Berthe Cabra

Berthe Cabra née Gheude de Contreras (27 June 1864, Berchem – 26 January 1947) was a Belgian married to Commander Alphonse Cabra of the Belgian army and the first European woman to travel across Africa from west to east over land.

Berthe was the daughter of Jean-Martin Gheude and d'Euphrosyne d'Alcantara de Contreras.

The couple left Brussels on 10 April 1905 and travelled from Napoli aboard the Margraff and reached Mombasa in East Africa.

They then moved to the foot of Stanley Falls and then down the Congo River to Matadi and finally Boma reaching in October 1906.

[1] The also collected artefacts during the trip which are part of the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren.