Outeniqua Choo Tjoe - All Aboard!
If you’re looking for a pleasant distraction whilst visiting Knysna or George, why not take a ride on the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe? This quaint little steam train will take you between the two towns, crossing through the Outeniqua forests and passing some of the most breath-taking scenery along the Garden Route. It’s an enjoyable experience that the whole family can participate in and it makes for a great day of activity.
The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe is unique in that it is the last steam hauled scheduled passenger train on the Southern half of the continent. It runs the route between George and Knysna six days of the week on a rather impressive stretch of railway line. When the railway between George and Knysna was built in the early 1900s, it was one of the most expensive railway lines in the world. When you travel along it, hugging cliffs and passing through tunnels, it becomes easy to understand why this feat of engineering was so difficult to accomplish. However, as with most things back then, the railway track was built to last and today it continues to serve the public with very few problems.
Today the train ride between George and Knysna has become priceless. It takes passengers through Victoria Bay, Wilderness, Sedgefield and Goukamma – past some of the most spectacular scenery available in the country. Many view it as the most beautiful stretch of railway line in the world and this certainly keeps passengers coming back for more. When the railway line was handed over to the Transnet Heritage Foundation in 1993, the train averaged 40 000 passengers a year. Today it carries roughly 115 000 passengers along this scenic route every year – most of which are foreign tourists. The trains depart and arrive from George and where the Outeniqua Railway Museum keeps them entertained until it is time to board the train.
So if you are going to be in the area, there is simply no better way to enjoy the lush and colourful countryside of the Garden Route than to take a trip on the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. Photographs certainly don’t do it any justice – it is an experience that you have to enjoy for yourself. Book your ticket now and enjoy the world’s most beautiful train ride.