TYR27C: Rovos Rail: Cape Town to Cairo

Day 1

You will be met at Cape Town Airport and transferred to the Cape Grace hotel on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Check in, settle in and relax in your beautiful surroundings, within sight of Table Mountain before enjoying a welcome dinner with fellow guests.

Day 2

This morning enjoy a wine tasting tour to the Groot Constania Wine Estate, followed by lunch.

Weather permitting, continue to Table Mountain and ascend by cable car to enjoy one of the world's most famous views!

Day 3

Today depart for a full day tour of the beautiful Cape Peninsula, travelling through Fish Hoek and Simons Town to the beautiful Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve at Cape Point, where two oceans meet.

Travel via spectacular Chapmans Peak Drive and Hout Bay, visiting Kirstenbosch Gardens on the return journey.

Day 4

Arrive in good time to board the luxury Rovos Rail Pride of Africa departing 11h00 for Dar Es Salaam.

Enjoy the elegance of luxury 5-star train travel of a bygone age as you settle in to your wood-panelled coach for your epic 14-day rail journey. You will experience the finest cuisine and outstanding personal service, as you travel in luxury through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania to Dar Es Salaam – making this one of the most famous train journeys in the world!

After travelling through the mountains and vineyards of the beautiful Cape Winelands and the Du Toits Kloof tunnel, the train continues to Worcester, De Doorns and Touws River.  Arrive Matjiesfontein at 18h00 where passengers may disembark and walk to this quaint and authentically preserved Victorian village. Depart Matjiesfontein at 19h00 continuing overnight to Beauford West and De Aar in the Great Karoo.

Dress code on the train during the day is smart casual, with comfortable walking shoes for the off-train excursion. Evenings are generally more formal, with most guests enjoying the opportunity to dress up in cocktail or evening wear including black tie (although collar & tie is acceptable)

Day 5

After a morning of luxury train travel and a sumptuous lunch, arrive in the diamond town of Kimberley at 13h00. Passengers may disembark to catch the historic Kimberley Tram to the famous Big Hole and Open Mine Museum. With a surface area of over 40 acres and a perimeter of over 1 mile, this open-pit area was mined to a depth of over 3,000 feet at the height of the diamond rush – the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. At the Village Museum you can also view Eureka, the first recorded diamond discovered in South Africa.

Depart Kimberley at 17h20 and continue northwards through the farmlands of the Orange Free State and Transvaal towards Pretoria.

Day 6

Arrive at the gracious colonial-style Capital Park Railway Station just north of Pretoria at 11h30.

Disembark for a light lunch and Pretoria City tour, before checking into the Sheraton hotel for overnight.

Day 7

Arrive in good time to board the luxury Rovos Rail Pride of Africa departing 10h00 for Victoria Falls.

Relax and enjoy more of the luxury of 5-star train travel in your wood-panelled coach on your 48-hour rail journey, enjoying fine cuisine and outstanding personal service as you travel nearly 1,000 miles through Southern Africa and Zimbabwe to the mighty Victoria Falls.

Day 8

Enjoy the scenic beauty of Southern Africa today, as we travel northwards through beautiful scenery.

Enjoy the spectacle of an African sunset in baobab country, as the train proceeds towards the mighty Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world situated on the great Zambezi River that separates Zambia from Zimbabwe.

Day 9

Enjoy a final morning of luxury train travel, winding through Zimbabwe to the incomparable Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River. The magnificent Smoke That Thunders was first discovered by Dr. David Livingstone and is still one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.

Disembark at Victoria Falls Station, Zimbabwe and transfer to your hotel.

Day 10

At leisure to relax and enjoy Victoria Falls.

Participate in one of the many optional activities such as a guided tour of the Victoria Falls, an elephant back safari or a helicopter flight over the falls. In the late afternoon enjoy a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River to see hippos, crocodiles and abundant bird life, followed by dinner in the boma.

Day 11

After breakfast, transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for your 3-hour flight to the spice island of Zanzibar.

Enjoy lunch at your hotel, followed by a tour of historic Stone Town.

Day 12

Enjoy a fascinating Island Spice Tour this morning, with lunch en route.

In the afternoon transfer to the airport for your 40-minute flight to Kilimanjaro Airport and 2.5-hour road transfer via Lake Manyara to your game lodge overlooking the famous Ngorongoro Crater.

Stretching across 8,300 sq km, the high altitude malaria-free Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania boasts a variety of landscapes, wildlife, people and archaeology. Its volcanoes, grasslands, waterfalls and mountain forests are home to an abundance of animals and to the Masai people, and has been declared a World Heritage site.

Day 13

Today enjoy a game drive into the Ngorongoro Crater, with picnic lunch on the crater floor.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact caldera, forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometres with sides up to 600m deep. Although animals are free to move in and out of this contained environment, the rich volcanic soil, lush forests and spring source lakes on the crater floor tend to attract both grazers and predators all year round, with some 20,000 to 30,000 animals living in the crater.

Day 14

This morning transfer to your luxury mobile tented camp in the Ndutu area of the great Serengeti (meaning "Endless Plain").

Also a World Heritage site, the Serengeti National Park hosts the largest and longest overland migration in the world. Around October nearly 2 million animals travel 500 miles from the northern hills toward the southern plains, crossing the Mara River in pursuit of the rains. In April they return to the north, through the west, once again crossing the Mara River.

Day 15

Rise early, when game viewing conditions are at their best, for an open top game drive with a lodge ranger across the vast Serengeti Plains.

With 70 large mammals and over 500 other animal species in the Serengeti, outstanding game viewing is guaranteed. Bird watching is also excellent. Return to your lodge for some rest and relaxation, before enjoying another game drive in the late afternoon.

Day 16

This morning transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Kilimanjaro. After completing customs formalities, connect with your 1-hour flight to Entebbe in Uganda.

At this stage we split into two groups, with Group 1 visiting the chimpanzees on Ngamba Island and Group 2 enjoying an excursion to Jinja, the source of the River Nile.

OR optional 2-night excursion to track gorillas in Uganda/Rwanda

Day 17

Today our day excursions are reversed, with Group 1 visiting the source of the River Nile at Jinja and Group 2 visiting the chimpanzees on Ngamba Island.

Day 18

Today we fly 2.5-hours from Entebbe Airport to Khartoum in the Sudan.

In the afternoon we visit Omdurman Old Square and market place, followed by Dervish Dancing!

Day 19

Enjoy a day tour to the ancient ruins of Meroe, an ancient city and civilization that flourished for nearly a thousand years.

Meroe remains one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries, as no one knows where the people of Meroe originated from or why they seemingly vanished.

Day 20

Transfer to Khartoum Airport for your 1.25-hour flight to Abu Simbel in Egypt.

Board the HM Kasr Ibrim for your luxury Lake Nassar cruise. Enjoy lunch on board and a visit to the Abu Simbel Temples.

Day 21

Your leisurely cruise continues today past the temple of Kasr Ibrim, with a tour conducted from the ship's sun deck, as entrance to the site is not permitted.

Enjoy lunch aboard whilst sailing to Amada, where we visit the temples of Amada and Derr as well as the tomb of Penout. In the afternoon we continue sailing to Wadi El Seboua.

Day 22

Today we visit Wasi El Seboua and the temples of Dakka and Meharakka.

We continue sailing to Aswan, whilst dining aboard.

Day 23

Visit Kalabasha temple, Beit El Wali and the Kiosk of Kertassi before disembarking and transferring by road to Luxor, with lunch en route.

Luxor was the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, often called the world's greatest open air museum, as the ruins of the temples of Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city and across the Nile River lie the monuments, temples and tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

Day 24

Enjoy a full day tour of Luxor today.

On the East Bank visit Karnak temple and Luxor temple and on the West Bank visit the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the Temple of Hatsheput and the Colossi of Memnon.

Day 25

Transfer to Luxor Airport for your 1-hour flight to Cairo.

On arrival in Cairo transfer to your luxury hotel, with views of both the Nile River and the great Pyramids.

Day 26

Today take a full day tour to Giza to see the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.

In the evening enjoy dinner at Mina House in Giza, in the shadow of the pyramids.

Day 27

Enjoy a morning tour of Saqqaura and Memphis today, with afternoon at leisure. In the evening enjoy a special farewell
dinner.

Day 28

Transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight home.