Victoria Falls
from £895 per personView detailsSouth African Adventure
17 Days from £8,890per
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You are viewing the 2020 itinerary
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Fascinating wildlife is waiting to be discovered on this South African rail adventure on the Pride of Africa - one of the world's great luxury trains. Our voyage of discovery takes us through South Africa's most well-known game parks and ends with four nights in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town.
We fly to Johannesburg, arriving on the morning of Day 2. We stay at the Courtyard Hotel Arcadia in Pretoria for one night. We visit the Voortrekker Monument, an enormous structure dedicated to the pioneer history of South Africa, set in a nature reserve close to Pretoria. We also visit the town of Soweto. For lunch, we dine in a local restaurant.
Today we board the Pride of Africa at the Rovos Rail Station in Capital Park, Pretoria. Our eight-night journey on this truly elegant train, in luxurious airconditioned suites, takes us across the African plains in comfort and style, with fine china, crisp linen and 5-Star service. All on-board meals and drinks are included, as are meals during off-train excursions.
This morning we wake up early for a highlight of the tour - a game drive in Kruger National Park, the largest park in South Africa, where all of the 'Big Five' game animals can be found. Here we pursue antelope and track herds of elephant that make this huge wilderness their home - catch a glimpse of a leopard as it stalks its prey, or enjoy the thrill of viewing a lion from close range. We enjoy lunch in Kruger National Park before re-boarding the train at Komatipoort.
Today, we enjoy the second of our game drives as we visit the Mkhaya Game Reserve, a protected area in Swaziland and also home to the 'Big Five', enjoying tea during the excursion. After re-boarding the Pride of Africa, we head towards Durban, passing through the incredible and verdant scenery of the St Lucia Wetlands.
We arrive in Durban today, and incredible city where we take a guided city tour and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. After re-joining our train, we continue through the Valley of a Thousand Hills, an area of incredible natural beauty. Situated in the Kingdom of the Zulu, the evocative name comes from the numerous hills that cascade from the sky down to the Umgeni River.
On Day 7, we take a tour of Spionkop, or 'Spy Hill', discovering the historical battlefield site with a local expert. In January 1900, this was the sight of a bloody battle between Boer farmers and British troops, who's miscalculated tactics led to an embarrassing defeat of what, at the time, was considered to be the mightiest army in the world.
Following our time here, we also embark on a game drive in Nambiti Game Reserve, with another chance to spot Africa's incredible wildlife. Back on board, the train makes its way through the Drakensberg Mountains, a stunning area of natural beauty characterised by soaring peaks and verdant forests. Day 8 is spent at leisure on board the Pride of Africa.
This morning we travel to Addo Elephant Park for a game drive exploring the landscape in open vehicles. The park is inhabited not only by elephants, but by lions, leopards, cape buffalo and rhinos. We return to the train in Port Elizabeth for lunch on board. After some free time this afternoon, the Pride of Africa continues to Oudtshoorn, home to the world's largest population of ostriches.
On Day 10 we enjoy a fascinating visit to an ostrich farm, continuing on to George. Leaving the train, we take a short drive to Fancourt Golf Estate for our dinner tonight.
This morning, we enjoy the scenic drive down the coast to Knysa, famed for its picturesque setting on the shores of a large estuary. Here we take a ferry out to the Geatherbed Nature Reserve, accompanied by knowledgeable guides. Reboarding the train, we travel through the magnificent scenery on the famous 'Garden Route' to Riversdale.
Our last day on board the Pride of Africa takes us through the wild scenery of the Cape Fold Mountains before the final leg of our journey to the beautiful city of Cape Town, set against the backdrop of Table Mountain. South Africa's cultural capital is one of the most vibrant destinations in Africa, and features some incredible architecture, including the Italian Renaissance-style City Hall, completed in 1905. Here we check into the 5-Star Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Today we travel by coach around two of South Africa's finest wine producing areas: the Franschhoek and Stellenbosch valleys. Here, we enjoy a delicious 'Boerebraai' lunch, a unique South African social event, where family and friends gather together to create a memorable dining experience.
This morning we make the cable car ascent of Table Mountian, to enjoy panoramic views of the city. The steep cliff s and rocky outcrops are home to a number of different animals and plants. Complimenting the vast array of flora is a stunning range of fauna, some of which, like the Table Mountain Ghost Frog, are found in no other place in the world.
Following some free time for lunch, this afternoon we then descend as we take a ferry across Table Bay for a guided tour of Robben Island (weather dependent) where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years between 1964 and 1982. Afterwards, we visit the site is UNESCO World Heritage listed attraction to Kirstenbosch, where we enjoy a guided tour of the botanical gardens, nestled at the foot of table mountain.
We journey to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope via the stunning Chapman's Peak coastal drive. At Cape Point we take the Flying Dutchman funicular railway up to a vantage point, where we enjoy inspiring views.
Later, we descend to Boulders Beach, home to the only penguin colony native to the continent of Africa.
Today is spent at leisure before we transfer this evening to the airport for our flight back to London Heathrow, arriving into Heathrow on Day 17.
Departure AFJ2003 will be in reverse.
Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.
An escorted experience and all travel arrangements
Comfortable accommodation in your destination
Delicious meals included
Exciting excursions and free time to explore
Enhancing your Tour
British Citizens do not require a visa to enter South Africa
Please note: This tour may be suitable for reduced mobility passengers, please call for further information.
Overall, one of our most enjoyable - albeit more expensive - holidays.
What made it so was, without a doubt, the train "The Pride of Africa". All the Rovos Rail Team - or should I say "Family", were quite magnificent in all respects. Their friendly, cheerful, helpful and caring attentiveness to all our smallest needs was outstanding.
The comfort, cleanliness and servicing of our suite, Hwange, was faultless. The quality, variation and presentation of food, as well as the wines, was splendid. The planning and organisation of the game drives, as well as the good mix of other off-train excursions, was also very good indeed.
But coupled with the scenic splendour of this 2,300-mile journey through South Africa; it was like taking an iron snake safari through a living museum of natural history!
We were very aware that we were travelling in the footsteps of those that had gone before us - the warring warrior tribes, the explorers, the adventurers and the brave early settlers who had fought their way across the continent, carving this magnificent country out of the wilderness. And the people of South Africa today - so friendly, smiling and helpful - made it quite obvious that they really wanted us to enjoy their country, of which they were so justifiably proud.
Not just the scenery, but the animals, of which there were just too many to count, as well as some very exotic birds. And then there were the likes of Patrick, our diminutive and humorous Zulu guide in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game reserve, who pointed out to us the evidence of a very recent gory battle for supremacy between two mighty rhinos, the outcome of which had no doubt been witnessed by a flock of vultures circling nearby! Shortly after this we were quite fascinated to be watching a tiny pair of dung beetles struggling to establish their place in this ongoing rhythm of African survival.
Apart from the train, the rest of our holiday was so complementary, combining a need for relaxation with a mix of interesting excursions. The hotels, too - both The Sheraton in Pretoria and The Cape Grace in Cape Town, which at first seemed to be rather over-the-top - turned out to be exceptionally comfortable. We were delighted that they fitted in so faultlessly with our overall holiday experience. They had obviously been selected with a good deal of forethought.
This planning of the itinerary and scheduling of the transport with so little fuss was also done so impeccably as to be hardly noticeable.
Many thanks to all concerned.
Imagine a massive white rhino pulling himself out of a mud pool beside your jeep, or the grace of a giraffe swaying across the track in front of you, or watching the activities of a herd of elephants at the waterhole.
Would you like to know the intimate details of the life and personality of an ostrich? How about gliding up the side of Table Mountain in a cable car and seeing Cape Town's stunning setting spread out below - or listening to the crash of the waves on the Cape of Good Hope and hardly believing that you are actually there?
You know more about South Africa's history: you've been on Robben Island; and you've fallen in love with the flowers. And all the way along you've been pampered by the staff on the most luxurious train in the world, eating too well and glorying in the scenery from the observation car.
Don't say "if only": go on the South African Adventure with Great Rail Journeys.
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