Camps bay beach in Cape Town, South Africa

Luxury & Heritage: Discover South Africa Tour by Train

Ratings of Zicasso's Service
Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

South Africa

Places Visited

Cape Town, Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Winelands...

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Suggested Duration

11 Days

Traversing iconic landscapes on journeys of old-world elegance, the luxury Blue Train offers a window into the soul of Africa. Across dramatic mountain ranges to arid desert, through colonial relics to big-game dominated savannah, two indulgent train journeys reveal the splendor of a land untouched by time. Travel is about the journey, yet when you disembark, the destinations also provide dreamy African experiences: Cape Town, Nelson Mandela's Soweto, and Kruger National Park.

Customizable Itinerary

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Trip Highlights

  • Gaze through the window to the soul of South Africa and admire the country from the luxury of the Blue Train
  • Traverse the dramatic landscapes of South Africa on the iconic train journey from Cape Town to Pretoria, then on a new rail route from Pretoria to Kruger National Park
  • Travel in the majesty of centuries past, with elegant dinners, high tea, and decadent old-world fittings
  • Explore an evocative history with tours of Robben Island, Soweto, and the Apartheid Museum
  • Celebrate the Cape's mystical landscapes by standing on the summit of Table Mountain and spending a day amidst the vineyards of Stellenbosch
  • Complete your South Africa tour with a 3-day luxury safari in MalaMala Game Reserve, where exclusivity complements authenticity and thrilling big-game moments
  • Combine game drives and bush walks, each bringing intimate encounters with the giants of the African savannah

Detailed Description

Defying the imagination, South Africa's landscapes celebrate the mystique of an entire continent. Vertical mountains hide rugged canyons where baboons yelp at sunrise. Arid desert plains are dappled by ostriches and a sense of infinity. Savannah rolls towards the horizon, the panoramas dappled with nomadic elephants and rumbling buffalo herds. Occasionally a town appears from nowhere, a colonial relic of wooden facades and bougainvillea-lined boulevards. From ocean to desert to grasslands, gaping valleys to expressive peaks, South Africa is as much about the journey as the destinations. The ultimate way to admire both the scale and the details is on the old railway line through the continent, aboard a train of luxurious old-world grandeur.

The Blue Train provides a window into the dreamy authenticity of South Africa. It departs from Cape Town, flanked by Table Mountain and two oceans. Traversing vineyards and valleys it rumbles north, crossing the evocative desert and rolling over the high-altitude plateau to Pretoria. This is a traditional train route, as iconic as it was a century ago. But the railway now continues, curving around the mountains before descending into the big-game savannah of Kruger National Park. Giraffe and elephant may be spotted from the window before the train stops in the heart of South Africa's premier safari destination. It's lavish and luxurious on board, helping create one of the world's premier train experiences. Think high tea, elegant dinners, and private suites that come with en-suite bathrooms and bath tubs, decadent lounge areas, and a personal butler. Using restored wooden carriages, it feels like a train journey from centuries past.

The journey provides the focal point of this South Africa tour. Then the destinations are equally evocative. Cape Town, with Table Mountain rising majestically above the city and Robben Island providing narratives just off the coast. The Cape Winelands, a sensual celebration of history and charm. Pretoria is a base for exploring the vibrancy of Nelson Mandela's Soweto, where two Nobel Prize winners lived on one street and excellent museums present memoirs to apartheid and peaceful protest. Then you complete this South Africa tour in MalaMala Game Reserve, an exclusive enclave that borders Kruger National Park. The thrilling safari experience combines game drives with bush walks, then the elegance of watching wildlife from your private verandah. It's three days of luxury in what is widely considered to be Africa's finest private reserve.

Starting Price

$14,300 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service

4.95 stars based on 1173 reviews.

Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe Vacation Review:...

The trip was the best we have ever had. Africa is a very special place. Zicasso's travel expert did a fantastic job of organizing the itinerary. The only disappointment was that we were not scheduled to see the mass migration across the river.

Reviewed By Andrew K.

South Africa Travel Review: Cape Town, Franschhoek, Mala...

Zicasso’s travel agent put together an amazing trip for our family. This travel agent was incredibly responsive.

Reviewed By David W.

Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa Trip Review: Victoria Falls,...

We had an amazing trip, planned by Zicasso's travel partner. This is the first time I've ever used a travel agent and I'll admit, I was nervous. She took all of our feedback into consideration while planning. I highly recommend!

Reviewed By Kris C.

Namibia, South Africa Birthday Trip Review: 18 Nights

This was a well-planned trip that was personally rewarding and fulfilling.

This trip provided a great balance of the diverse locations from both countries (Namibia and South Africa).

I chose Zicasso as, at this stage of life, when taking well-deserved vacations, I just want to pay, pack, show up and have everything (accommodations, transportation, domestic and international flights, tours, attention to safety, and additional recommendations) accounted for. And that is exactly what the Zicasso's travel expert provided via her tour agency.

I was able to share my must-haves/nice-to-haves and she customized a vacation package that tended to every detail. It was a wonderful balance of rustic and luxury. It was also our July “birthdaycation” for my aunt and me, and we were surprised at multiple locations with surprise birthday acknowledgements. Birthdays are very special to me, so this was a major “icing” on the cake for me on this vacation.

Although there was a minor “hiccup” on the day of arrival, the travel specialist's “on-the-ground” (local) staff pivoted and quickly and professionally found another option for us for our airport pickup. This shows the mark of a company interested in ensuring the complete satisfaction of their clients.

For the destinations the travel expert specializes in, they will be my first point of contact when looking to make my next vacation destination.

Well done!

Reviewed By Andrea +.

Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa Vacation Review: Johannesburg,...

The trip was carefully planned and we received optimal assistance throughout the trip and constant availability and monitoring during the journey. Our Zicasso travel agent was very professional and always available to respond to our requests and needs. The choice of hotels was excellent and reflected the expectations. The activities offered in the different locations were very well structured and the guides were of high quality, particularly those in Chobe National Park and Okavango Delta.

Reviewed By Roberto B.

South Africa Vacation Review: Cape Town, Table Mountain,...

Our family had a blast in South Africa, thanks to Zicasso's travel designer. She was meticulous in the planning and gave some good suggestions that worked well for our group. From fast-track tickets up to Table Mountain to food recommendations, she curated an itinerary that made the trip a breeze.

The guide in Cape Town was a wellspring of knowledge. We learned so much about the country from her, from history to economics and culture.

The safari portion of the trip was most memorable. The resort in Hoedspruit was just what the family needed.

We will definitely look up this travel company for future trips.

Reviewed By Lauren L.

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