Cecil Rhodes dreamed of travelling overland from Cape Town to Cairo, but he never did. Now you can – and in a style unimagined by the pioneers of old. Described when it was being promoted in the 19th Century as ‘the greatest romance in all history’, Rhodes’ Cape to Cairo railway in fact owed a lot more to politics and the desire to link Africa from north to south. Yet it has never been finished. Despite this, the epic journey of over 6,000-miles from one end of Africa to the other is now possible and to complete this immense voyage we use a combination of the opulent Pride of Africa train, a private jet and a 5 star Nile cruiser.
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, this 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.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Cape Town, South Africa
Arrive into Cape Town where you will be met and transferred to the 5 star Cape Grace Hotel, a member of the Small Leading Hotels of the World. Set on its own private quay on Cape Town’s vibrant Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, all 121 rooms have views of the V&A harbour or yacht marina with a Table Mountain backdrop. This evening we enjoy a Welcome Dinner.
Day 2: Cape Town
We spend a full day touring the Cape Winelands including lunch and free time in Franschhoek followed by a visit to the Boschendal Winery, one of the original wine farms in the region and with a winemaking tradition dating back 300 years.
Day 3: Caledon
This morning we board Rovos Rails’ Pride of Africa train at Cape Town station. We spend the day on board the train climbing to the small town of Caledon through the spectacular Sir Lowry’s and Houwhoek Passes, on one of South Africa’s most scenic lines.
Day 4: The Garden Route
Travelling from Worcester we stop in Ashton this afternoon and visit the Zandvliet Wine Estate where we partake in tasting a selection of fine South African wine before continuing to Mossel Baai travelling along the famous Garden Route.
Day 5: The Garden Route
Visit the Outeniqua Railway Museum at George displaying 13 historic steam locomotives before we travel on South Africa’s only remaining scheduled steam train, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe. The Choo Tjoe offers its passengers a unique, picturesque and scenic 52-kilometre journey experiencing the Garden Route with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean.
Day 6: Oudtshoorn
From George we climb steeply away from the coast to the Montague Pass in the Drakensberg Mountains on our way to Oudtshoorn where we visit the Cango Ostrich Farm. In the afternoon we pass through the Tourwaterpoort Canyon.
Day 7: Addo
This morning we visit the Addo Elephant Reserve sanctuary home to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino and a variety of antelope species.
Day 8: Upington & Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Located on the banks of the Orange River in Northern Cape, we visit the town of Upington, our final stop in South Africa. We then cross the border late morning into Namibia and after lunch we visit Fish River Canyon, located in the lower reaches of the Fish River, the longest river in Namibia. With a depth of up to 550 metres, the Fish River Canyon is reputedly the second largest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon in America.
Day 9: Luderitz
This morning we visit to former diamond mining village and now ghost town of Kolmanskop before spending the afternoon traversing some of the planet’s most spectacular desert scenery as we head up through the Tiras Mountains.
Day 10: Sossusvlei
Taking a 4 hour drive to Namibia’s largest Sand Dunes we spend overnight off the train at the Sossusvlei Lodge. Pre-bookable optional hot air balloon trips over the dunes will be available during our stay.
Day 11: Windhoek
Rejoining the train we cross the Tropic of Capricorn before we arrive in Windhoek. Influenced by its German colonial past, Windhoek is the capital of Namibia and is located in a beautiful valley bordered by the Eros and Auas Mountains.
Day 12: Walvisbaai
The special attraction of Walvisbaai (meaning Whale Bay) situated on the Skeleton Coast is the huge natural lagoon with its overwhelming abundance of seabirds including cormorants and flamingos and is perhaps the most important coastal wetland in Southern Africa.
Day 13: Swakopmund
Situated on the Atlantic Coast, we approach Swakopmund through the Namib Desert and is an excellent preserved example of German colonial architecture. There will be an option to take a flight over the Skeleton Coast, named for all the shipwrecks that are beached on these inaccessible and remote shores. This coastline is one of the most inhospitable and least visited places on earth.
Day 14: Tsumeb & Etosha National Park
This morning we arrive in the mining town of Tsumeb and the gateway to Etosha, meaning Great White Place. It is one of Southern Africa’s finest and most important Game Reserves with abundant wildlife including elephant, giraffe, rhino, lion, leopard and cheetah. We will have an afternoon game drive before returning to the train for dinner.
Day 15: Etosha National Park
Early morning and afternoon game drives before our train departs for the Angolan border and our farewell dinner on board.
Day 16: Namacunde, Angola & Victoria Falls, Zambia
During the night we traverse a new line to the Angolan border at Oshikango. It is planned that the line will continue into Angola but for now we will cross the border on foot to visit Namacunde on the Angolan side for a short tour. We will then retrace our steps to Odangwa where we bid farewell to the ‘Pride of Africa’ and transfer to the airport where our Private Business Class jet will be waiting to fly us to Victoria Falls. On arrival we transfer to the Royal Livingstone, Victoria Falls most elegant and luxurious hotel located on the banks of the Zambezi a couple of hundred yards upstream from the cataract where it thunders into the Batoka Gorge for a 2 night stay. We take a sunset cruise on the immense Zambezi River.
Day 17: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Today we have a variety of optional activities at this beautiful location including helicopter rides, a guided tour of Victoria Falls, river rafting, bungee jumping, a visit to the local craft market and afternoon tea at the elegant Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side.
Day 18: Blantyre, Malawi
We continue our journey northwards and arrive in Blantyre, the largest city in Malawi where we stay for 1 night at Hotel Mount Soche. Blantyre is named after the home town of David Livingstone in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Day 19: Arusha, Tanzania
This morning we board our aircraft for the 1½ hour flight to Arusha. We then drive to the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge which is perched on the edge of the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater at the eastern edge of the Serengeti in northern Tanzania, where we stay for two nights. After an evening drink enjoying the magnificent views of the crater we have dinner and stay overnight at the Lodge.
Day 20: Ngorongoro
Early morning we descend 2,000 feet (610m) to the crater floor as we go on a fascinating game drive, before returning to the hotel for lunch. Afternoon is at leisure followed by dinner at the Lodge.
Day 21: Serengeti
Breakfast is taken at the Lodge before we transfer to a luxury Serengeti tented camp built especially for us where we have lunch before an afternoon game drive at the. Declared a World Heritage Site, Serengeti, meaning Endless Plains, is exceptionally rich in wildlife and almost every great African animal can be found here including the ‘Big Five’. Dinner and overnight is at the camp.
Day 22: Serengeti
Today there are morning and afternoon game drives, taking in the wonders of wild Africa in the Serengeti.
Day 23: Bujumbura, Burundi & Kigali, Rwanda
Rejoining our private jet in Arusha we fly to Bujumbura where we have the opportunity to tour the Burundi capital which lies on the north-eastern corner of Lake Tanganyika. We then fly onto the Rwandan capital of Kigali for a 2 night stay at the Serena Hotel Kigali.
Day 24: Kigali, Rwanda
We have the opportunity for a close-up encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda which is arguably one of the memorable wildlife experiences of them all. There is a long and arduous trek to their mountain habitat but ultimately rewarding to spend even a short time with these magnificent creatures.
Day 25: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Today we cross the equator on our flight from Kigali to Addis where we spend a night at the Addis Ababa Hilton. The colourful city has some lively markets and worthy attractions, most notably the Ethiopian National Museum.
Day 26: Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
We depart at lunchtime from Addis Ababa to Djibouti for an afternoon visit of this city bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden before we continue onto Asmara in Eritrea where we overnight at the Intercontinental Asmara.
Day 27: Asmara, Eritrea
Following a full day in the Italian-inspired city of Asmara with its pavement cafes, tree-lined boulevards and boutiques we fly to Aswan where we will spend 2 nights at the luxurious and newly refurbished Old Cateract Hotel. Constructed by Thomas Cook in 1899, this historical hotel with its rich and varied guest list provided Agatha Christie part-inspiration for the best selling book ‘Death on the Nile’.
Day 28: Aswan, Egypt
In Aswan the Nile is at its most striking, flowing through amber desert and granite rocks, around islands covered in tropical plants and palm groves. Discover the souk, full of the colour and scent of spices and perfumes and in the evening view the spectacular sunsets while having drinks on the terrace at the Old Cataract Hotel.
Day 29: Cruise on Lake Nasser
This morning we board the luxury cruise ship MS Eugenie which will be for our exclusive use for the next 3 nights as we cruise Lake Nasser, formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam. After lunch we visit the Kalabsha temple, the rock cut temple at Beit El Wali and the Roman temple of Kertassi.
Day 30: Cruise on Lake Nasser
Spend the morning to the temple of Wadi El Seboua and enjoy a cocktail while passing the Tropic of Cancer. Lunch is served on board. This afternoon we visit the Wadi El Seboua temple, the temple of Dakka and the temple of Meharakka.
Day 31: Cruise on Lake Nasser
A morning visit is made to the temples of Amada and Derr as well as the tomb of Penout, before we visit the citadel of Kasr Ibrim. (Note: the tour is conducted from the ship's sundeck as entrance to the site is not permitted). Continue to cruise to Abu Simbel as lunch served on board. In the afternoon we visit the Abu Simbel temples before we attend the Sound & Light show in the evening. A candlelight dinner is served on our final night on board.
Day 32: Cairo
Breakfast is on board before our disembarkation. We depart from Abu Simbel for a 1 hour scheduled flight to Cairo where we will be staying at the Four Seasons First Residence Hotel for 2 nights, with its views of both the Nile and the Great Pyramids. In the afternoon we visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.
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 the end of our African Voyage of a Lifetime with a Farewell Dinner in the hotel.
Day 34: Cairo
Transfer to the airport for departing flights as our epic journey reaches its conclusion.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Visa Information: Currently British and US citizens will require single entry visas for Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan and Egypt and a multiple entry visa for Zimbabwe. Please allow at least two months to obtain your visa. Citizens of other nationalities should contact their local consulate for specific visa information. Please note that all visa requirements are subject to change.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Egypt
Cultural Journey
Railway Trips
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