A Luxury African Rail Experience

Day notes

On arrival in Cape Town you will be met for your transfer to your hotel.

Day notes

Today enjoy a tour of the Cape Peninsula, which allows visitors the opportunity to experience the variety of landscapes and scenery Cape Town has to offer. Experience the majestic beauty of the Atlantic seaboard and Chapman's Peak. Continue to the quaint fishing village of Hout Bay and visit Cape Point and the colony of Jackass penguins at Boulders Beach.

Day notes

Central to exciting nightlife and entertainment, One&Only Cape Town is an ideal gateway to the uniquely rare adventures of South Africa such as an adrenalin-surging adventure experience in the heart of the world's Great White Shark mecca that will leave you in awe of these creatures. Maybe take a trip in the cable car up Table Mountain or a boat ride for a poignant visit to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years. Perhaps take time to explore the vibrant V&A Waterfront with its many shops, restaurants and activities available as well as the fascinating Two Oceans Aquarium. In the summer months maybe head for the white sand beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay for people watching and soaking up the African Sun. Whatever else, you will not be at a loss for things to do!

Day notes

Enjoy the day at leisure.

Day notes

Today depart on a full-day tour of the Winelands. Here you get to taste the good life! The marriage of fine wine with appropriately fine food is an indescribable experience. You will enjoy wine tasting at two specially selected wine estates and lunch in the winelands. In the late afternoon, make your way to Franschhoek for your overnight. Situated on the outskirts of the Franschhoek Village, only 1 km from the main town it is an ideal base to indulge your tastes for fine wines and world class cuisine. The original Franschhoek Country House offer 14 well equipped rooms all designed with your comfort in mind offering charming accommodation and expected services to invite you to relax and unwind. All en-suite rooms are individually appointed and have comfortable lush duvets with embroidered percale cotton linen. Known as the food and wine capital of South Africa, Franschhoek boasts a number of top award winning restaurants including the Monneaux Restaurant. Why not stay in, where you can sample the fine delicacies that have made Franschhoek one of the world’s leading capitals of fine wines and cuisine.

Day notes

Enjoy an early breakfast, then transfer back to the city where you register and check-in at the Blue Train Lounge, for your luxury train journey northbound. The Blue Train has an aura of mystique about it. Kings and presidents have travelled on this magnificent moving five-star hotel. Its very name has become synonymous with the ultimate in luxury and personal service. As the ever-changing scenery flashes past the windows, guests can savour exquisite meals freshly prepared on board by top chefs. The meals are complemented by the best wines South Africa has to offer. The suites on The Blue Train live up to its reputation for magnificence and splendor. The finest bed linen, marble tiles and gold fittings in the bathrooms and sheer opulence all ensure that guests will never forget the time they spend on The Blue Train. When you choose to travel on The Blue Train, you choose to travel in a world of grace, elegance and romance. Linking the private suites of The Blue Train are two wood-paneled cars: the lounge and club cars. The elegant lounges are ideally positioned for an apéritif, an interlude between meals or an after-dinner conversation over coffee, cognac and Cuban cigars. You can while away the miles with a game of cards, chess or backgammon, tune in to the big-screen television or browse through a volume from the library while savoring your beverage of choice from the well-stocked bar. Unwind, relax, and indulge. The Blue Train experience is a banquet for all the senses and this is especially true of our dining car. Here the reassuring weight of Sheffield cutlery and crystal glassware on crisp white linen set the tone for the delights to follow. As the sky darkens over the landscape, the day's smart-casual dress code gives way to a parade of elegant eveningwear or traditional attire, in keeping with The Blue Train's classic livery and earthy African décor.

Day notes

On arrival at Pretoria Station, you will be met and transferred to your hotel, African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel. The Melrose Arch Hotel offers 5-star accommodation for the discerning traveler in Johannesburg’s latest vibe – the Melrose Arch lifestyle development. This lifestyle development is an area that is safe, outdoors and offers the best in boutique shops, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. If you are looking to be part of the buzz and fast pace that Johannesburg is so well known for this is the hotel for you.

Day notes

Enjoy breakfast and then transfer to Johannesburg Airport for your flight to Hoedspruit. You will be met on arrival and transferred to Simbambili Lodge, situated among dense stands of knobthorn and jackalberry trees along the meandering Manyeleti River in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, part of the world-renowned Kruger National Park.

With its Morroccan-styled suites that have been sensitively designed to blend with the environment and carefully positioned to enhance privacy, this is a must for the romantic at heart. Each suite has its own plunge pool and Sala overlooking the watering hole.

This exquisite lodge is famed for its regular Leopard sightings and abundance of general game species as well as extraordinary bird life. With the lodge accommodating a maximum of 16 guests, public areas carefully designed to resemble hospitality akin to a comfortable home with specially prepared meals and venues for entertaining and relaxation.

Sophisticated yet simple, each suite has spectacular views over an extensive savannah grassland that teems with wildlife, as seen from the unique en-suite bathrooms and salas or from individual private plunge pools.

Simbambili Game Lodge offers unique exclusive safari experiences in both open Land Rovers, and on foot. The private reserve is home to an abundance of species: 147 mammals including the "Big Five", 114 reptiles, 507 birds, 49 fish, 34 amphibians and 336 trees. The reserve is predominantly open savannah and with a near perfect year round climate, it is the ideal African safari holiday destination.

Day notes

The day starts as dawn breaks over the African bushveld, after your early morning wake-up call. Shortly after, you depart in your open land rover with your experienced Rangers and Trackers who will share their extensive knowledge of the bush with you. These drives are undertaken at times best suited for game viewing which vary depending on the season but typically start early morning. Where applicable you may be invited out of the vehicle to see tracks, examine certain plants and follow spoor. After an exhilarating hunt for tracks to see what the animals have been up to during the night, and tracking down whatever you find, you will stop somewhere out in the bush for a break of coffee & tea. After a sumptuous breakfast is served either back at the camp or in the riverbed or bush, guests are offered walks to suit their interests and fitness levels and are accompanied by an armed ranger and tracker. The rest of the day is spent at your discretion for other activities that are offer, with a late lunch served around 3.00pm. Lunch is followed by the afternoon game drive and extends into the evening to view seldom seen nocturnal species by torchlight. Once again, you will break somewhere out in the bush, in a remote, scenic spot to watch the sunset, where sundowners and snacks are offered whilst you once again stretch your legs. Upon returning for a gourmet 3 course dinner, either in the boma, bush or lodge - guests can socialize with a cognac, single malt or cigar around the campfire or lounge before returning to bed for another day's adventure.

Day notes

Overnight on a fully-inclusive basis at Simbambili Game Lodge

Day notes

After one last opportunity to seek out any animals you have not managed to see during your stay, and a hearty breakfast, transfer by road to Hoedspruit Airport.