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Rovos Rail Southbound - Detailed Information

DAY 1

Pretoria. Arrive Capital Park in Pretoria where you met and offered refreshments before departure. 15h00: The "Pride of Africa" departs from Rovos Rail's private station at Capital Park, Pretoria. for Cape Town in a southerly direction. This 1600 kilometre (960 mile) journey backtracks a 160 year old pioneering train forged out of the African bushveld. Leaving Pretoria, the train climbs gently as it moves eastwards towards Kempton Park, a city adjacent to Johannesburg International Airport. First stop is among the skyscrapers of Johannesburg, the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa. It is on the heights of the Witwatersrand, some 1828 metres (6000 feet) above sea level, that the greatest goldfields in history were discovered before the turn of the century. 20h00: Dinner will be served in the dining car. More formal attire is worn in the evening on the "Pride of Africa" although, of course, Black Tie/Tuxedo is not obligatory. The "Pride of Africa" leaves the Golden City, heading towards the Vaal River which marks the boundary between the old Transvaal and the Orange Free State. From here we pass through Bloemhof and Leeudoringstad en-route to Kimberley.

DAY 2

Kimberley. 07h00 - 10h00: Breakfast is served in the Dining Car. 10h00: Arrive in Kimberley. In Kimberley, we enter one of the finest Victorian railway stations in Africa. A product of the railway heyday of the 1870's, the cast iron girders encased in glass soar over the platforms to recall the intricate patterns of a bygone era. Passengers will also visit the Diamond Museum, and intensely interesting and carefully constructed display of historical memorabilia housed next to the "Big Hole," the largest man-made excavation in the world. 13h00 Return to the train. 13h30 Lunch is served as the train departs Kimberley. Leaving the Diamond City, the train continues its journey southwards towards De Aar, (The Artery, named for a river) a major railway junction to Namibia and the northern Cape line. The changing vegetation provides guests with an indication of the increasingly arid nature of the region as the train heads southwards into the heart of the Karoo. This region was once an enormous inland sea. Over millions of years, volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as a silt upon the seabed, to form what geologists call the Karoo system. The vast herds of Springbok of 150 years ago have been replaced by sheep, one of the few animals able to survive on the low-lying scrub that is the common vegetation of the Karoo. The train heads south through the Karoo. Deep into this arid wilderness we encounter the Three Sisters, a trio of buttes or rounded, eroded hillocks well known to all seasoned travellers in South Africa heading south by road or rail. Further south, the train passes through Beaufort-West, a town founded in 1818 by the then Governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset, and named after his father, the Duke of Beaufort.

DAY 3

Matjiesfontein Cape Town. 07h00 - 10h00: Breakfast is served in the Dining Car. 08h15: Arrive at Matjiesfontein. After breakfast, you will have a chance to stroll through this historic settlement. An authentic Victorian railway village stands perfectly preserved at Matjiestontein, which legend has it, is occasionally visited by the ghost of a wounded British "Tommy" of the Anglo-Boer war. 10h30: We depart Matjiesfontein. Leaving Matjiesfontein, the train continues southwards towards Touws River leaving behind the strangely haunting barrenness of the Great Karoo as it descends to the first terrace and the vineyards of the Hex River Valley. 13h00: Lunch will be served as we pass through the Hex River Valley and the town of Worcester. The train continues to loose altitude, reaching the first mountain terrace and the town of Worcester before heading for Paarl in the heart of the Winelands. Close to Cape Town, the vegetation is either tinged green by the winter rain of the Western Cape, a region which enjoys a Mediterranean climate, or burnt brown during the long hot summer. Cape Town, internationally known for the majestic beauty of Table Mountain, is the "Mother City" of South Africa. The subtle interplay of sea and mountain which characterises the Cape of Good Hope moved intrepid explorer Sir Francis Drake to call it "the fairest Cape in all the circumferences of the globe." A description with which all visitors agree. 18h00 Arrival at Cape Town Station. From the station you will be transferred to Cape Town International airport or your chosen location in the area. End of safari. Kindly note that departure and arrival times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed.