The Blue Train rail journeys between Pretoria and Cape Town is a 27-hour journey of 1 600 kilometres (994 miles), through some of the most diverse and spectacular scenery offered by the African sub-continent.
On the Southbound trip, the train departs from Pretoria Station at 8:30 and arrives in Cape Town at the Cape Town Station at 15:00 the following day.
En-route to Cape Town there is a stop-over and an excursion in Kimberley, where we take a step back in time to the days of the diamond rush.
On the Northbound journey, the train leaves Cape Town at 08:30 and arrives in Pretoria at the Pretoria Station at 15:00. The off-the-train excursion includes a stop at the Lord Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein. On arrival at Matjiesfontein guests are invited for a glass of sherry at the bar.
The Victorian buildings and original nineteenth century London lampposts impart to the traveller, the uncanny sense of entering a colonial time warp – an oasis suspended in a different age.
Guests are reminded that check-in time at the Pre-departure Lounges at both the Pretoria and Cape Town Stations is an hour prior to departure.