DepartRovos Rail Station, Pretoria. Travel Southeast across the Highveld and the goldfields of the Witwatersrand towards Heidelberg, site of the first Rand gold strike, and Balfour, a small mining town in Mpumalanga. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge and observation car.

Lunch is served in the dining cars. The Drakensberg Mountains were first named by the Voortrekkers who thought the unbroken chain of heavily weathered peaks reminded them of the spines on a dragon’s back, hence the name ‘Dragon Mountain’ or Drakensberg in Afrikaans.

Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars. The train then climbs to Majuba Hill–site of the decisive battle that ended the First Anglo Boer War – then passes Newcastle, which has what is reputed to be the largest cella-dome Hindu temple in the Southern hemisphere.

Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Elandslaagte. Pass Glencoe, site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War and now the centre of the province’s coalfields.

Accommodation

Pullman Suite, ROVOs Rail

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure. Enjoy a game drive in the Nambiti Reserve, a private Big Five bush retreat set on 20000-acres of malaria-free bushveld - with incredible biodiversity including savannah, grasslands, thornveld and tall acacia trees.

Brunch is served in the dining cars. Transfer (±30 min) to Spionkop Lodge for the afternoon. A choice of two excursions is available: Hear the historic tale of the Battle of Spionkop OR Enjoy a game drive in the 11000-acre reserve.

Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Estcourt. Shortly after Chieveley, on the right of the track, stands a memorial to Winston Churchill who was captured here in November 1899, while trying to free an armoured train trapped by a Boer ambush.

Activities

• Nambiti Reserve Game Drive
• Winston Churchill Memorial

Optional Activities

• Hear The Historic Tale Of The Battle Of Spionkop
• Spionkop Game Drive

Accommodation

Pullman Suite, ROVOs Rail

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. The train then descends the escarpment to Lions River. Visit the famous Ardmore Ceramics Gallery. Here, artists are encouraged to express their imagination based on nature, Zulu folklore and tradition.

Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train traverses the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills. Arrive at your journey’s end - Durban Station, where a representative will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

A number of museums and cultural sights await you, the beautiful Botanical Gardens and the superb shark-protected beaches are but a few of the city’s many charms!

Activities

• Ardmore Ceramics Gallery
• Valley Of A Thousand Hills

Accommodation

Oyster Box, in a classic garden facing room