Cape Town, the Blue Train & Kruger National Park
About this trip.
Cape Town, a luxury train and the African bush. This trip strings together three of South Africa's headline experiences, each very different in pace and character.
Cape Town at a slower pace
Cape Town sits between Table Mountain and two oceans, and the city rewards people who give it a few days. The cable car up the mountain is the obvious half-day out, but the Cape Peninsula drive is what tends to stay with people: Chapman's Peak, Boulders Beach with its penguin colony, the old naval village of Simon's Town, and the Cape of Good Hope itself. Inland, the winelands around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are less than an hour away, with Cape Dutch farmsteads and a restaurant scene that punches well above the town sizes. Robben Island, Bo-Kaap and the V&A Waterfront fill the rest naturally. The summer months (November to March) are warm and dry; winter is cooler and wetter, though the light on the mountain is often better.
The Blue Train across the country
The Blue Train runs between Pretoria and Cape Town, about 1,600 kilometres dispatched in roughly 27 hours. It is unashamedly a train of another era, with en-suite suites, a butler allocated to each cabin, a lounge car, an observation car at the rear, and two dining services a day with a formal dress code at dinner. The scenery shifts from the high veld through the semi-desert Karoo and down into the Hex River Valley, the most photographed stretch, where the line threads between vineyards and bare mountains. The train makes a short halt at Matjiesfontein or Kimberley depending on the direction of travel. This is the trip as pure hotel on rails. You are not really seeing the country up close, you are watching it go past while someone pours you another glass.
Kruger and the practical side
Kruger National Park covers roughly 20,000 square kilometres in the northeast, up against the Mozambique border, and it remains the obvious choice for a first safari because the infrastructure is good and the wildlife dense: elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, giraffe and the rest. Most itineraries use a lodge inside the park or in one of the adjoining private reserves, with morning and late-afternoon game drives on open vehicles. The best viewing is in the drier months, from May to September, when animals concentrate around waterholes.
Great Rail Journeys handles the logistics as a single package: internal flights, transfers, train booking and lodge nights. The pace suits travellers who want to see a lot of ground without stringing the connections together themselves.
The shape of the trip.
What's typically in the price, what isn't.
A general guide for rail holidays of this kind. Check the operator's booking page for the final inclusions on this specific trip.
Typically included
- ✓Rail tickets on the published route, in the ticket class booked
- ✓Hotel accommodation between rail days, breakfast included
- ✓A tour manager throughout on escorted departures
- ✓Luggage handling between hotels on escorted tours
- ✓Some meals — typically breakfasts and a few set dinners; check the day-by-day
- ✓Any included excursions or entrance fees listed on the itinerary
Typically not included
- ×Flights to and from the start city
- ×Travel insurance with rail-protection cover (strongly recommended)
- ×Most lunches and some evening meals — eat at stations or in town
- ×Upgrades: first-class legs, sleeper cabin upgrades, single rooms on shared departures
- ×Drinks on board beyond anything stated in the itinerary
- ×Tips for the tour manager (customary but discretionary)
Everything you might be wondering.
Q1Do I have to change trains?
On most escorted tours, yes — the route is the point, not a single through-train. A tour manager handles the connections and your luggage. Independent itineraries come with pre-booked tickets and detailed routing, but you work the changes yourself.
Q2Are meals included?
Breakfasts at hotels are usually included. Dinners and lunches vary by tour. Many scenic day services have a dining car or trolley you can pay for on board. Check the day-by-day — escorted tours list every meal that's included.
Q3Is luggage handled?
On escorted tours your main bag is moved between hotels while you carry a day bag on the train. On independent itineraries you move your own luggage — pack a case you can lift onto a train without help.
Q4First class or second?
First class on European trains is wider seats, quieter carriages, sometimes complimentary drinks. Second class is perfectly fine and about a third cheaper. Upgrades to first are usually £50-150 per leg on longer routes.
Q5Can I travel solo?
Escorted rail tours suit solo travellers well — there's a tour manager, a set schedule, and shared hotel dinners most nights. Single-room supplements apply (typically £300-600 on a 10-day tour). A handful of departures are marked 'no single supplement' — watch the operator's calendar if you want to save.
Q6Is it slower than flying?
Yes, and that's the point. London to Zurich by train is 8 hours via Paris and the TGV, versus 2 hours in the air plus 3 hours of airport on each side. The difference is how you arrive — rested, in the middle of the city, having watched the journey.
Q7What if a train is cancelled?
Escorted tours have tour-manager contingency — the operator rebooks and absorbs the cost. Independent itineraries depend on your ticket type (flexible versus advance) and whether you have rail-protection insurance. Take it.
Q8What about cancellation?
Typically a 20-25% deposit at booking, balance due 8-10 weeks before departure. Rail tickets are a sunk cost once issued, which matters on longer trips. Travel insurance with rail cover is sensible.
Three rail holidays, side-by-side.
Other rail holidays on Mooch in the same spirit. All prices per person, from the operator.
