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DAY1 CAPE TOWN The arrival day is left for leisure to explore the shopping malls of The Waterfront, take a trip to the top of Table Mountain by cable car, or arrange a trip to the wine lands near Cape Town Stellenbosh and Franschoek. The farm named "Groot Constantia" by the Govenor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, in 1685 has produced red wines of excellent quality since 1705. The wines were well received in the Courts of Europe. The estate is within a 30 minute drive from Cape Town. There are beautiful views across from Constantiaberg to the Hottentots Holland Mountains towards the north. The Manor House with its elegant gables was Simon van der Stel's original home. Today the Manor is a cultural history museum which portrays the lifestyle on Constantia from the 17th century. The estate is open daily. There are also 2 excellent restaurants on the Estate - The Jonkershuis and The Tavern. Guided tours of the cellars including a wine tasting takes place daily. HE WATERFRONT IS A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION WITH MANY SHOPPING MALLS - RESTAURANTS AND PLACES OF INTEREST THE QUARIUM HAS MANY INTERESTING EXHIBITS
DAY2 CAPE TOWN - DE AAR After breakfast at the hotel our coach takes us to Cape Town Station. The charter train departs at 08.30. The railway line from Cape Town to the north runs through the Paarl valley. It became apparent to the early settlers that the climate of the Cape was conducive to wine production. Simon van der Stel produced his first wine in 1705 and slowly but surely the wine industry developed as the frontier to the interior expanded. The valleys and mountains support their own individual micro- climates. The differences in soil composition also ensures that wines of excellent quality are produced. From our coach window we see the folded Cape mountains of the Paarl valley. Our train makes its way to a gap in the mountains made by the Small Berg River.By following the river between the mountain ranges we continue through the Tulbagh Pass into the Breede River Valley. Blockhouses were built during the Anglo-Boer War of 899-1902 to guard against incursions against the railway line by the Boer forces.These structures are now preserved as National monuments and through. can be seen near the railway line and in the vineyards we pass The Breede River Valley is an important wine producing area pass through Worcester - the headquarters of the Breede River Valley wine industry - and continue along the banks of the Hex River to enter the De Doorns valley. We are surrounded by mountains and vineyards as far as the eye can see. This area produces 65 percent of the export grape crop. It was only after the completion of the Hexton Tunnels in 1989 that the barrier which the Hex River mountains posed was overcome.This chain of mountains was a barrier which prevented transport from gaining access to the interior. The first Hex River Pass rail line was completed to Touws River in 1887 by Wells Hood after one of the most difficult construction projects in the country's history. This railway pass can still be seen climbing up the Hex River Mountains.The new pass with 4 tunnels was completed in 1989 and allows swift passage onto the escarpment. The journey is reduced by 8 kilometers - the gradient is 1 in 66 and the sharpest curve has a radius of 800 meters. The 4 tunnels have a combined length of 16 kilometers. The longest tunnel is 13.5 kilometers long making it the longest tunnel in Africa. Inside this tunnel is a crossing loop which substantially increases the carrying capacity of the line. Once through the tunnels we arrive on the escarpment and enter The Great Karoo.The change from the green vineyards of the areas we passed through to the sparse dry interior is dramatic. The merino sheep have adapted to the dry climate and many flocks may be seen as we pass on our way. The Karoo bush also subtly flavors the mutton and makes the area famous for its "Karoo Lamb". At Matjiesfontein we stop for an hour for tea and time to explore the station museum where there are many items that date back to the turn of the century.The journey is reduced by 8 kilometers - the gradient is 1 in 66 and the sharpest curve has a radius of 800 meters. The 4 tunnels have a combined length of 16 kilometers. The longest tunnel is 13.5 kilometers long making it the longest tunnel in Africa. Inside this tunnel is a crossing loop which substantially increases the carrying capacity of the line. Once through the tunnels we arrive on the escarpment and enter The Great Karoo.
		The change from the green vineyards of the areas we passed through to the sparse dry interior is dramatic. The merino sheep have adapted to the dry climate and many flocks may be seen as we pass on our way. The Karoo bush also subtly flavors the mutton and makes the area famous for its "Karoo Lamb". At Matjiesfontein we stop for an hour for tea and time to explore the station museum where there are many items that date back to the turn of the century. Matjiesfontein dates back for over a century, but it was the efforts of a Scot called Jimmy Logan that made Matjiesfontein famous far beyond the borders of South Africa. In 1883 he and his family moved to Matjiesfontein due to a chest ailment. He obtained the refreshment room concession there in 1884. Between 1884 and the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War in 1899, he developed the village into a Victorian health and holiday resort to which the rich and famous beat a steady path. During the Boer War a Remount Camp with 10,000 British troops and 20,000 horses and was established on the outskirts of the village. After our refreshment we board the train for the journey across the Karoo to De Aar where we stop for our evening meal. The typical mountain topography of the Karoo "Koppies" as we travel towards De Aar.The characteristic pyramid shape of the mountains is caused by the slow erosion of the top cap of ancient lava which protects the lower softer strata underneath from being destroyed and dispersed. After dinner at De Aar we resume our journey into the night and cross the Great Karoo.

DAY 3DE AAR - UPINGTON - GRUNAU - FISH RIVER CANYON - SEEHEIM Our train reaches Upington in the early hours of the morning. We will be too early for breakfast and will take a light breakfast with us to have at a later time. We will visit Upington on our return when our tour goes to Kakamas and the Augrabies Falls. Upington is situated on the north bank of the Orange River and is the principal town of this region called Gordonia. We reach the town by crossing the second longest railway bridge in South Africa (1,067 meters). Upington is the most northerly of the country's wine making regions. We pass through the Border formalities at Nakop and Ariamsvlei and enter Namibia. We make our way to Grunau where we will have lunch. After lunch our tour operator Oryx Tours takes us to the Fish River Canyon and then on to Seeheim for dinner at the hotel. The Fish River Canyon is the largest Canyon in the southern hemishere and the main scenic attraction in the far south of Namibia. About 500 million years ago contractions of the earths crust caused deep fissures in the surface. At about this time south-western Africa had emerged from beneath the sea.This land mass retained the mantle of sand and stone of the sea bed. Over millions of years the growing fissure created a deep-sided valley which increased in size due to the action of wind and water during the Ice Age. About 50 million years ago a river rose north-west of this crevasse and cut its path through the valley floor. The Fish River performed the function of shaping the lower section of the valley and the Fish River Canyon as we know it today was formed over time. The canyon is 161 kilometers long, 27 kilometers wide and about 550 meters deep. Erosion has revealed rock formations that date back 2,600 million years - 600 million years earlier than the oldest rock formation in the Grand Canyon.
		DAY 4 AUS - LUDERITZ - KOLMANSKOP - AUS The evening repast behind us we re-join our train at the station. At Seeheim we leave the northern main line to Windhoek and take the branch line which goes to Luderitz. Our train stops at the present terminus at Aus as the sand dunes have covered the track that leads to the coast. We board the coaches for our drive to Luderitz and breakfast. After breakfast we tour Luderitz and the Ghost town of Kolmanskop. An abandoned mansion stares across the stark beauty of the ever shifting sands of the desert Luderitz is a superb land-locked natural harbor.The natural harbor was discovered in 1487 Bartholomew Diaz. No development took place however, due to the harsh inhospitable environment and a lack of drinking water. In 1883 Adolf Luderitz established a trading station on the shores of the bay.The coastal belt was purchased from the Hottentot chief of Bethanien, who owned it.Drinking water was obtained by condensing sea water. In 1884 the German Chancellor Bismarck put the settlement of Luderitzbucht (Luderitz Bay) under the protection of the German government.It flourished as a fishing center for pilchards and rock lobster. In the early 1900's Kolmanskop was inhabited by about 700 families.This company town was until the beginning of the First World War, the headquarters of the south-western diamond industry. Eventually the diamond diggings around Kolmanskop yielded less and less.Families started to move away and the infrastructure of the town ceased. The town buildings and houses were abandoned to the elements and the desert reclaimed the land once again. A new ghost town came into being. Many of the buildings disappeared totally under the onslaught of the wind and sand.Today Kolmanskop is a tourist attraction with a maintenance program in place to prevent the desert from totally destroying this landmark in the history of this region. Towards late afternoon we return to Aus for our evening meal. After dinner our train travels through the desert under the cover of darkness.
		DAY 5 MARIENTAL - WINDHOEK Our train stops at Mariental for our morning breakfast. Afterwards we continue further on the main line north to Windhoek. We arrive there towards mid afternoon.Our guided tour will be entertaining and educational. Windhoek is situated at an altitude of 1,654 meters above sea level, and is surrounded bymountains Dinner will be served at the Windhoek Country Club. Our train leaves late that night for the overnight journey to Swakopmund
DAY6 SWAKOPMUND After breakfast in Swakopmund our tour starts off to the Namibia Naukluft Park. to visit the Moonvalley and the Welwitschia mirabilis. This plant is a botanical curiosity is endemic to the Namibia Desert.It is described as one of the most intriguing and bizarre plants on earth.Sprawling untidily on the desert plains, the welwitschia is believed to have a life span of up to 2000 years. This plant produces only 2 leaves throughout its lifetime. The desert winds tear at the fibrous, evergreen blades, shredding them into strips, which curl into snake-like thongs, leaving the tips withered and dry. We proceed to Walvisbay, Namibia's major harbor town. The attraction is the lagoon which is the breeding ground for thousands of flamingos, which gather at these rich feeding grounds. Altogether some 80,000 wading birds including flamingos and rare white pelicans may be seen on the lagoon. Lunch is at Swakopmund. We return to Swakopmund in the late afternoon for our evening meal. Our train leaves Swakopmund after dinner for the overnight journey to Tsumeb and the Etosha National Park.
		DAY7 TSUMEB - ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK Our train arrives at Tsumeb in the mid morning. After breakfast at Tsumeb we leave for the Park. The Etosha National Park is one of the major sanctuaries for wildlife in Africa and was proclaimed a game reserve by German Governor Von Lindequist in 1907. The heart of the Park is the Etosha Pan, meaning "place of dry water". An extensive, flat depression of about 5,000 square kilometers. This great, white expanse is a place of shimmering mirages.The opportunity to see large herds of game in this setting makes Etosha a unique experience in Africa. We tour game spotting through the park for the day. Lunch and dinner is in or just outside the park. For convenience we do not return to the train at Tsumeb and stay overnight at the lodge near the park.
DAY 8 TSUMEB - ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK The new day starts with breakfast and game spotting drives during the day. Lunch and dinner will be in the park before we return late afternoon to Tsumeb where our train is ready to leave for Windhoek.
		DAY 9 .WINDHOEK - KEETMANSHOOP Our train travels overnight to Windhoek. We arrive mid morning and have breakfast at the Windhoek Country Club. After a short tour of Windhoek we return to the station for our journey across the desert to Keetmanshoop. If time permits we will visit the Quiver Tree Forest, situated 14 kilometers outside Keetmanshoop, on the farm Gariganus. These prehistoric-looking trees grow up to 7 meters high and have attractive yellow flowers which appear in June and July. Dinner will be served at Keetmanshoop. After dinner we resume our journey south to Kakamas and the Augrabies National Park.
DAY 10 KAKAMAS - AUGRABIES NATIONAL PARK - UPINGTON We arrive at the border at about 7 in the morning and after the formalities are processed we continue our way to Kakamas. We will not stop for breakfast this morning and will eat on the train. Lunch will be enjoyed in the Augrabies National Park. The Orange River dominates life in the northern areas of the border. The course of the river is some 2,000 kilometers long.The bulk of the water comes from the mountains of Lesotho where the Orange and its principal tributary the Vaal have there source. This is a true river of the wilderness and its level rises and falls according to the dictates of the climate thousands of kilometers away. Sometimes the river scarcely flows, at other times it can be a raging torrent 8 kilometers wide. Previously only the banks of the Orange river were green but large irrigation schemes has now changed the arid dry lands around the river into an oasis. In 1967 the Augrabies National Park was proclaimed with the Augrabies falls as its main attraction. The falls have a direct drop of 145 meters. In spate there are 19 separate waterfalls tumbling nearly 92 meters into the upper end of the gorge. The circular pool at the base of the falls is 92 meters in diameter. The Orange river has carved a gorge 9 kilometers long and 260 meters deep into the rock which is 3,000 million years old. Legend has it that the hole at the base of the falls holds a treasure in diamonds which have been washed down the river. Previously when the river came down in flood it was not possible to view the falls.Today however a road gives access to the falls which makes it possible to view the falls all year round. Late afternoon we return to Kakamas for dinner. After dinner our journey proceeds overnight through the Karoo to our next stop at Matjiesfontein.
		DAY 11 E AAR - MATJIESFONTEIN - CAPE TOWN We stop at Matjiesfontein for breakfast and a tour. Thereafter we entrain for the last part of the rail holiday. Once through the 4 Hexton Tunnels we leave the browns and begins of the Karoo for the green valleys of the Hex River, the Breede River and Paarl Valleys. We arrive at Cape Town station in the mid-afternoon.Our coaches will be available for transport to the hotel for our overnight accommodation and final meal together.


DAY 12 CAPE TOWN A day of leisure after breakfast. If time permits, tours may be arranged with the hotel front desk, before the return flight.If an extended stay is anticipated in Cape Town please let us know so that we may reserve your accommodation for you.
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