Welcome to South Africa! You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to the beautiful Sheraton Pretoria, which sits across from the Union Building. Explore Pretoria’s tree-lined streets and fine old buildings, or just relax after your flight, ready for the start of your Rovos Rail adventure tomorrow.

Sheraton Pretoria

From your hotel, Rovos Rail’s private station at Capital Park is just a fifteen minute transfer. Before you board, take some time to explore the railway museum, an ever-growing collection of nostalgic paraphernalia, and have a peek in locomotive sheds, where you may see Rovos’ team of engineers keep the rolling stock in perfect order.

Sit back and relax, as your three night journey aboard Rovos Rail from Pretoria to Cape Town, takes you through stunning South African scenery, whilst you enjoy fine dining and a wide range of beverages on board. The open-air balcony at the rear of the observation carriage is the perfect place for a sundowner (or cup of tea!) with the sights and sounds of the African bush all around.

En route to the Mother City, you’ll pass through the grasslands of the Highveld, stopping in Kimberly to visit the Diamond Museum and aptly named Big Hole, a former mine, before crossing the mesmerising desert landscapes of the Great Karoo. After visiting the historic village of Majiesfontein, you’ll roll through the picturesque winelands of the Western Cape.

Choice of Royal, Deluxe or Pullman cabin

All meals and selected drinks onboard

You train arrives into Cape Town mid-morning, and you’ll be met at the station for the short drive to your hotel. You have the best part of three days to discover the city, its unique culture and fascinating, though sometimes dark, history, as well as the stunning coastal landscapes nearby.

You can explore independently or pre-book guided excursions, including to Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope and Robben Island. Just let your Travel Consultant know what you would like to do.

Southern Sun Waterfront

This morning you will be met by your local tour guide and depart for the scenic Garden Route. Travel along Sir Lowry’s Pass, with its magnificent views, to Grabouw and Elgin, a lush landscape surrounded by majestic mountains. Stop en route at a farmstall packed with locally produced products from the area. Our journey continues to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The area has largely been untouched and unexplored with its rugged coastline being the graveyard for many a ship. The historic Cape Agulhas Lighthouse is considered the icon that signifies the tip of Africa.

After visiting the lighthouse, continue via historic Swellendam and the Tradouw Pass to Barrydale and the famous Route 62. Continue to Oudtshoorn, the ‘ostrich feather capital’ and centre of the world’s Ostrich farming industry. Enjoy dinner at an Ostrich Farm, dining on local specialities such as Ostrich steak. Overnight in Oudtshoorn.

La Plume Guest House or similar

Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast take a tour of the spectacular limestone caverns of the Cango Caves, one of the world’s great natural wonders, sculpted by nature through the ages. Join an interactive guided tractor tour at a working Ostrich Farm, followed by a wine tasting, sampling top quality wines of the region. Overnight in Oudtshoorn.

La Plume Guest House or similar

Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, travel over the Outeniqua Pass to George, the sixth oldest town in South Africa, with many historical landmarks like the Slave Tree and King Edward VII Library building; said to be the best example of Edwardian architecture in the town. The tour travels via Wilderness, an attractive holiday resort, to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, nestling on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the Garden Route.

Enjoy a delicious lunch en route of traditional cuisine and local treats. The remainder of the day is at leisure until you join an afternoon sunset cruise on the Knysna Lagoon. Overnight in Knysna.

Rex Hotel or similar

Breakfast, Lunch

Today you’ll have the opportunity to further explore the natural beauty of the Garden Route. Visit Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, where you will be able to see a variety of primates, roaming free in the forest. The sanctuary is well known for its efforts to rehabilitate and free previously caged primates.

The tour continues to the famous Eastern Head, where you will enjoy spectacular views of the Knysna Heads, before travelling to the nature lovers paradise of Brenton on Sea with its unspoilt beaches. The remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure. Overnight in Knysna.

Rex Hotel or similar

Breakfast

After breakfast travel to the Plettenberg Bay area where you will visit Birds of Eden sanctuary, the biggest single free flight aviary in the world. The sanctuary provides a safe environment in which to release a large collection of free-flight African birds.

The journey continues to Bloukrans Bridge, the highest single span arch bridge in the world, currently offering the highest commercially operated bungy jump in the world (optional!).

Later, visit the Tsitsikamma National Park which contains the popular Storms River Mouth suspension bridge. The park incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline, secluded valleys covered in mountain Fynbos and temperate forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea. Overnight in the Tsitsikamma area.

Tsitsikamma Village Inn or similar

Breakfast

After breakfast, travel eastwards by the Tsitsikamma Forest to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), where the tour ends.

From here, your Travel Consultant can arrange onward flights or an Eastern Cape safari.

Breakfast