This meander is a perfect illustration of South Africa as a world in one country. Travel the grasslands of the gold-rich Highveld to the haunting barrenness of the Great Karoo; trundle through the spectacular mountain ranges and scenic winelands of the Cape. Journey’s end is Cape Town, the Mother City of South Africa, cradled by the imposing bulk of Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head. Highlights of the north- and southbound routes include a visit to the historic village of Matjiesfontein, an authentically preserved Victorian Village founded as a refreshment stop in 1890, which also boasts an impressive museum on the platform. Another stop is made in Kimberley to visit the Diamond Mine Museum and the world’s largest man-made excavation, the Big Hole. Available in reverse.

Highlights :

• Cape Town
• Journey through the Cape Winelands
• Traverse the Karoo
• Kimberley Diamond Mine Museum tour
• Matjiesfontein visit
• Pretoria

Day 1:  Cape Town  – Matjiesfontein

11h00  Depart  from Cape Town Station. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car and  observation car.\

13h00  Lunch is served in the dining cars  . The train reaches Worcester in the Hex River Valley before climbing ±750mup the face of the escarpment. The train arrives at the first of four tunnels on the pass. The last   tunnel is 13.5km long so guests are to                  be careful when walking through the train and may wish to turn on necessary lights.

16h30  Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.Disembark at Matjiesfontein for an opportunity to stroll through the  historic  village. Of special interest is the museum on the platform and a collection of historic cars and railway carriages to the right              of the Lord Milner Hotel.

19h30  Dinner is served in the dining cars  .

Overnight on board. Dress: Formal

Day 2:  Kimberley

07h00  Breakfast is served in the dining cars  until 10:00 . Travel through the Karoo, a vast semi-desert region that was once an enormous inland sea. Over millions of years, volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as silt upon the seabed to form                 what geologists call the Karoo system.

12h30  Lunch is served in the dining cars  . Enjoy a tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Capital of the Northern Cape, Kimberley is well known for the discovery of diamonds that led to its establishment in 1871.

16h30  Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.

19h30  Dinner is served in the dining cars  en route to Klerksdorp.

Overnight on board. Dress: Formal

Day 3:  Arrival Pretoria

07h00  Breakfast is served in the dining cars  until 10:00.  Travel northeast through the goldfields of the Witwatersrand.

13h00  Lunch is served in the dining cars.

17h00  The train arrives at journey’s  end at Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria.

Please dress accordingly for excursions/game drives: mornings can be cool then warm up considerably; afternoons can be warm then cool down considerably. Warm clothing, comfortable shoes, hats and sun protection are advised. Rain capes are available

Excursions may be changed according to schedule achieved. Times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed.

In your suite you will find the Journeys magazine that features articles of interest related to the route.

Contact us for more information.

Our itineraries are “recommended itineraries” and may be booked as suggested. However, they also serve to inform you, as a possible first time traveller to Africa, an idea of what can be done. If you find that the recommended itineraries do not suit you entirely, we will tailor make a program to best meet your individual requirements.