Shongololo Southern Cross Train Journey
ITINERARY FOR SHONGOLOLO
THE SOUTHERN CROSS – 12 DAYS (NORTHBOUND)
DAY 01 – PRETORIA / SOWETO
08:00 Check-in at Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria. Luggage will be stored at the station.
09:00 Full-day tour of Pretoria and Soweto.
16:00 Transfer to Rovos Rail Station. The train departs for Waterval Boven.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Soweto comprises one-million people and was made famous by the Apartheid laws. Pass the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (the largest hospital in the Southern Hemisphere) and the only street in Africa that once housed two Nobel Peace laureates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Visit the Hector Petersen Memorial, named after one of the first students to be killed in the 1976 uprising against the Apartheid government. Spend the afternoon in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, visiting the Union Buildings. Designed by the famous colonial English architect, Sir Herbert Baker, and completed in 1913, the Union Buildings house the offices of the President and Ministers. Before leaving the capital behind visit the Voortrekker Monument that commemorates the ‘Great Trek’ of the 1830s.
Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. We visit the Union Buildings, housing the offices of the President and Ministers, designed by the famous colonial English architect, Sir Herbert Baker, and completed in 1913. The buildings overlook the city towards the once fortified hills to the south. A grand bronze statue of “Oom Paul (Kruger)”, the patriarch president of the ZAR or old Transvaal Republic, surrounded by his Boer fighters, dominates Church Square, central point of the city. Before leaving the capital behind, we visit the Voortrekker Monument that commemorates the “Great Trek” of the 1830s. In the afternoon we travel to Soweto to visit the Hector Petersen Memorial, named after one of the first students to be killed in the 1976 uprising against the Apartheid government. (Full day; distance traveled: ± 200 km).
DAY 02 – PANORAMA ROUTE
07:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
09:15 Full-day tour of historical areas Pilgrim’s Rest, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Wonderview.
18:45 Return to the train in Nelspruit (140km). Depart for Malelane.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Pilgrim’s Rest is a living museum and declared a National Monument. Gold was discovered in this area in 1873 attracting 1500 prospectors. Today many of the restored miner’s houses serve as shops and restaurants. Bourke’s Luck Potholes are strange deep cylindrical cavities formed by river erosion and floodwater. Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve has the most spectacular viewpoints overlooking South Africa’s Lowveld, so-named because it is much lower than the high escarpment along which the Panorama Route runs.
DAY 03 KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
05:30 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
07:00 Full-day game viewing in the Kruger Park.
18:00 Return to the train. Depart for Mozambique.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
The famous Kruger Park has 2-million hectares of an unrivalled diversity of life forms. It is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and home to an impressive number of species, e.g. 336 species of trees, 49 species of fish, 34 species of amphibians, 114 species of reptiles, 507 species of birds and 147 species of mammals including the Big Five.
DAY 04 – MAPUTO (MOZAMBIQUE)
07:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
09:00 City tour of Maputo, Mozambique.
16:00 Return to the train.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
18:00 After border formalities the train travels to Mpaka in Swaziland.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Capital of Mozambique, Maputo is a city of contrasts offering an exciting mix of cultures. Its architecture is a blend of African, Portuguese and early Colonial traditions with old Catholic churches side-by-side with mosques, fortresses, Victorian mansions and other buildings from a bygone era. Maputo offers an exciting mix of culture and buildings reminiscent of trends set by African, Portuguese and early Colonial traditions. The city swings along to a beat that is like no other in Africa. It enables you to experience true African hospitality. Old Catholic churches rest side-by-side with Mosques and Fortresses, Victorian Mansions and other buildings from a bygone era. It’s a city of contrasts and excitement that provides an ideal meeting point for social and business ventures.
DAY 05 – SWAZILAND
06:30 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
08:30 Disembark at Mpaka. Transfer (90 minutes) to Swazi Candles, Mantenga Cultural Village and Mantenga Lodge.
13:45 Return to the train (75 minutes). Depart for Hoedspruit.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
The tiny kingdom of Swaziland covers only 17 000m2 making it the second smallest country in Africa. Experience the vibrant Swazi Candles’ creative handmade product range. Continue through the Ezulwini Valley to Mantenga Cultural Village, a living museum of old traditions representing a classical Swazi lifestyle during the 1800s. With the traditional artifacts on display, the village illustrates many facets of the ancient Swazi way of life: social, economic and religious.
PLEASE NOTE THAT GUESTS WILL NEED THEIR PASSPORT FOR THIS EXCURSION.
DAY 06 – KAPAMA RESERVE & HOEDSPRUIT ENDANGERED SPECIES CENTRE
05:00 Continental breakfast is served in the dining cars until 05:30.
05h30 Game drive in Kapama Game Reserve followed by visit to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre.
12:00 Return to the train for lunch. Depart for Tzaneen and Louis Trichardt.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Situated in South Africa’s northernmost province of Limpopo, renowned for its prolific and diverse wildlife, Kapama Private Game Reserve is home to over 40 different mammal species including the Big Five, approximately 350 bird species and a myriad smaller species. The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre is a unique African wildlife facility focusing on conservation and the sustainability of rare, vulnerable and threatened species. Founded on passion, the centre has adopted a holistic approach to its conservation activities such as the educating of surrounding communities, tourism, breeding, rehabilitation and anti-poaching, to name a few.
DAY 07 – LIMPOPO PROVINCE
07:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Day on board the train travelling to Oreti in Zimbabwe. Clear customs and immigration at Beitbridge.
13:00 Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Limpopo Province is located in the far north of South Africa and shares borders with three neighbouring countries: Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. For this reason, the province is also known as the gateway to other African countries and also shares provincial borders with Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Northwest. The Limpopo landscape varies from one area to the other from tropical forests, bush and shrubs to semi-desert areas with small trees and bushes and mountains to flat land. Limpopo is divided into five regions, strategically located according to the cultural inhabitants. Capricorn is the central region predominantly occupied by the Bapedi people. Waterberg is the largest region with a majority of Tswana people. Vhembe in the far north is dominated by Vhavenda and Vatsonga. The Mopani region near the Kruger Park is Vatsonga whereas the Sekhukhuni region is dominated by Bapedi and Ndebele. Limpopo is the only province in South Africa with more than two cultural groups staying together in their original habitat in harmony. Other ethnic groups include English and Afrikaans people.
Mpumalanga means “Land of the Rising Sun”. It is a province of extraordinary natural beauty.
DAY 08 – GREAT ZIMBABWE MONUMENT
06:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
08:00 Transfer to the Great Zimbabwe Monument for a tour with lunch.
17:00 Return to the train at Oreti Siding. Depart for Somabhula.
19.30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Travel through attractive granite hill country to the Great Zimbabwe Monument, a hugely impressive monument situated on the southeastern edge of the central plateau and the largest precolonial monument south of the Egyptian pyramids. A celebrated achievement of the African people and a place where magical fables such as the story of King Solomon’s Mines find their origins amongst the ruins of an ancient city built by the Rozwi people. Discover how these ancient people lived and mined gold and silver, which were ultimately taken out of Africa by Arabic and Portuguese traders.
DAY 09 – ANTELOPE PARK, GWERU
06:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
08:00 Depart for a full day at Antelope Park. Optional extras include canoeing, game drives, horseback game viewing, elephant interaction, bird-watching cruises and so on (see price list).
16:00 Return to the train. Depart for Bulawayo.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Set in over 3000 acres of open savannah grassland, Antelope Park is a unique game reserve and a haven of tranquillity welcoming guests and volunteer eco-tourists alike. It is home to the world-famous African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) lion rehabilitation programme, which is a multiphase lion conservation initiative. It is Africa’s first genuine programme working to ethically re-introduce the offspring of captive-bred African lions back into the wild.
DAY 10 – MATOPOS NATIONAL PARK
07:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
09:00 Full-day tour of Matopos National Park with lunch. Visit the grave of Cecil John Rhodes as well as bushmen caves.
16:00 Return to the train. Depart for Dete.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Matopos, meaning ‘bald heads’, was the name chosen for the area by the Ndebele King, Mzilikazi. He is buried in the Matopos hills just a short distance from the park. It is an apt description of the dramatic hills and granite rocks of this area. The park is also the site of Cecil John Rhodes’ grave at the summit of Malindidzimu – ‘hill of benevolent spirits’. He referred to this hill as having a view of the world. His grave is carved out of solid granite and surrounded by a natural amphitheatre of boulders. A visit can be made to one of the more accessible bushman caves, of which there are many hidden amongst the hills.
DAY 11 – HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
05:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
06:30 Full-day game viewing in Hwange National Park with a packed lunch (provided).
16:00 Return to the train.
16:30 Tea is served in the lounge and observation car.
19:00 Depart for Thompson’s Junction.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Zimbabwe’s premier National Park, Hwange, is known for its Lion population. Situated in the north-west corner of Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park is the nation’s largest wildlife area and contains a variety of animals and bird species. Covering 1 462 000 hectares, Hwange is roughly the same size as Belgium. An early morning game drive in the park is followed by breakfast at the Sable Valley Lodge. After a morning of game viewing, lunch (guests’ own account) will be at the Sikumi Tree Lodge. There will be an opportunity to relax at the pool for a while before we resume our game viewing later in the afternoon.
DAY 12 – VICTORIA FALLS
07:00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09:30.
10:00 Arrive Victoria Falls Station.
11:00 Check out of train and walk across to Victoria Falls Hotel (luggage can be stored on the train). Meet for a walking tour of the village and the falls.
16:00 Meet at the hotel for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.
18:30 Transfer back to Victoria Falls Hotel.
The little station of Victoria Falls was first reached by railway in June 1904. Old colonial buildings, bougainvillea and palm trees against the backdrop of the Victoria Falls Hotel form a charming oasis of soft sweetness after the rugged dryness of the landscape. The Victoria Falls is one of nature’s great revelations on a par with the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and an erupting volcano. It is believed that there have existed no less than seven different Victoria Falls over the past two million years. These cascades correspond to the lower gorges of the Zambezi. The present falls is wearing from Devil’s Cataract northwards, eroding the softer material behind the present basalt base of the falls. When eventually all the soft matter has been removed, the Victoria Falls will move back, a fresh gorge will yawn and where the falls are now will become a new site for tourists. Although just over a mile long (1.7km), the falls are broken up by various small islands, including Livingstone Island. At their deepest, the falls are 108m deep at Rainbow Falls.
Please dress accordingly for game drives/excursions: mornings can be cool then warm up considerably; afternoons can be warm then cool down considerably. Warm clothing, hats and sun protection are advised (season dependent). Rain capes are available.
For 2023 rates and dates, call or text (818) 353-9500