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Review Itinerary
Summary
Checkout
Duration
13 DaysStarts In
PretoriaRoute
Hluhluwe, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town , Kruger National Park, Pretoria
Few journeys pack this much of South Africa into a single itinerary. Rovos Rail's 13-day route from Pretoria to Cape Town moves from the coal country where the railway itself was born through Kruger National Park's Big Five wilderness, the mountain kingdom of Eswatini, and the wildlife-rich reserves of Zululand. Coastal stops in Durban and battlefield history at Spionkop give way to the sandstone drama of Golden Gate, the Karoo's ochre expanse, and elephant country at Addo. A stay on the Garden Route and a detour to the Cango Caves round out the adventure before the final descent through the Cape winelands into Cape Town. Golf alternatives are available throughout for travelers who'd rather swing a club than climb aboard a game vehicle.
RAIL JOURNEY 13 Days / 12 Nights Aboard Rovos Rail Luxury Train from Pretoria to Cape Town, featuring Kruger National Park, the Kingdom of eSwatini, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant National Park and Cape Town. Includes private arrival & departure transfers, your choice of luxury cabin accommodations, room service, all meals, local beer, wine and soft drinks, onboard lectures and guided excursions as indicated in the itinerary.
Includes
- Accommodations as per itinerary
- Meals as per itinerary; breakfast (B), lunch (L), dinner (D)
- Sightseeing: per itinerary
- Keytours 24-hour emergency assistance
- Private arrival and departure transfers as per itinerary
- Group Manager/Guide with Group
Excludes
- Items of a personal nature
- All other items not mentioned as included
- Transfers not mentioned in the itinerary
- Travel insurance; please inquire with your Keytours travel consultant
- Gratuities for drivers, guides, and escorts
Itinerary
Day
1
1
Day 1
Day 1: Rails & Rivals — Departing Pretoria
Check in at least an hour before departure at Rovos Rail Station; arrive two hours early if you'd like to join a tour of the station and museum first. As the train pulls out, it follows the eastern line through the coal-mining country of eMalahleni, where Rovos Rail itself was founded, and on through Middelburg, known as the "stainless steel capital of Africa." This historic route was built by the Dutch railway company NZASM between 1893 and 1895, linking Pretoria to the coast at Lourenço Marques. Hand your passport to the Train Manager for safekeeping, then settle in for a formal dinner in the dining cars as the journey begins in earnest.
Day
2
2
Day 2
Day 2: Highland Hush — Trout Country
Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 as the train rolls through the rolling hills of eMakhazeni, eNtokozweni and Emnothweni, a gentle highland landscape renowned among anglers for its skilful trout fishing. Lunch follows in the dining cars, with afternoon tea in the lounge and observation cars offering a relaxed pause to take in the scenery. As the light softens, the train continues toward Malelane, tonight's stop on the approach to Kruger. A formal dinner is served in the dining cars this evening, the first of several unhurried days given over entirely to rail travel.
Day
3
3
Day 3
Day 3: Big Five Country — Kruger National Park
Breakfast is served in the dining cars before a morning game drive through Kruger National Park, two million hectares of protected wilderness home to 147 mammal species, including the Big Five, alongside 507 species of birds. Lunch is taken in the park, with time for curio shopping before returning to the train. A golf alternative is available on request, with transfer to Kambaku Golf Club for tee-off and lunch. Afternoon tea follows in the lounge and observation cars as the train travels toward Mpaka, with border formalities into Eswatini completed en route. Dress for dinner is formal.
Day
4
4
Day 4
Day 4: Kingdom in the Mountains — Eswatini
Breakfast is served in the dining cars before a transfer of around ninety minutes to Swazi Candles and the Mantenga Cultural Village, where artisans demonstrate traditional craft and the living museum recreates 1850s Swazi life; lunch is included. A golf alternative is available on request at Royal Swazi or Nkonyeni. Eswatini, one of the world's last absolute monarchies, covers just 17,000 square kilome2ters of mostly mountainous terrain and maintains two capitals, administrative and royal. Return to the train for afternoon tea before border formalities and a formal dinner as the train continues toward Hluhluwe.
Day
5
5
Day 5
Day 5: Zululand Wild — Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
An early continental breakfast precedes a short transfer to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve, for a morning game drive across 960 square kilometers of hilly Zululand terrain. It is the only state-run KwaZulu-Natal park with all Big Five species present, and a celebrated destination for birders. Return to the train for lunch as the route turns south along the Indian Ocean coastline, with afternoon tea served in the lounge and observation cars. A formal dinner in the dining cars closes out a day rich with wildlife and dramatic scenery.
Day
6
6
Day 6
Day 6: Coastal City — Durban's Gardens & Beachfront
Breakfast is served before a morning tour of Durban, South Africa's third-largest city and a major port, including a visit to the botanical gardens and lunch on Umhlanga's beachfront. A golf alternative is available on request at Durban Country Club or Cotswold Downs. In the afternoon, the train traverses the Valley of a Thousand Hills, a dramatic stretch of rolling KwaZulu-Natal landscape, with tea served in the lounge and observation cars. Dinner this evening carries an "Africa" theme or smart casual dress code, a relaxed close to a day spent exploring the coast.
Day
7
7
Day 7
Day 7: Battlefields & Peaks — Spionkop & the Drakensberg
Breakfast is served until 09:00 before a transfer to Spionkop Lodge to hear the history of the Battle of Spionkop and walk terrain once trodden by Churchill and Gandhi, with lunch included; an afternoon nature drive or time to relax at the lodge follows. A golf alternative is available on request at Champagne Sports Resort. The Drakensberg range takes its name from Voortrekker settlers, who saw in its weathered peaks the spine of a dragon. Return to the train for afternoon tea before a formal dinner as the journey continues toward Harrismith.
Day
8
8
Day 8
Day 8: Golden Cliffs — Golden Gate & Clarens
Breakfast is served before a scenic drive through Golden Gate Highlands National Park, known for its deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and the striking Brandwag Rock, followed by a visit to the picturesque foothill town of Clarens. After lunch on your own account, transfer to the Sandstone Heritage Trust, home to an extensive collection of heritage trains, tractors, buses and military vehicles, before rejoining the train at Bethlehem. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation cars as the day winds down. A formal dinner in the dining cars completes the evening.
Day
9
9
Day 9
Day 9: Rose City — Bloemfontein & the Karoo
Breakfast is served before a tour of Bloemfontein, seat of South Africa's judicial system and former capital of the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State, including the Women's Memorial and Anglo Boer War Museum, a moving record of the 27,000 women and children who died in the concentration camps of that conflict. The train then crosses the Karoo, a vast semi-desert of scattered towns and hardy vegetation, descending the Great Escarpment toward the coast. Lunch and afternoon tea are served on board, followed by a formal dinner in the dining cars this evening.
Day
10
10
Day 10
Day 10: Elephant Country — Addo & Port Elizabeth
Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00, followed by lunch, ahead of an afternoon game drive through Addo Elephant Park, South Africa's third-largest reserve and home to one of the densest elephant populations on earth, at more than 600 individuals. A golf alternative is available on request at Humewood Golf Course, with lunch included and return to the train at Port Elizabeth, known locally as the Friendly City or Windy City for its coastal breezes and major port. A formal dinner is served in the dining cars this evening.
Day
11
11
Day 11
Day 11: Lagoon & Links — Knysna to Fancourt
Pack an overnight bag for tonight's stay at Fancourt; tog bags are provided in your suite. Breakfast is served before a transfer to Oudebosch Farm Stall for a refreshment stop, then on to Knysna for a lagoon ferry ride and lunch, framed by the dramatic sandstone cliffs of the Knysna Heads. A golf alternative is available on request at Pezula or Simola. The Garden Route's lush, verdant terrain owes itself to heavy rainfall trapped between coastal cliffs and inland mountains. Transfer onward for check-in, with dinner and overnight included. Dress is smart casual.
Day
12
12
Day 12
Day 12: Ostrich Country — Oudtshoorn & the Cango Caves
Check out and collect your bag from reception before breakfast, then transfer to an ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn, a Klein Karoo town whose early-20th-century ostrich-feather boom minted a wave of local millionaires. Lunch follows, then a visit to the Cango Caves, with their colourful underground chambers and dramatic limestone formations set at the foot of the Swartberg Mountains. A golf alternative is available on request, with morning tee-off at Fancourt followed by a scenic transfer to rejoin the train. Rejoin at Prince Albert Road Station for a formal dinner as the train continues toward Matjiesfontein; tonight's dress theme is "1920s" or smart casual.
Day
13
13
Day 13
Day 13: Journey's End — Arrival in Cape Town
Have your luggage ready for collection 15 minutes before arrival, along with your passport. Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 as the train trundles through the mountain ranges and scenic winelands of the Western Cape toward the coast. Lunch and afternoon tea are served on board as the journey draws to its close. The train arrives at journey's end at Cape Town Station in the early evening, closing out thirteen days of rail travel through some of Southern Africa's most storied landscapes, from coal country and Zululand wilderness to the Garden Route and Cape winelands.
Dates & Prices
6 of Apr, 2027
Tuesday
2 of Nov, 2027
Tuesday
15 of Mar, 2028
Wednesday
5 of Apr, 2028
Wednesday
15 of Nov, 2028
Wednesday
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