Africa Cape to Cairo Train Tour

In 34 days, you will travel through seven countries, experiencing everything from the beautiful South African coast to the vastness of the great plains and the history of the Nile Delta. You will see the Cape Winelands, Serengeti National Park, Victoria Falls, the pyramids and the Valley of Kings… you will stay overnight in a lodge located in the famous Ngorongoro crater, see the unique coral islands of Zanzibar, and visit the source of the Nile.

What’s more, you will also have time to spare in the two great cities that gave the famous railway its name: Cape Town and Cairo.

One day the 500-mile gap that still remains may yet be closed, and the northern and southern sections of the railway brought together. In the meantime, GW Travel’s epic adventure allows you to do what Rhodes could not: travel in style from Cape to Cairo… and experience the ‘greatest romance in all history’.

In a world where ‘everything is possible’, this is a unique adventure.

Day 1: Cape Town Independent arrivals into Cape Town. Transfer to the Cape Grace Hotel for a three night stay. Welcome dinner on the renowned V&A Waterfront.

Day 2: Cape Winelands Full day tour of Cape Winelands, including lunch at a famous wine estate. Afternoon visits to Franschhoek, Boschendal and Stellenbosch before returning to our hotel for dinner.

Day 3: Cape Peninsula Today we visit the sites of Cape Peninsula; including Groot Constantia, Simonstown, Cape Point, Chapman’s Peak Drive, and Kirstenbosch. Lunch on Cape Peninsula and dinner at our hotel.

Day 4: On Board This morning we board the Rovos Rails’ opulent Pride of Africa train at Cape Town station. Afternoon excursion to the delightful Victorian village of Matjiesfontein before dinner on board in one of our two restaurant cars.

Day 5: Kimberley After arriving in Kimberley, we take in the Big Hole & Diamond Museum before a short trip on a traditional tram. Dinner on board the Pride of Africa.

Day 6: Pretoria We embark on a full day city tour of Pretoria, once known as the ‘city of roses’, where we immerse ourselves in the culture of this historic town.

Day 7: Kruger National Park After arriving in Hoedspruit, we transfer for a full-board two night stay at the 5 star Thornybush or Kapama Game Lodge. This afternoon we get our first up-close taste of African wildlife on our afternoon game drive.

Day 8: Kruger National Park Another full day’s activities at the Game Reserve, including an afternoon game drive. All meals are taken at the Game Lodge.

Day 9: Kruger National Park We set out early for a morning game drive and we have the chance to see the remarkable flora and fauna of this unique National Park. We rejoin the Pride of Africa for lunch and travel onwards, arriving at the Zimbabwean border this evening.

Day 10: Zimbabwe - on board We have a full day on board our luxurious private train to take in the magnificent Zimbabwean scenery. An historian will be giving lectures during the day to enhance and enrich our African adventure.

Day 11: Victoria Falls On arrival we transfer to the Victoria Falls Hotel, a favourite with royalty, celebrities and statesmen. From here we embark on a sunset cruise of the immense Zambezi River, followed by the ‘African Spectacular Show’.

Day 12: Victoria Falls Today we have a variety of activities at this beautiful location including helicopter rides, a guided tour of Victoria Falls, river rafting, bungee jumping and/or a visit to a local craft market. Rejoining our private train, we travel on to Livingstone where we go through the Zambian border formalities.

Day 13: On board As we journey past the bustling Zambian capital, Lusaka, we have a chance to relax, with the option of morning and afternoon lectures.

Day 14: Kundalila Falls After arriving in Kanona, we have a brunch outing at the glorious Kundalila Falls.

Day 15: Border crossing We cross from Zambia into Tanzania and complete border formalities.

Day 16: On board This morning we arrive at Makambako, where we descend the spectacular pass to Mlimba. We can join morning lectures or relax, making the most of the facilities on the Pride of Africa.

Day 17: Zanzibar Reaching Dar es Salaam, we board Rovos Rail’s private business class configured DC-9 aircraft (or similar) for the 20 minute air voyage to Zanzibar. On arrival, we transfer to the Zanzibar Serena Hotel for an overnight stay. In the afternoon we have a tour of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the cultural heart of Zanzibar.

Day 18: Island Spice Today visit Spice Island, showcasing the beauty of the coral islands of Zanzibar. We have lunch en route and an afternoon at leisure followed by dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 19: Tanzania This morning we re-board our aircraft for the 1.5 hour flight to Arusha, near Mount Kilimanjaro. We then drive via Lake Manyara in the Rift Valley to the Ngorongoro Serena crater lodge. After a relaxing afternoon enjoying the magnificent views of the crater we have dinner and stay overnight at lodge.

Day 20: Tanzania After breakfast we go on a fascinating game drive, followed by lunch at the base of the crater. Dinner and overnight at the Ngorongoro Serena crater lodge.

Day 21: Serengeti Breakfast is taken at the lodge, and then we transfer by air to the luxury Serengeti camp where we have lunch before an afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 22: Serengeti Today there are morning and afternoon game drives, taking in the wonders of wild Africa in the Serengeti. All meals at Serengeti camp with an overnight stay.

Day 23: Lake Victoria/Uganda border This morning we drive across the African plains to Mwanza on Lake Victoria. After immigration and customs procedures, we take a short flight to Entebbe, Uganda. Staying at the luxurious Imperial Resort Beach Hotel we have an afternoon visit to the island of Ngama to meet the orphaned chimpanzees.

Day 24: Jinja Today we visit Jinja, the source of the Nile, en route we take the Mabira Forest Walk before lunch at the Jinja Nile Resort. Dinner and overnight at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel.

Day 25: Sudan After breakfast we take a 3 hour flight to Khartoum, Sudan, where we transfer to the Borg Alfatih Hotel. We have an afternoon visit to Bait Al-Khalifa museum followed by dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 26: Sudan This morning we visit the Sudanese National Museum of Ethnography and the National Museum of Sudan and the afternoon is spent at leisure. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 27: Flight to Egypt We transfer to Khartoum airport for the 1.5 hour flight to Abu Simbel, Egypt. Here we take in the temples of awe-inspiring Ramses II and his wife, Nefertari before returning to the airport for the short flight to Aswan. We arrive at the Old Cataract Hotel, where we have dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 28: Nile Cruise/Aswan Boarding the Nile Cruiser, we begin our adventure on the world’s longest river. This afternoon we tour the islands of Aswan on a traditional felucca, passing by the Botanical Gardens. Afternoon tea and dinner served on board.

Day 29: Nile Cruise We have a morning visit to the Temple of Philac on Agilika Island, the Unfinished Obelisk at the Ancient Granite Quarries and the Aswan High Dam. Sailing to Kom Ombo, we visit the Temple of Sobek. Afternoon tea is served on board as we sail on to Edfu. This evening we enjoy our ‘Egyptian Night’ dinner including a Galabeyya party.

Day 30: On board - Luxor This morning we visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu and then sail to Esna to visit the Temple of Khnum. We can enjoy afternoon tea as we sail at sunset to Luxor. Dinner and overnight on board in Luxor.

Day 31: Today we take in some of the most famous sights of Egypt including the Valley of Kings, the impressive Colossi of Memnon, and the fabulous Karnak Temple. Tonight we have a farewell gala dinner on board before our final night on the Nile.

Day 32: Cairo We depart from Luxor for a 1 hour flight to Cairo. Staying at the Four Seasons First Residence Hotel, with its views of both the Nile and the Great Pyramids, we visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities before dinner and overnight stay at our hotel.

Day 33: Giza Pyramids Today we have a morning tour of the amazing Giza Pyramids and Sphinx. After lunch, we take an afternoon tour of Saqqara and Memphis. This evening we celebrate with a farewell dinner before the final night in the hotel.

Day 34: Departures Transfers to the airport for departing flights as our epic tour reaches its conclusion.