At 06:30, breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure, providing a variety of delicious morning dishes.
Guests then transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to Spionkop Lodge for the morning, where they can choose between two excursions:
- Hear the historic tale of the Battle of Spionkop, a significant event in the Anglo-Boer War.
- Enjoy a game drive in the 11,000-acre reserve, offering close encounters with Africa’s wildlife.
At 13:00, lunch is served in the dining cars. As the train travels, passengers can admire the Drakensberg Mountains, named by the Voortrekkers who thought the rugged peaks resembled the spines on a dragon’s back, hence the name ‘Dragon Mountain’ or Drakensberg in Afrikaans.
The afternoon brings another adventure with a game drive in the Nambiti Reserve, a private Big Five bush retreat set on 20,000 acres of malaria-free bushveld. The reserve boasts incredible biodiversity, including savannah, grasslands, thornveld, and tall acacia trees.
At 19:30, dinner is served in the dining cars as the train proceeds to Vooruitsig. This formal dining experience includes gourmet dishes and a sophisticated atmosphere. Passengers will pass Glencoe, site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War, and Newcastle, home to the largest cella-dome Hindu temple in the southern hemisphere. The train then descends from Majuba Hill, site of the decisive battle that ended the First Anglo Boer War.