Cape Town to Johannesburg Overland

 

I detest air travel, that’s no secret. If there’s another means to move from point A to B within a time frame I can permit, I’ll definitely consider it. So when I found out that the train service from Cape Town to Johannesburg wasn’t so bad and was less than half the price of an economy plane ticket, I was more than happy to hop on board.

There are various train services that ply the Cape-Jo’burg route, including a luxury train which I can only hope to experience someday, and the Shosholoza Meyl tourist train. Before I finally decided on taking the train, I went online to read as many reviews as I could about it.

They were mostly positive so that helped me decide. I went online to purchase tickets for the sleeper berths but everything was sold out. The only tickets available were for a time later than when we needed to travel.

cape%2Btown%2Btrain

We wound up getting tickets for the normal train class. I don’t know how enjoyable riding in the sleeper berths might have been but the sitter was no fun at all! For starters, the ride itself was going to take about 28 hours (PS: it took way longer than that!). Imagine being seated the whole time! Luckily, I had my sister with me and some free seats to allow us to stretch out a bit.

We got on the train one hour thirty minutes later than scheduled and began our longest continuous sojourn yet.

Cape%2Bto%2BJoburg
A few hours into our trip, we decided to get some food on board. There were vendors walking through the aisles selling sweets and snacks but we opted for food from the restaurant. We got rice, potatoes, beef, and vegetables for R40. By the way, I didn’t know rice and potatoes was a thing. Anyway, the food wasn’t bad.
train%2Bfood

A little past midnight, the train got really interesting and noisy. It started with a drunken man crying for God to forgive him. He was wailing loudly, no one could sleep past that. Eventually, people got him to calm down and just as soon as they did, a new group emerged as if on cue.

A bunch of ladies filed in from the carriage behind us singing in unison at the top of their lungs. While I’m up for listening to a South African choir, I really wasn’t keen on hearing one at 1 am when I was finally adjusting to my makeshift bed and trying to get some sleep.

They walked past our carriage to the next and after a while, they returned noisily to theirs.

Shosholoza Meyl%2BTrain%2Bride

We were done with the saved man, the choir and a host of drunk passengers. Next came Dr. Love and his entourage. I pretended to be asleep for the most part so I was spared at first. The seat in front of me held a married woman (she announced it to us) and a man trying to openly win her affection. It was uncomfortable having to listen to him spew out his lyrics.

Trust me, I tried to block it all out but this man was unashamed to proclaim his undying love to his lady, well, someone else’s lady.

I couldn’t sleep, plus it was almost morning anyway. The moment I showed a sign of being awake, I had someone seated beside me. He reeked of cigarettes and coffee. (a truly horrid combo!). I had my head bent but he was leaning in to talk to me. All I kept thinking was what I had done to be punished so. I won’t even go into details of how that went but I managed to get out of that situation quickly.

Shosholoza%2BMeyl%2BCape%2BTown%2BJohannesburg

About 28 hours, we got off the train and on to a bus to take us to Johannesburg. Our total travel time came up to 33 hours, which might sound crazy when you consider the 1h 45 mins it takes to fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

Anyway, it was an interesting experience. Would I take this train again if I get the chance to? Yes and No. Yes, if I’m able to get a sleeper berth. No, otherwise.

Shosholoza Meyl%2BJohannesburg Cape%2BTown

2 comments

    1. Lol, I think I was close to tears at some point! But we saved a lot of money, so not all bad in hindsight 🙂

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Here's how I would spend 7 days in Thailand! ✈️🍃

Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok
Day 2: Spend a day in Bangkok exploring the city and her temples
Day 3: Fly from Bangkok to Chiang Rai + explore the temples and city 
Day 4: Drive to Chiang Mai and explore the city and night markets 
Day 5: More explorations in Chiang Mai
Day 6: Fly to Phuket
Day 7: Do an Island hopping trip

Head home! 🥰

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Once again, this is a rough guide, okay? 😅. Happy Travels!
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🌤 Everyone visits and loves Chiang Mai! No hate here - I actually loved it too! But have you heard about Chiang Rai (and I don't just mean the White Temple alone) We stayed here for two days and honestly loved it so much! Getting to visit the city's main temples and a few lesser known ones before the day trip crowd arrived was blissful!🍃✨️ We loved the beautiful cafés and restaurants and the slower pace of life. Most places were never crowded - even during peak hours. I would certainly revisit if I had the choice! What about you? Have you been to Chiang Rai? Let me know in the comments! ‐--------------- Hi! 👋🏽 I'm a Nigerian Travel Blogger based in Kenya 🇰🇪, showing you how to travel well (even with your 9-5!). If you love underrated travel destinations, detailed travel guides and itinerary + cost breakdowns, you've found the right account! Let's explore together! ✈️
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Day 4: Drive to Chiang Mai and explore the city and night markets 
Day 5: More explorations in Chiang Mai
Day 6: Fly to Phuket
Day 7: Do an Island hopping trip

Head home!

I spent 16 days in Thailand in March and it was amazing! Could have easily stayed longer. So if you can, plan for longer than 7 days 😉

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Also, July and August are peak months virtually everywhere because of school holidays. So plan for early days or visit lesser known cities and attractions to get the most out of those months 🥰

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