Is rail travel included?

Yes. The package includes 11 nights aboard Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa in Pullman Suites, plus all rail, ferry, and coach travel throughout the tour.

Is this an escorted tour?

Yes. Vacations By Rail provides a Tour Manager from start to finish, and all guided tours and excursions are included.

What is included for meals?

Breakfast each day, 12 lunches, 13 dinners, and afternoon tea each day aboard Rovos Rail. Beer, wine, and soft drinks are included on board.

Which wildlife reserves are visited?

Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe Park in Zululand, and Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape.

How much walking and physical activity is involved?

The operator rates this trip Mobility Level 2, which includes guided city tours, wildlife-viewing drives from open-top vehicles, ferry rides, and a cable car ride to Table Mountain.

What is not included?

Flights, airport transfers, cancellation insurance, and travel insurance are not included.

No longer offered

Vacations By Rail has withdrawn this trip from sale. We keep the page for reference and comparison. Live alternatives are under Similar journeys below.

Vacations By Rail · Escorted tour

Grand Tour of South Africa

17-day luxury train journey from Pretoria to Cape Town with safaris and wine

Vacations By Rail's Grand Tour of South Africa is a 17-day escorted journey from Pretoria to Cape Town, centered on 12 nights aboard Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa, one of the world's most luxurious trains. The route traverses South Africa and Eswatini, stopping at three major wildlife reserves: Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe Park, and Addo Elephant Park, each offering safari drives in search of the Big Five. Between train segments, passengers stay in four-star and five-star hotels and visit cultural landmarks including the Mantenga Cultural Village, the Anglo-Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein, and Robben Island. The journey concludes with four nights in Cape Town, including a cable car ascent of Table Mountain, a visit to the Boulders Bay penguin colony, and tours of the Franschhoek and Stellenbosch wine valleys. A Tour Manager accompanies the group throughout, and the maximum group size is 24, creating a small-group experience. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided daily, along with afternoon tea aboard the train.

What to know before you look closer

Flights and airport transfers are not included; book separately to reach Pretoria and depart from Cape Town.
The group size can be up to 24 passengers, which is large for some travellers.
Cancellation and travel insurance are not included in the price and must be arranged separately.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Pretoria
Arrival in the city of Pretoria
Arrive independently in Pretoria and check into the hotel; welcome drink and first group dinner with the Tour Manager.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2railovernight: train (Pride of Africa)
Starting our journey on the Pride of Africa
Morning at leisure in Pretoria, then transfer to Rovos Rail's private station to begin the 12-night journey aboard the Pride of Africa, heading toward Kruger National Park.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3railovernight: train
Traveling aboard Rovos Rail toward Kruger
Scenic rail day through Mpumalanga province and the Drakensberg escarpment, traveling overnight to Malelane at the gateway to Kruger National Park.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4railovernight: train
A sunrise safari in Kruger National Park
Sunrise wildlife safari drive in Kruger National Park (Big Five territory), lunch in the park, then reboard the train continuing toward Eswatini.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5railovernight: train
Exploring the mountain Kingdom of Eswatini
Visit the Swazi Candles Centre in the Ezulwini Valley and the Mantenga Cultural Village, then rejoin the train crossing back into South Africa toward Hluhluwe.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6railovernight: train
Wildlife viewing in Africa's oldest nature reserve
Safari in Hluhluwe Park in historic Zululand (Big Five, white rhino conservation), then the train continues south toward Durban.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7railovernight: train
Guided tour of Durban on the Indian Ocean coast
Guided tour of Durban including botanical gardens and a beachfront lunch in Umhlanga; the train continues through the Valley of a Thousand Hills toward the Drakensberg Mountains.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8overnight: train
Spionkop Lodge & Nambiti Game Reserve
Visit Spionkop Lodge (Anglo-Boer War history) and a wildlife drive in Nambiti Game Reserve, then continue toward Harrismith in the Free State.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9railovernight: train
Golden Gate National Park & Clarens
Drive through Golden Gate Highlands National Park to the town of Clarens; visit Sandstone Heritage Trust's heritage train and vehicle collection.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10overnight: train
The Pride of Africa to Bloemfontein
Tour of Bloemfontein including the Anglo-Boer War Museum's Women's Memorial, then an afternoon crossing the Karoo semi-desert.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11overnight: train
Encountering the elephants of Addo Elephant Park
Open-top vehicle wildlife-viewing drive in Addo Elephant Park (home to roughly 600 elephants), then continue overnight toward Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12overnight: George
Knysna Lagoon ferry ride & Fancourt Estate
Depart Gqeberha by coach along the Garden Route to Knysna for a sightseeing ferry past the Knysna Heads, then transfer to the Fancourt Hotel in George.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13overnight: train
Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world
Visit an ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn and the Cango Caves, then rejoin the Pride of Africa at Prince Albert Road Station for the final onboard dinner (1920s dress theme).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14overnight: Cape Town
Journeying through the scenic winelands to Cape Town
Final day aboard the Pride of Africa through the Western Cape winelands, arriving Cape Town this evening; transfer to hotel near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 15overnight: Cape Town
Seeing the Cape Peninsula and Boulders Bay Penguin Colony
Drive via Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak Drive to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope (Flying Dutchman funicular), then visit the Boulders Bay penguin colony.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 16overnight: Cape Town
Touring Cape Town, including Robben Island & Table Mountain
Ferry and guided tour of Robben Island, then a city drive through Bo-Kaap and a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain (weather permitting).
Meals: Breakfast
Day 17
Exploring the Cape Winelands of South Africa & traveling home
Check out and tour the Franschhoek and Stellenbosch wine valleys (Rickety Bridge Winery, Middelvlei Wine Estate braai lunch), then transfer to Cape Town airport.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The moments this trip is built around

Day 4Sunrise wildlife safari in Kruger National Park, home to the Big Five.
Day 5Visit the Mantenga Cultural Village in the mountain Kingdom of Eswatini.
Day 11Open-top vehicle drive in Addo Elephant Park to view roughly 600 elephants.
Day 15Visit the Boulders Bay penguin colony and drive via Chapman's Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope.
Day 16Ferry and guided tour of Robben Island, then cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain.

Included

Expertise of a Tour Manager from start to finish
5 nights' 4 & 5-Star hotel accommodation
11 nights in Pullman Suite aboard Rovos Rail
All rail, ferry and coach travel throughout your tour
Breakfast each day, 12 lunches, 13 dinners
Afternoon tea each day aboard Rovos Rail
Beer, wine and soft drinks on board Rovos Rail
Small Group: max group size of 24
All guided tours and excursions

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance is not included in the price of the tour but can be arranged
Flights and Airport transfers not included

Questions travellers ask

Is rail travel included?: Yes. The package includes 11 nights aboard Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa in Pullman Suites, plus all rail, ferry, and coach travel throughout the tour.
Is this an escorted tour?: Yes. Vacations By Rail provides a Tour Manager from start to finish, and all guided tours and excursions are included.
What is included for meals?: Breakfast each day, 12 lunches, 13 dinners, and afternoon tea each day aboard Rovos Rail. Beer, wine, and soft drinks are included on board.
Which wildlife reserves are visited?: Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe Park in Zululand, and Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape.
How much walking and physical activity is involved?: The operator rates this trip Mobility Level 2, which includes guided city tours, wildlife-viewing drives from open-top vehicles, ferry rides, and a cable car ride to Table Mountain.
What is not included?: Flights, airport transfers, cancellation insurance, and travel insurance are not included.

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