South Africa: spectacular sand dunes and game parks

It's probably still the most cost-effective, enjoyable way to see a lot of South Africa in just under two weeks.

It's the Shongololo Express, named after the centipede for the way it winds across the big country from Johannesburg to Cape Town over 13 days (the Good Hope Tour).

Quite a few years ago it was a remarkable introduction to the Dark Continent.

It was well priced then and still is, starting at $4035 twin share booked at Adventure World, or 34,277 rand (around $3654) booked direct with shongololo.com.

That covers 12 nights' accommodation, breakfast and dinner daily, airport transfers and a daily choice of tours in the small buses that travel with the train.

Destinations include Bloemfontein and Kimberley, Ladysmith, Durban, Zululand and Swaziland and Kruger National Park.

On day nine, for instance, you can tour Bloemfontein and its Boer War connections or drive on to Kimberley to tour a diamond mine and the Big Hole museum.

You might cover 300km before climbing back on the train.

There's a real treat (and contrast) in heading for Stellenbosch and Franschoek, jewels of the wine area.

The route takes you over Hellshoote Pass through a landscape of fruit farms, Cape Dutch houses and vineyards.

The Good Hope tour ends with two nights parked (on the train) on the outskirts of Cape Town and a wide choice of excursions, including Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for so long.

Other Shongololo train tours take you to Victoria Falls through Mozambique and Zimbabwe (Southern Cross tour), to Namibia (Dune Express, spectacular sand dunes and game parks and people) or north via Victoria Falls and Chobe in Botswana to Lusaka and Dar es Salaam (Dr Livingstone tour).

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