Adventure

Embark on an experience of a lifetime with Ceres Rail Company!

A scenic rail trip with the Ceres Rail Company is the perfect way to experience the beauty and grandeur of the Cape. Expect unique family, romantic and memorable group experiences that evoke feelings of a bygone era when steam trains roamed from the ports into the African hinterland.

Ceres Rail Company is certainly one of the best things to do in Cape Town. Spend your time onboard mingling at the bar, reading a book, taking in the beautiful sights, catching up with family or just closing your eyes and letting your senses take you back to another place in time.

A bit of history; the Ceres Railway track was originally built in July 1910 and was completed in May 1912 using second-hand material. Today, Ceres Rail Company’s mission is to help preserve and promote South African Rail Heritage, which involves restoring and refurbishing old locomotives and coaches.

They currently operate Class 19D locomotives and a Class 19B locomotive. Their trains can be chartered for special events and functions as well as filming and photoshoots.

Ceres Rail Company rail experiences

The Ceres Rail Company has two amazing rail experiences on offer – the Elgin Railway Market and the Ceres. The Elgin Railway Market option takes you on a scenic journey from Cape Town to Elgin Railway Market while the Cape Town to Ceres package also offers an incredible experience. You can make an online booking HERE and HERE.

You will find the trains fitted with everything that you might need for a wonderful time exploring the Cape. The trains feature day sitters, family compartments, bar areas, family coupes, beautiful lounges and an observation car.

Expect to be served enjoyable drinks and cocktails (including beers, wines and bespoke cocktails); refreshing coffees and hot drinks as well as delectable food, platters and snacks. Their caterers are halaal-friendly.

Do an online booking HERE.

Reviews from previous Ceres Rail Company

“Very nice train ride & great host Athen! The coffee place at the beginning was a bit disorganized as it couldn’t handle the amount of people so would foresee there an alternative. Overall really fun magical experience,” wrote MichaelBynens on their TripAdvisor page.William Mackie added; “Fantastic experience! Well maintained train, very comfortable seats and friendly staff. Such beautiful scenery. Overall, we had a lovely time!”

“A wonderful day out on the beautiful vintage train to the Elgin Steam Market. The train is comfortable, beautifully restored and has that “magic” you only get on slow rail travel. The market’s steampunk decor and architecture is fabulous, with great food and shopping. There are snacks, drinks and a barista available on board, or save yourself for a delicious lunch at the market. The scenery changes from harbour, industrial and townships to great vistas over the pass on to winelands and orchards, and occasional wildlife or livestock – a mosaic of Cape Town. Bring games for the kids, since it’s a long day and the novelty might wear off on the return journey, although the market has a fun play area, including a climbing wall to work off some energy,” said Lizette S.

Ceres Rail Company is located at Dockrail Rd, Foreshore, Cape Town. For bookings, call +27 (0) 60 070 2697 or email bookings@ceresrail.co.za. Visit them online at www.ceresrail.co.za today. Here is their location on Google Maps. Also follow them on Facebook HERE. Also follow them on Instagram HERE.

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About us

Actually, Home Food and Travel offers a lot more than just reviews of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities. We also visit great destinations, receive advice from interior designers and stop to smell the roses and taste the coffee.

Our team of journalists are seasoned travels and love visiting the myriad of exciting places around South Africa. Whether it is off the beaten track or in the heart of the top attractions of the country, we’ll be there,

Home Food and Travel advice on finding the right accommodation

So what is the right accommodation? Well more often than not, it’s your travel budget that dictates the type of accommodation that you choose.

Expensive is not always better. Our team at Home Food and Travel will tell you that they have camped in areas with limited ablutions and had a wonderful holiday. They have also spent a night in a five star hotel only to be disappointed because their expectations exceeded the experience.

The reason for your travels will also affect your choice. A business trip requires different amenities to a beach holiday.

Our articles, reviews and experiences can certainly help you make your decision.

Restaurants with a good mix of service, food and ambiance

To my mind a great restaurant offers three things – excellent service, great food and a wonderful ambiance. Of these, service is the most important.

No matter that the food is delicious and the setting delightful, poor service can ruin the occasion. However, great service combined with mediocre meal and a plane jane restaurant can still be a pleasant night out.

We’ve eaten in restaurants that are really dirty but with incredible food and couldn’t help but give a rave review. We’ve also hardly noticed what we ate because the setting was just amazing.

However, the best restaurants come with the best of service, food and ambiance.

Spas are the ultimate relaxation aid

How do you know when you have had a great spa experience? The answer, of course, is when you doze off on the treatment table.

Well that’s our theory anyway. It also doesn’t take a grand location with enormous facilities for a spa to be really good

A small, personal spa that is owner run can result in the best massage you have ever experienced. However, the grand spas in five star hotels offer unsurpassed facilities in an environment that just makes the stress in your shoulders and neck melt away before you even finish checking in.

Adventure!

You don’t have to be an adrenaline junky to enjoy an exciting experience. In fact, what are commonly termed adventure activities usually have incredibly high safety standards and unblemished safety records.

Ziplining, bungy jumping and shark cage diving are all very safe. It’s just that our mind tells us we are craaazzzzyyyy to be doing this.

On the road to great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities

If you’re driving, be safe and make use of all the wonderful farm stalls that populate South Africa’s open roads.

If you overhear somebody asking a lot of questions or see someone taking photos of empty bedrooms chances are it’s one of our Home Food and Travel team members.

We’re out looking or those great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.

See you on the road!