South Africa's Blue Train and Cape Town

Fly from London Heathrow to Johannesburg, landing on Day 2. A representative will meet you at the airport for your transfer to the 5-Star Castello Di Monte in Pretoria. After checking in, why not start to explore? Perhaps visit the insightful Apartheid Museum or try some local dishes such as 'bunny chow', a type of South African curry, or 'mogodu', the perfect slow-cooked comfort food. If you would like a guided tour, we can organise this for you.

A transfer this morning takes you to Pretoria station, where you board the iconic Blue Train. A Blue Train butler will escort you to your cabin and provide an orientation tour before inviting you for brunch as your journey to Cape Town begins.

Service on board The Blue Train is impeccable, and during your journey, enjoy afternoon tea, aperitifs and a lavish formal dinner of local cuisine, accompanied by locally-produced wines, and a selection of post-dinner drinks. After departing Pretoria, The Blue Train climbs through the famous winelands to reach the Karoo Plateau, before entering the first of the Boland Mountain passes and travelling through the southern reaches of Swartland.

This morning The Blue Train arrives in Kimberley, the capital of South Africa's Northern Cape. Discover the town's prosperous past on an included visit to the 'Big Hole' Mine Museum. This area was where the diamonds were first uncovered in South Africa, but the pressure of over-mining caused the pit to implode, resulting in the 'Big Hole' we see today. Incredibly, the hole is 1,519 feet wide, with the former mine underneath reaching a depth of 3,599 feet. The fascinating museum here details the history of the site and includes some restored period buildings from the early years of the diamond rush. After re-boarding the train for lunch, continue your journey towards Cape Town.

Following a final breakfast on board, disembark The Blue Train in Cape Town. Take a transfer to your hotel for the next 3 nights, the 4-Star Victoria & Alfred, situated right on the waterfront.

On Day 6, there's an included sightseeing tour by coach around some of Cape Town's best-loved attractions. Ascend Table Mountain by cable car to enjoy panoramic views across the city and the Atlantic Ocean (weather permitting), before driving past the Parliament Building and Castle of Good Hope - the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa. Continue to the Company Gardens, a heritage site dating from the 1650s, and learn about the history of District 6 before ending the tour at a professional diamond cutting workshop in the Malay Quarter.

You could enjoy a free day in Cape Town today, or join one of our optional excursions: take a cruise to Seal Island, home to a large number of Cape fur seals, before driving along the scenic Chapman's Peak Drive and visiting the penguins at Boulder's Beach. Afterwards, you'll either stop off at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens or Groot Constantia for a wine tasting and cellar tour.

Alternatively, you can spend half a day touring the Stellenbosch Winelands, exploring the bohemian galleries and shops as well as the cultivated vineyards that stretch out towards the surrounding mountains. Afterwards, there's a cellar tour and tasting session to enjoy.

Following a hotel pick up, transfer to the airport today for your return flight to London Heathrow. Your tour comes to an end when you land on Day 9.