Guests are asked to check in at least one hour before departure, with a recommendation of two hours for those wishing to visit the museum or take a site tour at Rovos Rail Station. The journey begins as the train departs from Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria, traveling south across the goldfields of the Witwatersrand. After settling into your suite, guests can relax in the lounge or observation car at the rear of the train. Lunch is served in the dining cars, followed by afternoon tea in the lounge and observation cars, with dinner later in the evening.

Your choice of cabin

Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Enjoy a tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole, located in the capital of the Northern Cape, known for its diamond discovery in 1871. Lunch is served in the dining cars, with the observation car leading the train after tea, offering a new perspective that rail enthusiasts appreciate.

Travel through the Karoo, a vast semi-desert region once an enormous inland sea. Later, enjoy tea in the lounge and observation cars before dinner is served in the dining cars as the train heads towards De Aar, an important railway junction.

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All meals

After lunch, enjoy a walking tour of Upington, including a sundowner cruise on the Orange River, the longest river in South Africa. Dinner is served in the dining cars, with border formalities taking place. The theme for the evening is “Africa” or smart casual attire.

Upington, named after Sir Thomas Upington, was founded on the banks of the Orange River after he successfully captured the notorious Orange River pirates in 1884.

Your choice of cabin

All meals

After breakfast in the dining cars, enjoy lunch before the train travels along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin, followed by a transfer to the Fish River Canyon. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Aus, with formal attire recommended.

The Fish River, which forms the magnificent Fish River Canyon, is the largest canyon in the southern hemisphere, stretching 161 km long, up to 27 km wide, and nearly 550 meters deep. Its dramatic cliffs create a stunning, rocky landscape.

Your choice of cabin

All meals

Today, transfer to the ghost town of Kolmanskop and enjoy lunch in Lüderitz, known for its museum, colonial architecture, and diverse wildlife, including seals, penguins, flamingos, and ostriches. You may also spot the legendary horses rumoured to roam the Namib.

Return to the train and depart for Keetmanshoop, with the observation car leading the train until after dinner. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

Your choice of cabin

All meals

Today you’ll visit Keetmanshoop and Garas Park, home to around 300 specimens of the striking Aloe dichotoma, or Quiver Trees, with their forked branches reaching up to 5 meters. Lunch is served in the dining cars before departing for Mariental.

Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars, and dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Rehoboth.

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All meals

After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for a one-hour flight to your lodge. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch, followed by an afternoon at leisure. In the evening, take a desert drive and enjoy a bush dinner after sunset.

The dunes of the Namib Desert, over five million years old and red due to iron-oxide, offer stunning photographic opportunities as their colour changes with the light.

Please pack a small overnight bag for your stay in Sossusvlei; tog bags are provided in your suite.

Sossusvlei lodge

All meals

After an early wake-up call with tea and coffee, enjoy a desert drive with breakfast in the vlei. Return to the lodge to check out and transfer to the airstrip for a one-hour flight to Windhoek. Upon arrival, have lunch at Windhoek Country Club, followed by a city tour.

Visit the Trans-Namib Transport Museum, Independence Memorial Museum, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Namibia Craft Centre. Afterward, depart for Kranzberg.

Ensure your overnight bag is ready for collection before the drive, as bags will be stored at the lodge.

Your choice of cabin

All meals

Enjoy lunch before transferring to the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, dedicated to saving cheetahs in the wild since 1990. After the visit, depart for Otavi, with dinner served in the dining cars.

Your choice of cabin

All meals

After breakfast, transfer to an Etosha lodge for check-in and enjoy lunch. Guests are welcome to use the pool and lodge facilities before embarking on an afternoon game drive (approximately 3 hours). Dinner is served at the lodge, followed by an overnight stay.

Etosha National Park, spanning 22,270 km², is renowned for its exceptional game viewing, with many species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. It is named after the Etosha Pan, a vast salt pan that means “Great White Place”.

Please pack a small overnight bag for your stay in Etosha.

Etosha lodge

All meals

This morning enjoy a game drive in Etosha National Park. Return to the lodge to freshen up and check out by 10:45, then transfer to the train at Tsumeb Station.

Lunch is served in the dining cars, with the observation car leading the train until tomorrow. Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars, followed by dinner in the dining cars as the train travels southwest towards the Atlantic Ocean.

Please ensure your overnight bag is ready to be collected from your suite and proceed to checkout by 10:45. Your bag will be loaded into the vehicles. Time of game drive to be confirmed.

Your choice of cabin

All meals

Today the train travels through the Namib Desert towards Walvis Bay, Namibia. Upon arrival, the journey comes to an end.

The Namib Desert, stretching over 2000 km along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, is the oldest desert in the world, having endured arid conditions for 55-80 million years. Its geology includes sand seas near the coast, with gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops further inland. The name “Namib” comes from Khoekhoegowab, meaning “vast place.”

Please ensure luggage is ready for collection 15 minutes before arrival and that you have your passport.

Breakfast

The Pullman Golds, mostly used on the long journeys, accommodate one or two passengers in double or split twin beds and have an en-suite with shower, toilet and basin. The Split Twin is the preferable setup between the Split Twin and Double Lengthways and will be illustrated at check-in. A dedicated host/ess is always available and services the suites daily.

The wood-panelled sleeper coaches, remodelled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort with fittings and facilities of the highest standard. The Deluxe Suites accommodate one or two passengers in double or twin beds and have their own lounge area and en-suite with shower, toilet and basin. A dedicated host/ess is always available and services the suites daily.

The wood-panelled sleeper coaches, remodelled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort with fittings and facilities of the highest standard. The Royal Suites each take up half a carriage with their own private lounge area and en-suite with Victorian bath, separate shower, toilet and basin. They accommodate one or two passengers in double or split twin beds. A dedicated host/ess is always available and services the suites daily.