Rovos Rail Journeys
The Garden Route

The 620 kilometer railway route between Cape Town and Knysna must surely rank as the most beautiful in the world. After leaving the Mother City our train passes through the fabled Hottentots Holland mountains and winds its way through the rolling wheat lands to Robertson and Ashton where the famous wines of the area will be sampled.

We travel overnight to Mosselbay from where the line is in constant touch with the coast. After arrival in George we transfer to special lounge cars and the train meanders its way down a beautiful lush valley emerging suddenly onto a cliff face overlooking the Indian Ocean. The next spectacular feature is the highly photographed bridge over the Kaaimans River. The great attraction of the area - the lake district - begins just after the village of Wilderness.

Here rivers, lakes, lagoons and interconnecting channels form a network of wetlands with the dramatic Outeniqua mountains in the background. Crossing the Goukama valley which evokes images of the English countryside rather than of Africa, the train descends through the peaceful lagoon to glide slowly into this timber famous town. One of the most beautiful sights, at this our final destination, is the Knysna head, two sturdy sandstone promontories which guard the mouth of the Knysna estuary. From this centre one can investigate the treasures of the area which include the Oudshoorn ostrich farms, the Cango Caves, the Tsitsikama forests and other scenic attractions too numerous to list here.

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