South African Heartlands

13-day South Africa Escorted Tour

The term ‘travelling in style’ could have been coined for this tour. The pinnacle of elegant sophistication and the ultimate in scenic splendour combine as Rovos Rail winds from the highlands through the heart of South Africa to the ocean with you, spellbound, on board.

Tour highlights

• Sightseeing around Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula
• Exploring the gracious colonial-style railway station which was once the bustling hub of steam locomotion in the old Transvaal, before boarding your Rovos Rail train
• Winding through the African hills and plains on one of the world’s most luxurious trains
• Travelling from Pretoria to Durban, through the wide open plains of the high veld, past the Drakensberg Mountains to the Indian Ocean
• Venturing through KwaZulu-Natal, past ‘rondavel’ houses in small villages
• Watching for the ‘Big Five’ on an exhilarating safari game drive
• Relaxing in an Indian Ocean resort

Extend your holiday
Your South African Heartlands tour gives you a fantastic flavour of the diverse life and landscape in South Africa. There’s so much more to see though, and you have two superb tour extensions to choose from. You could either get closer to nature with three nights at Shamwari Private Game Reserve, looking for the ‘Big Five’, or see South Africa’s more cultured side, with three nights in the winelands, to sample the locally produced wines and explore the picturesque town of Stellenbosch.

Tour itinerary

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow
Join your Tour Manager in the executive lounge, where you can relax over complimentary drinks and snacks before boarding your flight to Johannesburg.
Meals: In-flight.

Day 2 Arrive Johannesburg
This morning arrive in Johannesburg, and settle in to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to unwind and enjoy the facilities of the hotel, set on a hillside with verdant gardens and featuring an inviting heated pool on a terrace above the Johannesburg Zoological Gardens. This evening you’ll meet up with your Tour Manager and fellow adventurers for a welcome dinner.
Meals: In-flight, Dinner.
Hotel: Westcliff Hotel.

Day 3 Johannesburg
This morning you’ll experience a guided tour of vibrant Soweto. You’ll see Nelson Mandela’s former house, the moving Apartheid Museum and the Hector Peterson Memorial. Later head to Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, to see the grand Union Buildings and the impressive Voortrekker Monument.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel: Westcliff Hotel.

Day 4 Rovos Rail, Pretoria to Elandslaagte
This morning you’ll head to Capital Park station to board Rovos Rail for an incredible 3-day journey to Durban. Visiting the private station is a highlight in itself, with its gracious, colonial-style architecture and interesting museum, which is being developed to become the foremost working train museum in the world. Rail enthusiasts will enjoy the vast carriage and loco sheds, where dedicated teams keep the rolling stock in perfect order. This roofed workshop of 10,000 sq metres straddles 15 railway lines with concrete inspection pits below, and is the ultimate repair and maintenance facility for any train operation. Settled into your luxury carriage, you’ll depart from the station and travel past the railway junction of Germiston, into the goldfields of Witwatersrand near Johannesburg, which is home to some of the deepest mines in the world. You might like to join your fellow travellers in the midway lounge car or in the observation carriage at the rear of the train to admire the views. Lunch is served as you pass the Heidelberg hills and the small towns of Standerton and Balfour, which is named after the British Prime Minister who gave a speech on the station’s platform. The journey continues to Vooruitsig and climbs to 2,146m as you traverse scenic Majuba Hill. After dinner in the dining car, the train arrives at Elandslaagte rail siding for the overnight stop, adjacent to Nambiti Private Game Reserve.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Train: Rovos Rail Pullman Suite.

Day 5 Rovos Rail, Nambiti to Estcourt
You’ll have an early wake-up call this morning for a game drive in the Nambiti Private Game Reserve, at the time when the wildlife is at its most active. This ‘Big Five’ private bush retreat is set on 19,000 acres of malaria-free bushveld in KwaZulu-Natal, with an incredible biodiversity including savannah, grasslands, thornveld and tall acacia trees. The Sundays River flows through the reserve, punctuated by two 40 metre waterfalls. Refreshments are served before and during your game drive. Then, when you reboard the train mid-morning, you can enjoy brunch in the dining car as you travel towards Estcourt, further into KwaZulu-Natal State. In the afternoon, you’ll arrive at Spionkop Lodge, where you have a choice of excursions. You can either visit Spionkop game reserve to look out for more of South Africa’s incredible wildlife. Alternatively, you can go on a guided tour of Spionkop battlefield from the Anglo-Boer War, where Winston Churchill served as a young war reporter and Mohandas Ghandi worked as a Red Cross ambulance volunteer. After your trip, you’ll return to the wonderfully restored colonial lodge for a sundowner and a traditional South African dinner overlooking the magnificent Spionkop dam, before returning to your suite on board the train for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Train: Rovos Rail Pullman Suite.

Day 6 Rovos Rail, Estcourt to Durban
The views today are spectacular as you journey past the Drakensberg mountains and through the picturesque Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. You’ll stop at Lions River Station for a visit to the Ardmore ceramics gallery. Ardmore Ceramic Art tells a story about the Zulu people, whose spirit and sense of rhythm, colour, dance and song exerts an influence on the other continents of the world. Your visit also includes a wonderful equestrian display and tea served on a spot overlooking the river. Back on board, you’ll depart for Pietermaritzburg, and you’ll sit down for lunch as the train traverses the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills. Later on, you’ll arrive at your destination in Durban, and transfer up the coast to the Zimbali Lodge, to relax in beautiful surroundings on the tropical Indian Ocean coast.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Hotel: Zimbali Lodge.

Day 7 Durban
Today you have a free day to make the most of your wonderful coastal location. If you’d like to take an optional excursion to explore Durban, just ask your Tour Manager.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel: Zimbali Lodge.

Day 8 Durban to Cape Town
Board your flight to Cape Town today, where you’ll transfer to your stylish hotel for a relaxing evening.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel: Taj Cape Town.

Day 9 Cape Town
Today’s tour takes you up to Table Mountain on a thrilling cable car ride, for amazing views of the city and bay. There’s time to explore the plateau of Table Mountain, before heading back down to see the Malay quarter, the front of City Hall and the Houses of Parliament. You’ll continue on to the Castle of Good Hope before arriving at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for some shopping or dining.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel: Taj Cape Town.

Day 10 Cape Town
You’ll embark on a superb full day tour of the Cape Peninsula today, visiting Boulders Beach penguin colony before heading to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve for a visit to Cape Point.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel: Taj Cape Town.

Day 11 Cape Town
Today is a free day, and your Tour Manager will be able to recommend optional trips that give you more of a taste of the local area. You might like to visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, or you may prefer a trip to the excellent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which has a fantastic collection of native Cape flora.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel: Taj Cape Town.

Day 12 Depart Cape Town
Spend your last morning in Cape Town before transferring to the airport this afternoon for your return flight to Heathrow.
Meals: Breakfast, In-flight.

Day 13 Arrive Heathrow
You’ll arrive into Heathrow this morning, with plenty of new memories and new friends.
Meals: In-flight.

Any questions? Chat to your Personal Travel Advisor on 0161 491 7616