A trip aboard Rovos Rail is a journey like no other. Experience the opulent elegance of rail travel on the most luxurious train in the world on one of Rovos Rail’s exceptional safaris through the heart of Africa. Combining some of the most magnificent scenery with the glamour and excitement of the golden age of rail travel, Rovos Rail will delight the most discerning traveller.
Some Journey ideas :
Victoria Falls Holiday
This three-day* adventure begins with the train’s departure from Rovos Rail’s gracious station in Pretoria. It then winds its way south through Johannesburg and the goldfields of the Witwatersrand before travelling west alongside the Magaliesberg Mountains. After border formalities at Mafikeng, the train travels north the following day through Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, crosses the Tropic of Capricorn and continues via Mahalapye and Francistown to the Zimbabwean border at Plumtree. The next day the train passes through Hwange National Park where animals can be spotted from the train. After a service stop at Thompsons Junction, the sojourn ends at the incomparable Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River. The surrounding areas offer travellers many recreational opportunities including cruises, whitewater rafting as well as superb game viewing and photo safaris.
Namibia Holiday
This nine-day 3 400-kilometre annual journey takes the train from the savannahs of the Highveld to the Atlantic in the west. Departing from Pretoria, the first stop is Kimberley, centre of one of the world’s famous diamond rushes where there is an opportunity to savour the 1870s atmosphere of the mine museum village. The train traverses the stark vistas of the Northern Cape to the Fish River Canyon – second in size to the Grand Canyon and truly a spectacular sight. Guests continue across the untamed beauty of the Kalahari Desert to Namibia’s capital for a tour; Windhoek is a lively, cosmopolitan city with a strong German flavour. Then it’s a short flight to the renowned Sossusvlei, a stunning pan in the Namib Desert, for an overnight stay followed by a night in the game-rich Etosha National Park. On the last morning, the train travels the Namib to the perfectly preserved 19th-century German Hansa town of Swakopmund – an unforgettable end to a remarkable journey. Available in reverse
Dar Es Salaam Holiday
This epic 14-day* train journey travels through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania and is one of the most famous in the world. The sojourn begins in Cape Town taking guests to the historic village of Matjiesfontein, the diamond town of Kimberley and the capital city of Pretoria for short tours followed by two nights in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Continue through Botswana into Zimbabwe where guests overnight at the Victoria Falls Hotel. After crossing the mighty Zambezi River, the train joins the Tazara line in Zambia and continues to Chisimba Falls where guests enjoy a bush walk. The train climbs to the Tanzanian border then descends into the Great Rift Valley negotiating the tunnels, switchbacks and viaducts of the spectacular escarpment. As it climbs again to Dar es Salaam, it traverses the Selous Game Reserve – the largest on the continent and a vision of timeless Africa. Available in reverse.
Some examples of the accommodation types available
Pullman Suite
- 7 sq metres/±76 sq feet) are equipped with a comfortable sofa-seat during the day with a conversion to double or twin beds for the evening, and also have an en-suite bathroom with shower.
- The wood-panelled rebuilt sleeper coaches, remodelled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort. In the en-suite bathrooms, original fittings combine with the modern technology of hot showers, hair dryers and shaver plugs.
- There is also a bar fridge filled with beverages of the passengers’ choice and room service is available 24 hours a day.
- ±10 sq metres/±118 sq feet accomm two people in either twin or double beds and have a lounge area and en-suite bathroom with shower.
- The wood-panelled rebuilt sleeper coaches, remodelled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort.
- In the en-suite bathrooms, original fittings combine with the modern technology of hot showers, hair dryers and shaver plugs.
- There is also a bar fridge filled with beverages of the passengers’ choice and room service is available 24 hours a day.