreciate the combination of Mediterranean flair and ancient history in North Africa.
Marrakesh, Morocco (from $65)
Marrakesh is the vibrant “Red City” of Morocco with the sunny colors of the desert. It was begun in the 11th century and became a major city for the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties. UNESCO Today, its 12th-century UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina houses such attractions as the Koutoubia Mosque (with its towering minaret) and the charming Bahia Palace. Jemaa el-Fna is the heart of Marrakesh.
It is a grand open plaza and nightly show by storytellers, snake charmers, street vendors selling food and musicians. The guided African City tours get you through the souk (shops filled with leather, spices, pottery, and rugs) maze and brings you to such gardens as Majorelle.
Mpenzi’s Marrakesh African City tours (from around $65) capture the adventurous soul of the city: good-humored guides, bustling markets, and even overnight accommodation in a classic riad (guesthouse) make it a good and inexpensive experience in Morocco.
