| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | |
From Johannesburg to Cape Town: plane or train?Country forums / Africa / South Africa | ||
Hi, we're going to South Africa in November/December for a few weeks and our inbound and outbound flights are to/from Cape Town. We're planning to travel with BazBus along the coast, taking our time to discover the towns on the way, then we want to do the Kruger safari trip that'll end us up in Johannesburg. Obviously, we'll need to get back to Cape Town to catch our flight and I can't decide whether to simply fly back with Kulula or take the Shosholoza Meyl for some additional sightseeing from the windows. Prices are similar and we're not on a tight schedule. | ||
I would definitely recommend flying, unless you consider the luxury trains such as Rovos Rail or the Blue Train. I've heard that the Shosholoza Meyl can often be delayed and it is not really the same standard as trains in e.g. Europe. Also, the scenery along most of the route is pretty boring and it's a looooong trip. I would suggest rather spending the extra time in Cape Town, seeing the penguins on the beach, Cape Point etc. if you haven't already, or maybe even travelling up the beautiful West Coast to Langebaan or Paternoster. | 1 | |
I would probably also fly and use the additional time in Cape Town (or go to Paternoster for 2-3 days, which is indeed a very beautiful place on the West Coast). On the other hand, if you like travelling by train, why not go for it ? But then I would stop for one night in Kimberley, to visit the Big Hole. | 2 | |
I just feel so embarrassed about the Shosholoza Meyl after reading some more reviews on TripAdvisor. Someone I know also took this train and was very disappointed. On the up-side it seems safe at least. People talk about delays of up to 8 hours, the train running out of food and bedding, the cabins being unable to lock, really dirty stations along the way etc. Some people really enjoyed it though, so I think it's up to you :-) | 3 | |
You can maybe consider the Premier Classe train instead of the Shosholoza Meyl. | 4 | |
It's a no brainer if you don't have a tight schedule. Slow, overland travel by train offers much more than a flight. Unfortunately I haven't been to SA yet, but I've got a book about the greatest rail journeys of the world and Kapstad Jo'burg is listed as one. Looking at the map I see that much of the route must be pretty boring, but you'll sleep through much of it, but the landscape looks exciting as you're getting nearer Cape Town and cross the mountains.
Why would anyone expect a European standard in Africa? Actually, you would be surprised how some trains look in Europe, LOL.
People talk lot of rubbish on tripadvisor about hotels, restaurants, etc. Bad experiences get reported, but good ones are rarely mentioned. Delays of 8 hours is reall extreme, it's hard to believe that happens regularly. The train running out of food, I can imagine that, it's a long journey after all. You should always take food and drink with you on long train trips anywhere in the world. Cabins being unable to lock. All of them or was it just one faulty lock? Dirty stations along the way. You don't have to get off the train, do you? Here are some recent(like from 2014-2015) photo reports on a German railfan website: This one shows you photos of the Shosoloza Meyl and it looks absolutely OK and up to European standard. And what is really great that you can open the windows. You can't do that anymore on many trains in Europe. Scroll down for the Capetown - Jo'burg Shosholoza Meyl photos: http://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?30,7262035 This is from a Premier Class Port Elizabeth - Joburg journey in 2 parts: part 1(scroll down for the train pics): http://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?30,7170727 part 2 | 5 | |
For practical information and some mostly positive reviews see the man in seat 61: http://www.seat61.com/SouthAfrica.htm If you end up taking the train, we would be really grateful for your feedback on here! | 6 | |
One can't really generalize about Africa in that way, it is really large and diverse. South Africa specifically is much more European than you would maybe expect. We have world-class standards and first world things here too. Our airports and airplanes are of a really high standard and a pleasure to use. The Blue Train is really great and the South African Rovos Rail is often cited as the most luxurious train in the world. These are just a few examples of many, so I can't really see why anyone couldn't expect this standard in South Africa. The things is, the Shosholoza Train has specific problems and its condition has to do with bad management and indifference.
Sure, but when lots and lots of people write about bad experiences, not only on TripAdvisor, but also on other forums and in the media chances are that there is some truth to what they're saying. That doesn't mean that anyone has to listen to them, but it just enables people to make a more informed decision and know what to expect.
As far as I understand for some reason the cabins can lock from the inside and not from the outside. In addition to this, people complain about faulty locks as well.
Actually this is a regular occurrence. One reason is that this train shares tracks with the Transnet Freight trains and those trains always take preference so the Shosholoza Meyl has to wait. Another reason is that the train breaks down regularly in various ways (engines breaking, cable theft, derailment etc) or just stops randomly. If you read some reviews you will see almost everyone complains that the train was 3, 6, 8, 10, 13 hours late. These are just some of the many stories that actually made the news and are not just people complaining on forums:
and more on TripAdvisor:
Apparently the reason why they run out of food is because the staff eats first and then there isn't enough left for the passengers. This is described as happening by more than one person. Also, the train stops in different towns along the way where I'm sure they could organize to stock up on more food if they wanted to. I do not give advice lightly because I really want tourists to have the best, safest and most amazing experience in my beautiful country. From what I've read and personally heard I feel like there is quite a big chance that riding on the Shosholoza Meyl will not be the nicest experience that one could have here. The chance is also there that it could be nice as there are people who have had pleasant experiences as well. Of course, everyone can decide for themselves what they want to do, forums like these just enable more informed decisions. The Premier Classe train doesn't seem to suffer from the same problems as the Shosholoza Meyl so I would recommend that as a better alternative. | 7 | |
I think this is really interesting post and both Lidia (who is from South Africa) and HALIX (who hasnt been to South Africa yet) have stated their opinion. HALIX - i also love travelling by train (in many years of travelling, the journey on the Transsib from Moscow to Vladivostok is one of my favourite travel experiences), and I have spent days and days in trains in China and India, so yes, I enjoy travelling by train. Myself, if you choose to travel by train, I would still spend a night in Kimberly. | 8 | |
I've taken the Shosholoza Meyl a few times and enjoyed the experience. It was an hour or two late, the train is very basic and I don't know if we ran out of food (I bought takeaways and snacks at the station before leaving) but I'm sure I would have heard if we did. If sightseeing is your main reason, it's a better option to fly and then spend the extra time sightseeing around Cape Town. The views from the train are great but not great enough to be your main reason to take the train - it only fills up an hour or two of the 24hr(?) ride. | 9 | |
Thank you all for your input, guys! I'm from Poland and believe me, I'm well accustomed to poor standards and delays in our railway companies (although I must admit that it has gotten much better in the recent years, not far below Western Europe standards). I love traveling by trains and Kimberly mine is a place I'd like to visit, but after three weeks of backpacking my girlfriend might just be too tired for the scenic route. @HALIX - I'll let you know how it went if we do choose the train. | 10 | |
#7 Ouch! That's really bad indeed! Thanks for sharing the links. It looks like trains in SA are strictly for hardcore travellers with a thirst for (mis)adventure and lots of patience and plenty of time. Yeah, I know of course that SA is not entirely a third world country but it looks like the trains aren't any better than in say Tanzania or Cameroon. :-) | 11 | |
Yup, that's one of the interesting things about SA - some first-world things (mostly private-run) and some third-world things(mostly government-run). Metro trains, meant as public transport for a large portion of the population is horrendous and not suitable for tourists, but like I mentioned before the Rovos Rail and Blue Train are some of the most luxurious train experiences (at a price of course) with the Premiere Classe a more budget-friendly option. It's a shame really, I love traveling by train as well and have done so extensively in Europe, but in SA traveling by car and by plane is usually the most convenient and worry-free ways of going around. Whatever you choose, please let us know how the experience was, be safe and ENJOY!!! :-) | 12 | |
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