Take a heritage adventure with Ceres Rail Company from Cape Town to Mossel Bay

Feel like slowing down? Why not take a six-day vintage rail journey from Cape Town to Mossel Bay?

The General Manager of Ceres Rail Company, Rick Botha, said the Mossel Bay Explorer blends scenic travel, small-town exploration and heritage locomotives.

"For guests who haven't been with us before, Ceres Rail is a heritage railway company, and we do various trips across the Western Cape. Mainly day trips at this stage, but the Mossel Bay Explorer is a unique trip we're offering that takes guests from Cape Town to Mossel Bay, the long way around. Guests travel by train in vintage coaches, along the rails that are less travelled nowadays and see views from a perspective that is long gone for the ordinary traveller."

Botha said the feedback from customers is that they really want to prolong their experiences, spend more time on the train, and just have more to take in along these routes.

"Today, the world is all about instant gratification: I want something now. I want to be there as quickly as I can. And in many cases, the destination is all that matters. Whereas slow travellers are those of us who are trying to break out of that mould and fight back against the urge to do and see everything in as short a time as possible. So, a trip like this to Mossel Bay, if you were doing it by car, would be maybe five hours. And that's great, you're just going to be able to get to the destination, but we decided to take the long way around, the slow way and in slowing it down, we're actually giving people the opportunity to meaningfully connect with their fellow travellers. To bond over a glass of wine or have time to take in the beauty of the Western Cape."

Botha said it's quite a varied itinerary. "We've got four days on the train and two days that are in Mossel Bay. Day one is from Cape Town to Swellendam, where the route we actually take by train takes us all the way up to Paarl, Wolseley, Worcester and then down to Robertson through Bonnievale and onto Swellendam."

On the train, there is a spa and a bar that serves light meals.

"The most special part of that day is getting to Albertinia, where the steam locomotive will join us to take us through to Mossel Bay on the last leg of the journey."

They have accommodation in Mossel Bay, where guests stay in hotels for the next couple of days.

They start their return journey on the fifth day, staying over in Montague that night. On the sixth day, they are back on the train with a wine tasting on board, arriving back in Cape Town in the early evening.

The first departure is scheduled for May. To book or make enquiries, email bookings@ceresrail.co.za.