Steam and Style

Rovos rail offers a world class luxury travel experience. The highly polished wood panelled coaches have been meticulously restored and the elegant and luxuriously furnished sleeper coaches are the most spacious train suites in the world. The trains are hauled by steam, diesel or electric locomotives at various stages of the journey, carrying up to 72 passengers in 32 suites. Rovos Rail has earned a reputation for service excellence and the company’s founder personally welcomes every guest who boards the train. Once you have boarded and settled the Rovos Rail staff will attend to your every need. Dining on the train is a formal affair with crisp cotton linen, fine china and silver. Meals are prepared with the finest fresh ingredients by highly qualified executive chefs and your gourmet meals will be accompanied by the best wines South Africa has to offer.

Cape Town to Pretoria

The Pretoria to Cape Town / Cape Town to Pretoria journey covers a distance of 1600km in 48 hours and follows the trail of the pioneers. The train stops at Kimberley where you will visit the ‘Big Hole’ and the Diamond Museum, the historic and perfectly preserved village of Matjiesfontein and then proceed via Touws River, De Doorns and Worcester to the vibrant city of Cape Town. The diverse scenery on this journey is spectacular and it is the perfect way to experience the immense visual beauty that has earned South Africa the reputation of being the ‘world in one country’. You will also marvel at the engineering of the many tunnels that have been built through the high mountains along the way.

Collage

This nine day journey covers 3400 kilometres of track and departs in May / June. The journey starts in Pretoria and heads south through Malalane, then to Swaziland at which point it travels westwards to Bloemfontein before heading south to Durban. The train then covers a coastal route heading westwards to Port Elizabeth, George, Knysna, Oudtshoorn and finally Cape Town. You will enjoy a variety of interesting excursions along the way including a game drives, city tours, town visits on the garden route, an excursion to an ostrich farm and a tour of a brandy distillery in the Winelands. The scenery on this trip is breathtakingly beautiful.

Dar Es Salaam

This epic 14 day journey departs from Cape Town in July and travels through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. This journey includes overnight stops at the Victoria Falls and various game reserves where you will enjoy fantastic game drives and bushwalks. As the train negotiates the tunnels and viaducts of the escarpment as it descends into the Rift Valley the most amazing scenery will unfold outside your window. On the last day of this memorable journey the train will take you through the Selous Game Reserve before reaching your final destination at Dar Es Salaam. This itinerary is worth extending to include a few days in Cape Town with a tour of beautiful Winelands and a few days relaxing on the white sandy beaches in Zanzibar.

Durban

This three day safari from Pretoria to Durban departs during the summer months. The train meanders through the grasslands of the Highveld and then down through the Drakensburg escarpment, known for its magnificent sunsets, through Malalane along the border of the Kruger National Park. The train passes through the Swaziland border and arrives in Mkhaya for an afternoon game drive. A further overnight journey takes you to Zululand where you will enjoy an early morning game drive at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve. The train then departs for Durban where you can discover the history of the Anglo Boer and Anglo Zulu battlefields or continue with your own arrangements.

George

The Cape Town to George/ George to Cape Town journey departs in the summer months between October and September and covers the garden route through Worcester and Ashton. On the Cape Town to George route you will be able to enjoy a wine tasting excursion at one of the historical wine farms in Ashton and on the George to Cape Town route you will enjoy a guided tour of the KWV Brandy Distillers in Worcester.

Golf Safari

This wonderful nine day golf safari is perfect for the discerning golfer but also offers guests non golfing activities at all the venues. The journey departs from Pretoria and travels to Phalaborwa, Swaziland, Durban, Ladysmith and Sun City before returning to Pretoria. South Africans are passionate about golf and their love of the sport is reflected in the well designed and perfectly manicured championship golf clubs and estates. You will tee off at five golf courses along the way for those who are not golfers other activities have been arranged such as game drives, cultural excursions and historical battlefield tours.

Namibia

This seven day journey of discovery between Pretoria and Swakopmund/ Swakopmund and Pretoria covers a distance of 3400 kilometres. You will travel south to the historical diamond mining town of Kimberley and then travel through the stark landscape of the Northern Cape towards the Namibian border where you will visit the Fish River Canyon. The journey will then continue through the Kalahari Desert with its vast sunsets and starry skies to Windhoek where you will be taken on a city tour and an afternoon game drive. You will then be transferred to a game lodge for an overnight stay where you will taken on a game drive into the Etosha Park before departing for the final destination of Swakopmund.

Victoria Falls

This two night, three day journey departs from Pretoria and travels westward through Mafikeng to Botswana and then northwards where it crosses the Tropic of Capricorn after Gaberone. The journey continues in a north westerly direction, passing the Hwange Game Reserve until it reaches the magnificent Victoria Falls. You will be able to experience this spectacular natural wonder and then enjoy a memorable African safari in the Southern Luangwe.