Luxury train trip through South Africa with excursies and/of golf

Day 1: Cape Town -

From 8 a.m. you can check in at the Rovos Rail Lounge at Cape Town station to check in. You will explore the city on a city tour at 9 a.m. You can see the most important sights.

The city tour starts with a visit to historical and cultural places in the city center such as a walk through the Company Gardens and a visit to the Bo-Kaap museum. On the way to the V&A Waterfront a stop is made at Diamont Works. Here you will get a tour of the diamond mill, the gem laboratory and the diamond design and processing workshop. In the cozy V&A Waterfront there is time to enjoy lunch in one of the many restaurants or on a terrace (for your own account). After lunch, continue to District Six, an area with an inspiring history. You end the day at Castle of Good Hope, built in 1652 as a supply place for the Dutch East India Company by Jan van Riebeeck.

You will return to the train at 14:30 and it will leave for Worcester at 16:00.

Day 2: Hermanus of golf -

After breakfast you leave for Hermanus at 09:00, this time by road and not by rail (distance 120 km). Golfers can optionally play on the Arabella golf course in Kleinmond (distance 100 km).

You travel over the breathtaking mountain passes Rooihoogte and Floorshoogte and through the Overberg villages of Villiersdorp and Botrivier to the final destination of Hermanus. A fishing village that is best known for the many whales that can be seen between July and November. Whale watching in Hermanus is an unforgettable experience.

At 16:00 you will return to the train in Ashton and the journey will continue to Voorbaai where you will spend the night.

Day 3: Knysna tour of golf -

Golfers leave today at 9:00 am for the Ernie Els Oubaai Golf Club to turn and return to the train in the afternoon.

The other passengers can today take a boat trip on the Knysna Lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. Guests who prefer shopping can do this in Knysna. For example, visit the cozy Waterfront with its many restaurants and shops.

You drive again a beautiful route through the South African landscape. Knysna is best known for the Knysna Heads, two sandstone rocks that form the border between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean, worth a photo when you visit this coastal town!

Tonight’s dinner is at George, the heart of the Garden Route. George has a beautiful location between the ocean in the south and the Outeniqua mountains in the north. You can dine at the restaurant at Fancourt Golf Estate. Day distance 180 km.

Day 4: Oudtshoorn of golf -

For golfers it is today at 9:00 AM for the tee off at the Fancourt Golf Course. After golfing you will drive at 2:00 pm via the beautiful Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn where you will board again.

After breakfast, non-golfers drive via the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn to visit the wonderful Cango Caves. Be surprised by the beauty of the rooms of this cave. In the afternoon you can visit an ostrich farm, after all you are in the ostrich capital of the world!

At 15:30 everyone is back on the train and you are leaving for Graaff Reinet.

Day 5: Graaff Reinet -

A quiet start to the day, a guide will take you on a walk through Graaff Reinet to tell you more about this is the fourth oldest town in South Africa. This place was founded in 1786 and has more than 200 historic buildings. You will also find a variety of museums and galleries here.

At 11:00 you will return to the train for lunch and leave for Kimberley.

Day 6: Kimberley tour of golf -

Kimberley is the capital of the Northern Cape and is known for the huge hole in the earth; the Big Hole, the result of mining diamonds. The discovery of diamonds led to the creation of the city in 1893.

After breakfast you board the bus for a trip through the city of Kimberley. A visit to the Big Hole Diamond Museum is of course essential. After a lunch stop at a restaurant, visit the William Humphreys Art Gallery and the Mc Gregor House.

Golfers can play at Kimberley Golf Club today, tee off is 9:00 AM.

All passengers return to the train at 17:00 and it leaves for Bloemfontein where you will spend the night.

Day 7: Bloemfontein -

This morning you will take a city tour through Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State province. An impressive stop during this excursion is the visit to the Women’s Memorial at the Anglo Boere War museum, a reminder of the 27,000 women and children who died in the concentration camps during the war between the British and the Peasants.

Around 11:00 you will return to the train, which will then head east towards Ladysmith. You will have lunch on board the train at 1 p.m.

Day 8: Battlefield tour of golf -

Whoever wants to play golf today has to get up early. Already at 7 a.m. you will leave for Champagne Sports Resort, about an hour’s drive from Ladysmith.

History lovers have an interesting morning ahead with a visit to the battlefields of the Anglo Boere war. A war that started in the spring of 1899 and lasted three years. See with your own eyes where British fought the Afrikaners and visit Wagon Hill. Get a bit wiser at the Siege museum in Ladysmith, where it becomes clear that many British and Afrikaners lost their lives here. Visitors also gain insight into the early lives of Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and General Louis Botha, three leaders who left their mark on this.

Everyone returns to the train between 12:30 and 13:00 and leaves for Durban. Lunch will be served on board at 1 p.m.

Day 9: Durban tour of golf -

Today you will visit Durban, the fourth largest city in South Africa. The city is especially important for industry because of the large port. Durban has a subtropical climate, so many South Africans visit this place with its vast beaches, especially in the winter.

Golfers can play today at the Durban Country Club. Tee off at 7:30 am and return to the train at 4:00 pm. Non-golfers take a cultural trip to PheZulu Safari Village and then visit the famous uShaka Marine World.

The train runs at 16:00 to Empangeni where you will spend the night today.

Day 10: St. Lucia Wetland Park and Dumazula village tour of golf -

In the morning you travel to the wetlands of St. Lucia. Here, bush and beach go hand in hand. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park has a wide variety of trees, plants, animals and birds. You can see hippos and crocodiles here, among other things. Today you will take a tour through this beautiful nature reserve that stretches from St. Lucia to Mozambique along the coast of Kwazulu Natal. This excursion leaves at 9:00 am, lunch en route and return to the train at 3:30 pm, departure for Hluhluwe.

Golfers can optionally play on the Zimbali golf course (128 km from St. Lucia).

Day 11: Hluhluwe game-drive -

Today you will start looking for the Big 5 in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park early in the morning. This park is the oldest nature reserve in Africa and has an area of no less than 96,000 hectares. The landscape consists mainly of hilly areas and the entire Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino) can be found here. The park has become known in particular for its efforts to protect the endangered white rhino. You leave today at 6:30 a.m. and return around 3 p.m. (day distance ± 250 km).

The train leaves in the afternoon to Mpaka station in Swaziland.

Day 12: Eswatini tour of golf -

Today you will travel by bus through the smallest Kingdom (17,000 km²) in southern Africa: Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). From Mpaka you drive through the Ezulwini Valley enjoying the view. In Manzini you will become acquainted with the daily life on the Swatimarkt which is known for its woven baskets, colored textiles and wood carvings. After a visit to the capital Mbabane you can have lunch (for your own account) at Matenga Lodge. Finally a quick look inside the Ngwenya glass factory where you may find a nice souvenir (day distance ± 280 km). After the border formalities at the Jeppes Reef border post (around 4 p.m.), you climb back on board the train in Malelane.

For golfers, the day looks like this: at 8 a.m. you will leave for Nkonyeni Golf Estate where you will be ready for the tee off an hour later. At 16:00 you will arrive at the Jeppes Reef border post from where you will travel to Malelane where the train is waiting for you.

Day 13: Kruger National Park of golf -

The world-famous Kruger Park offers a home to many different trees, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, including the Big Five. Not surprising of course if the area of this park has about 2 million hectares!

The game drive takes place in air-conditioned Shongololo vans. You leave at 6.30 am because wild spotting often has the best results in the early morning hours (day distance ± 220 km). There are camps in the park where you will occasionally stop for a break or something to eat. Around 17: 00 you will return to the train in Malelane.

Not in the mood for a game drive? You can also choose to play golf at the Leopard’s Creek golf course in Nelspuit or White River golf course. You leave at 9 a.m. and return at 5 p.m.

The train goes to Nelspruit at 19:00.

Day 14: Panorama route of golf -

Golfers can choose from the Leopard’s Creek, Nelspruit and White River golf courses to play on today. Tee off at 9 a.m.

Today’s tour starts at 9 a.m. and takes you past interesting historical sites and the beautiful nature of the province of Mpumalanga. In 1873 gold was discovered near the town of Pilgim’s Rest, now the village is a living open-air museum and a National Monument. The discovery attracted around 1500 gold diggers and today the old miners’ houses have been refurbished and turned into shops. You will visit the special Bourke’s Luck Potholes, strange deep cavities, formed by erosion and flooding. You drive on to God’s Window where you can look out over the vast lowlands and Kruger Park in clear weather (day distance ± 280 km).

You get on the train again at 16:00 in Nelspruit from where it leaves for Witbank at 17:00.

Day 15: Pretoria and Soweto -

The province of Gauteng is the economic heart of South Africa and the province where the major cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria are located. You will arrive at 10:00 am at the station in Pretoria where your luggage will be safely stored for the rest of the day so that you can participate in a tour of the highlights of Pretoria and Soweto (departure 11:00 am).

Today’s tour starts in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa with more than one million inhabitants. You pass the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere: Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and drive through the only street in Africa where two Nobel Prize winners once lived: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former President Nelson Mandela. You will also visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial in memory of this student who died in 1976 in the fight against the legislation of the Apartheid regime.

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. Here you will visit the Voortrekker Monument and museum. You also take a look at the Union Buildings from where the president and government work. This impressive building with a beautiful terrace garden was completed in 1913 and is a design by the British architect Sir Herbert Baker. In the garden in front of the Union buildings is a large statue of Nelson Mandela.

At 6 p.m. you will return to the station in Pretoria where your luxury train journey ends.

Trip number	7171
Price per person	From€ 5237/ per person
Travel duration	15days
Countries	Eswatini (Swaziland), South Africa
Cities	Knysna, Cape Town, Kimberley, Pretoria, Hermanus, Graaff Reinet, Durban
Starting point	Cape Town
endpoint	Pretoria
Included	Accommodation: Gold Cabin (upgrade to an Emerald Cabin possible) Transport per trein Meals based on dinner bed and breakfast Lunch on board the train where mentioned in the itinerary Tea, coffee and water on board the train Mentioned entrance fees and activities Transfer by bus to the golf courses and to activities
Not included	Flights and possibly visa Travel and cancellation insurance (required) Optional activities Personal expenses and fees Lunches outside the train Drinks Green fees golf courses (must be paid in advance) Entrance fees to (wild) parks not mentioned Supplement possibly upgrade cabin
Type of transport	train
Meals included	dinner bed and breakfast
Type of accommodation	train cabin
Luxury level	Comfort
Child friendly	Children under 10 years old are not allowed. Children from 10 years pay the adult price
Special details	* Shongololo Express uses the rail network of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique. It may therefore occur that a delay occurs or that a different route must be chosen. The activities depend on the circumstances and can be shortened, adjusted or canceled.

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