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Arriving from Madeira to Cape Town, Agatha had already tussled with a bout of sea sickness. But the skies had cleared, and the world seemed transformed. Over the coming weeks, she would embark on a whistle-stop tour through some of the most sublime landscapes on earth.
These were the sights and sounds that would inspire The Man in the Brown Suit (1924), a murder mystery whose protagonist – Anne Beddingfeld – travels from a London tube station to the streets of Cape Town (sound familiar?). Locations like Bulaweyo and the Zambezi had featured in her own African odyssey, and your trip will follow closely in her restless tracks.
Inspired by Agatha’s journey through Africa, this ten-night trip follows closely in her footsteps.
From £5,299 per person based on two travelling
For the first days of your African adventure, you’ll drink in the sights of the city and its resplendent coastline.
Like Agatha, you’ll stay at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, taking some time to hit the waves at Big Bay (close to where Agatha herself first learned to surf). Later, you’ll take in the “lovely pine trees” and “winding roads” around Table Mountain, in Agatha’s footsteps.
She would also spend much time in the city’s galleries and museums – an experience that we’ve recreated (for the modern era) with a visit to the architecturally astounding gallery of Zeitz MOCAA.
There’ll be time for afternoon tea and games of bridge (she was an avid player), as well as a chance to echo Agatha’s time on the Cape Peninsula: from Simon’s Town and Kalk Bay to Fish Hoek. During her trip, Agatha visited the Cape’s sun-dappled fruit farms – an experience we’ve updated with a chance to raise a glass in the region’s world-famous winelands.
For the next two nights, you’ll continue in Agatha’s footsteps with an electrifying excursion on the Blue Train; journeying on the rails through some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world. Dining in exquisite, golden-age-of-travel luxury, you’ll pause at Kimberley Open Mine Museum, like Agatha, before heading north to Pretoria – where your journey continues.
From here, you’ll travel to Johannesburg, where you’ll post up at the Saxon Hotel. In the following days, you’ll unwind at the hotel, embark on a moving tour of the legacies of Apartheid, and a visit to the Nelson Mandela Museum. This offers a vital and stirring glimpse into South Africa’s past, present and future.
Nearing your journey’s end, you’ll travel to Livingstone and – beyond it – Tongabezi, your idyllic home on the romantic banks of the beautiful, meandering Zambezi River (which Agatha explored by steamboat). Like her, you’ll embark on your own sunrise sail.
From here, you’ll follow Agatha to the mighty Victoria Falls. She fell in love with its “great trees, soft mists of rain, its rainbow colouring”, remarking that it was one of her personal wonders of the world. There’ll also be the chance to set out on game drives, bush walks, and boating trips along this legendary waterway.
There’ll also be a moment to gather your thoughts during a glamorous afternoon tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel, where Agatha herself stayed during her trip.
Snaking north from Cape Town, you’ll wind through verdant scenery, stopping at Johannesburg before a journey to Livingstone and the banks of the mighty Victoria Falls
Ready to start planning?
Drop us a line – by email, phone, or our online form – and our Travel Experts will promptly be in touch, helping you to plan a journey fit for the queen of mystery herself.