A Guide to Traveling South Africa by Train

Maria James July 5, 2022 Travel Leave a comment 330 Views

In this article read about A Guide to Traveling South Africa by Train. Is South Africa still being persecuted because of its turbulent past? Some of the best vineyards you’ve never heard of can be found in the Cape Wineland region. The Kruger National Park is home to the Big 5 and the Small 400 (bird species), But the Serengeti safari is the first to come to most people’s minds.

Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s penal colony, held him for 18 years, yet Alcatraz bends its bars. And the Supertube wave of Jeffreys Bay appears flat in the water when compared to the more popular swells of Bali, Hawaii, and Australia. It’s no surprise that Table Mountain appears flat from the top.

The railway is, in my opinion, the most unsung hero of South African tourism. One thrilling route runs 869 miles from Cape Town, South Africa’s supposed white city, to Johannesburg, The country’s Black heart. A historic journey through the arid plains of the Karoo desert and the lush foothills of the winelands, lasting twenty-six hours.

Historic Track Record
Choose Your Rails
Journey Across the Karoo
A Solid Platform

A Guide to Traveling South Africa by Train | Historic Track Record

The railway network of South Africa is a relic of crusty colonial times, when the British Empire sawped inland in search of commercial gain. First battling the indigenous Zulu tribe and then the feisty Boer settlers. The British hoped to secure South Africa’s mineral-rich heart, which they eventually — and brutally — accomplished.

Apart from war, the South African railway served as the rigid backdrop for significant events in the lives of two of the world’s most prominent icons: in 1893, a young Indian lawyer named Mahatma Gandhi was ejected from a train at Pietermaritzburg for refusing to vacate a whites-only carriage; and sixty-nine years later, the activist Nelson Mandela was arrested beside the same city’s railway tracks, and to face the charge of sabotage that would eventually confound

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A Guide to Traveling South Africa by Train | Choose Your Rails

Tourists and travellers who plan ahead of time to visit South Africa are rewarded with a plethora of cost-effective travel options. The luxury private operators Rovos Rail and the oddly named Blue Train offer visitors a “window into the soul of Africa,” but it’s the national railway operator, Shosholoza Meyl, who earns the backpacker dollars, as they operate two great value options for the exact same journey.

The Blue Train

This costs R10,120 (£886) all-inclusive and now ends in Pretoria due to a lack of demand for Johannesburg as a destination (Johannesburg’s Park Station is considered safe and is constantly patrolled by security guards). You should, however, exercise caution in the surrounding streets and consider arranging for transportation to pick you up at the station entrance.)

Meanwhile, Rovos Rail transports all-inclusive tourists beginning at R11,000 (£963), while the friendly Premier Classe begins at R1,500 (£131). The real bargains for backpackers continue to be Shosholoza Meyl’s ‘Trans-Karoo’ options, which start at R350 (£31) for a sleeper and R170 (£15) for an economy class seat.

As an avid supporter of low-cost rail travel, I can assure you that the comfortable Trans-Karoo option will be populated by curious characters rather than the plump pockets and paunches of the more luxurious iron snakes. This is the ideal location for you to interact with ordinary South Africans on their preferred turf.

A night on the Shosholoza Meyl’s ‘Trans-Karoo’ is best spent in a simple sleeper cabin with a fold-down bed, a small hand basin, and a hatch window. Couples who book ahead of time may be able to secure a 2-berth cabin (which is good practise for all Traveling South Africa by Train).

Journey Across the Karoo

Few journeys of this cost anywhere in the world provide backpackers with this level of adventure and distance. The charming air-conditioned dining cars are ideal for escaping. The midday heat or watching the sun set the horizon ablaze while feasting on the European-style menu. Observe the townships of urban Africa flake to dust as the mighty Karoo takes command of your gaze through the large windows.

This vast and ancient plateau, which covers one-third of the country. It was once a feeding ground for some of the world’s largest plant-eating dinosaurs. It is still one of the world’s most important hunting grounds for fossil hunters. Today, the plateau is dappled and draped in less-threatening scrubland. A variety of flitting animals such as warthogs, zebras, and impalas pass through the vast sheep stations of South Africa’s outback. Are you confused how to travel in south africa , dont worry we got you covered you just book a South Africa trip or stay in a South Africa safari lodge. Live your best life today.

The fabled diamond-mining town of Kimberley

Home to the largest man-made hole in the world. The imaginatively named Big Hole glistens from the sweat of the 50,000 people. Who extracted a yield of 2.7 metric tonnes of diamonds by the time the mine closed in 1914. It is one of the natural stops along the Trans-Karoo route.

The Cape Wineland region north of Cape Town, however, is the true jewel of South Africa’s beauty. This small wine region produces some of the world’s best wines. Provides passengers travelling the Trans-Karoo with a refreshing gulp of greenery, complemented by large expanses of glistening water. That serve as some of the country’s most idyllic getaways. The local vineyards of Paarl, Wellington, Tulbagh, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek, known as South Africa’s gourmet capital. Provide the perfect reason to return from whence you came.

Let us not forget Cape Town, which whirls between the foothills of Table Mountain. A coastline that connects the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The city is an easy and exciting base from which to explore the surrounding countryside. And there’s also the chance to learn the mandala of stories that bind the famed townships together. This more about Traveling South Africa by Train

A Guide to Traveling South Africa by Train | A Solid Platform

The ability to travel such long distances by rail in Africa is becoming increasingly rare.

I’ve identified the Trans-Karoo and its wild adventure. The playground as one of the major draws for backpackers in the coming years. Asia is experiencing more spontaneous unrest, while prices in Europe and the Antipodes continue to rise. So perhaps my question should be: when will South Africa be remembered for its exciting future?

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