Upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport from your international flight, you are met by our representative and your travel documents will be handed to you. Once you have received your documents, our representative will transfer you by road to Luxury Hotel ideally located above the dramatic Atlantic Ocean along the majestic Twelve Apostles and Table Mountain Range.

Arriving at your hotel, you are met at reception and assisted to your Luxury Room for your two night stay. You enjoy time at leisure to settle into your room before making your way to Azure Restaurant for a fine dining experience.

Road Transfer Time – Cape Town Airport to Twelve Apostles: approx. 40 minutes

Welcome to Cape Town, Mother City of Africa, and the Western Cape, an area which is regarded as one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Explore the Mother City and the Fairest Cape – from the oldest buildings in South Africa to trendy waterfront shopping; from majestic Table Mountain to sun drenched beaches; and from dramatic seascapes to verdant vineyards.

This morning you enjoy breakfast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean before you are met by your driver and transferred to your Luxury Wildlife Reserve in the Klein (Little) Karoo for your three night stay. Enjoy the scenic drive along the N2, Route 44 and 62 from Cape Town to the malaria-free game reserve nestled at the foot of the towering Warmwaterberg Mountain.

Arriving at the Welcome Lounge in the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, you are met by the staff members with a refreshing welcome drink before you transferred by game viewing vehicle to your lodge within the reserve. Arriving at your tented lodge, you are assisted to your tented suite for your stay. There is time to settle into your suite before departing on your afternoon game activity. Returning to the lodge in the early evening, you enjoy dinner before retiring to your tented suite for the evening.

Road Transfer Time – Cape Town to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve: approx. 3 hours

Seated at the foot of the Warmwaterberg Mountain Range in the heart of the Little Karoo, Sanbona pays tribute to the San people who made this arid environment their home for centuries. Sanbona has an alluring atmosphere of stillness, an air of isolation amid the raw beauty and boundless plains.

After your final morning game drive and brunch, you bid farewell to this African Wonderland. Your driver will meet you at the Welcome Lounge and transfer you by road to your Historic Country House on the Jan Harmsgat Farm.

Arriving at your Country House, you are met at reception and assisted to your Superior Suite for your 2 night stay. You may decide to explore the area with your guide this afternoon. You may discuss the various options with your guide.The afternoon and evening is spent at leisure.

Swellendam is the third oldest town in South Africa, boasting a range of exciting attractions. It features over 50 national monuments and is the largest youngberry growing region in the world. Enjoy berry picking, liqueur tastings, and a variety of historical outings. The Hermitage Valley is the largest youngberry producer in the country and visitors are invited to visit some of the farms and taste the liqueur and other berry products on offer.

Swellendam is also famous for the picturesque Koornlands River, its many ancient oak trees which line the streets, the Cape Dutch architecture with their thatch roofs, stately whitewashed homesteads. Today Swellendam is a prosperous agricultural area, known for its Mediterranean climate that makes it an ideal holiday destination all year round.

Road Transfer Time – Sanbona to Swellendam: approx. 1 hour

Swellendam has many historic buildings that serve as a reminder of its exciting past. Visitors should not miss a chance to visit The Drostdy Museum consisting of a collection of heritage sites, namely the Drostdy, the old Gaol, and Mayville House. The Drostdy, which served as the official residence of the magistrate of Swellendam, was one of the most important buildings in the town.

Swellendam is notably the largest youngberry growing region in the world, including farms such as Wildebraam Liqueur Farm and The Berry Farm, where one can enjoy tastings, cellar tours, and berry picking. Other activities to enjoy in Swellendam include lavender picking at the Lavender Farm, relaxing at Warmwaterberg Spa, golfing at Swellendam Golf Club, wine tasting along the Robertson Wine Valley, and canoeing along the Breede River.

Your morning is spent at leisure and enjoying a full farm breakfast before your driver collects you from your Country House and you are transferred along the N2 towards your Luxury Forest Lodge in the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Grootbos Nature Reserve is ideally situated between Hermanus, Gansbaai and De Kelders.

Arriving Grootbos Forest Lodge, you are met at reception and taken to your Luxury Suite for your three night stay. The afternoon is spent at leisure to settle in or you may decide to explore one of the areas in the reserve.

Road Transfer Time – Swellendam to Grootbos: approx. 1 ½ hours

Flanked by the spectacular cliffs of Walker Bay, is the beautiful Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Located close to Cape Town, Grootbos Nature Reserve is a luxury eco-reserve situated close to Hermanus and the Southern Tip of Africa, tucked in-between mountains, forest and the ocean.

Besides the luxurious Lodges located on the Reserve, Grootbos Nature Reserve is a pristine gem dedicated to the preservation of flora and fauna along its coastline. The 2,500 ha reserve is home to 100 endangered plant species, over 20 mammal species, 3 milkwood forests over 10 years old and some of the best land based whale watching along the coast!

Today, you leave this wilderness behind. Once you have enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, you are met at your Lodge by your guide and bid farewell to the Grootbos Nature Reserve. Your driver departs the reserve and transfers you by road to your Boutique Hotel ideally located along the V&A Waterfront.

En-route to your Boutique Hotel, you enjoy the scenic drive along the coastal Route 44, by passing and stopping en-route at the small coastal towns Kleinmond, Betties Bay and Rooi Els.

Arriving at your hotel in the mid-afternoon, you are met at reception and assisted to your suite for your overnight stay. The rest of the afternoon and evening is at leisure.

Road Transfer Time – Grootbos to Cape Town: approx. 3 hours

Day 1:

This morning you are treated to breakfast at your hotel before you are met and transferred by road to the Cape Town Train Station. Arriving at the Station by 10h00, you are met at the Rovos Rail Welcome Lounge with refreshments. Enjoy a leisurely check in before you are assisted to your Pullman Suite.

You have time to settle in before departing the Cape Town Train Station at 11h00. Once you have settled it, you may decide to spend time at leisure in your suite or make your way to the lounge car or observation car to join fellow travellers prior to lunch. Lunch is served in the dining car at 13h00.

At 15h00, the train reaches Worcester in the Hex River Valley before climbing ±750m up the face of the escarpment. The train arrives at the first of four tunnels on the pass. The last tunnel is 13.5 kilometres long so guests are to be careful when walking through the train and may wish to turn on necessary lights. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train at 16h30.

Arriving in Matjiesfontein at 17h45, guests can disembark the Train for an opportunity to stroll through the historic village. Of special interest is the museum on the platform and a collection of historic cars and railway carriages to the right of the Lord Milner Hotel.

The Train Departs at 19h00 and continues along the Karoo tracks. Dinner is served at 19h30 in the dining cars en-route to Kimberley.

After a peaceful nights rest, you awaken to the scenic Karoo Terrain.

Breakfast is served from 07h00 to 10h00 in the dining cars. The rest of the morning is spent at leisure in your suite or in one of the lounge or observation cars before lunch is served at 12h30.

Enjoy lunch before arriving in South Africa’s Diamond Capital, Kimberley at 14h30. Here, you disembark and enjoy a tour of the City, the Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole.

Those with a hankering for history will discover a hidden treasure in Kimberley’s Diamond Museum. Visitors can relish authentic relics from the diamond rush while catching a glimpse of what Kimberley looked like in its Victorian heyday. The Museum features a valuable display of uncut diamonds, precious stones and jewellery. Owing to an investment by De Beers Consolidated Mines, the Big Hole is now a world-class tourist destination which draws visitors from all corners of the globe. While no longer an opulent den dotted with valuable diamonds, the Big Hole functions as an intriguing open-air visitor experience surrounded by original buildings hailing from the diamond-rush heyday.

Departing Kimberley at 16h00, be sure to keep an eye out for the shallow lake seen on the left side of the train where, on most occasions, there are spectacular flocks of Lesser Flamingos (approximately 23 000). Dinner is served at 19h30 in the dining cars en-route to Klerksdorp. NOTE: Formal Dress at Dinner.

Your final morning on the Rovos Rail is spent at leisure as you enjoy breakfast in the dining cars from 07h00 to 10h00 en-route to Pretoria. Travelling North East through the goldfields of the Witwatersrand, you arrive at the Pretoria Train Station at 12h00.

Disembark the Train and bidding farewell to the staff members on board, you are met by your driver and assisted to your Boutique Hotel for your overnight stay. Arriving at your hotel, you are met at reception and assisted to your View Room for an afternoon at leisure.

The City of Pretoria lies only 58 km north of Johannesburg and provides a complete contrast to the City of Gold. South Africa’s administrative capital was founded in 1855 and named after the Voortrekker leader, Andries Pretorius.

Often referred to as the “Jacaranda City”, this nickname refers to the thousands of trees lining the streets, their purple blossoms heralding the approach of summer each October.

Total Kilometres Travelled By Train: approx. 1600 km

Today, your safari begins! This morning you enjoy breakfast at your hotel before you are met by your driver and transferred by road through the rolling hills of the North West Province to your Luxury Safari Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve for your three night safari.

Arriving at your Luxury Lodge in the mid-afternoon, you are met with a refreshing welcome drink before you are assisted to your Luxury Villa. There is time to settle in before departing on your first afternoon game drive in the Madikwe Game Reserve.

Road Transfer Time – Pretoria to Madikwe: approx. 4 ½ hours

The 76,000 hectare Madikwe Game Reserve is one of South Africa’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries and is home to the Big 5 and over 340 bird species. It is especially famous for its packs of African Wild Dog – and it is malaria-free. It is about 4 hours by road from Johannesburg. Madikwe is situated in the transition region between two vegetation types: Lowveld bushveld and Kalahari thornveld. As a result, the region is able to host to an incredible diversity of species.

In addition to wild dog, cheetah, lion, white and black rhino, buffalo and elephant, Madikwe is home to a wide range of plains game, such as giraffe, zebra and many antelope species

The day starts as dawn breaks with your final morning game drive and brunch in the Madikwe Game Reserve. You are met by your driver at the lodge and transferred by road to OR Tambo International Airport. Arriving in Johannesburg, you bid farewell to your driver and make your way to the International Departures Terminal for your flight home.

Road Transfer Time – Madikwe to OR Tambo Airport: approx. 4 ½ hours