Rovos Rail

TRAIN EXPERIENCE

Each train has accommodation carriages, dining cars (±42 seats), a lounge car (±26 seats), small gift shop, smoking lounge (±11 seats) and observation car (±32 seats) with open-air balcony. The three types of suites available – Pullman (7sqm), Deluxe (10sqm) and Royal (16sqm) – offer passengers privacy and comfort with double or twin beds and fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. 

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All have en-suites with shower, toilet, basin and bath (Royal only), tea facilities, safes, air conditioning, linen and amenities and are serviced daily. The dining cars are made up of two-seaters and four-seaters where guests eat together or individually. Our lounge and observation cars – with their big picture windows, sofas and booths – make for great mingling areas or quiet corners to while away the days.

An enthusiastic team of chefs is responsible for overseeing the very important task of ensuring guests’ every need is catered for. There’s an accent on fresh local ingredients and traditional dishes are a specialty. Meals are served in one sitting only in the dining cars and are complemented by a selection of fine South African wines.

SUITES

The Royal Suites

The Royal Suites each take up half a carriage with their own private lounge area and ensuite with Victorian bath, separate shower, toilet and basin. They accommodate one or two passengers in double or split twin beds.

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The Deluxe Suites

The Deluxe Suites accommodate one or two passengers in double or twin beds and have their own lounge area and ensuite with shower, toilet and basin.

The Pullman Golds

The Pullman Golds, mostly used on our long journeys, accommodate one or two passengers in double or split twin beds and have an ensuite with shower, toilet and basin. On arrival, a lengthways-bed suite is setup with lengthways split twin beds configured as sofas that can be converted into a lengthways double.

The Pullmans

The Pullmans, mostly used on our short journeys, accommodate one or two passengers and have an ensuite with shower, toilet and basin. During the day, the suites have a comfortable sofa-seat with a conversion to double or twin beds (side-by-side or upper and lower bunks) for the evening. 

PUBLIC CARS

OBSERVATION CARS
The observation car seats ±32 passengers. With its open-air balcony, big picture windows, bar, sofas and booths, it has great mingling areas or quiet corners to while away the days.

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LOUNGE CARS
The lounge car seats ±26 passengers. With its big picture windows, sofas and wingbacks, it has great mingling areas or quiet corners to while away the days. On some of our long journeys, we have an onboard historian who hosts lectures in the lounge car. At one end of the carriage there is a small gift shop, which is a smart, subtly-lit glass affair selling bespoke memorabilia.

DINING CARS
The dining cars seat ±42 passengers each. Dependent on the number of passengers on a journey, the train is setup with one or two dining cars. They are made up of two-seaters and four-seaters where guests eat together or individually. Hot breakfast items are made to order while lunch and dinner are four-course meals complemented by fine South African wines. 

CLUB CARS
The Club Car area was created by demolishing the end suite in a Deluxe carriage. This was done specifically to host the smokers on the train in a public area and also as an overflow facility adjoining the Observation Car. With a glass passage wall, guests can comfortably watch the scenery on both sides of the train.

GIFT SHOP
There is a small gift shop on the train in the lounge car and at Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria. The collection of bespoke merchandise and timeless mementos have been specially procured and produced for Rovos Rail. 

JOURNEYS

CAPE TOWN - 3 NIGHTS • 1600km
Travel the grasslands of the gold-rich Highveld to the haunting barrenness of the Great Karoo; trundle through the spectacular mountain ranges and scenic winelands of the Cape. Journey’s end is Cape Town, the Mother City of South Africa, cradled by the imposing bulk of Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head. Visit to the historic village of Matjiesfontein, an authentically preserved Victorian Village. 

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Enjoy a stop in Kimberley to visit the Diamond Mine Museum and the world’s largest man-made excavation, the Big Hole. 

DURBAN SAFARI 2 NIGHTS • 800km
This safari between Pretoria and Durban departs during the summer months and include a game drive, a battlefield tale with a world-class historian and a look at unusual African ceramics. Experience the Nambiti Conservancy – a Big Five private retreat set on 20 000 acres of malaria-free bushveld in KwaZulu-Natal. It has incredible biodiversity including savannah, grasslands, thornveld and tall acacia trees. Situated on an expansive game farm, Spionkop Lodge – which adjoins an 11 000-acre nature reserve – is the perfect base for exploring the region. Ardmore Ceramics is a story about the Zulu people.

VICTORIA FALLS 3/4 NIGHTS • 1400km
Travel north through Warmbaths (Bela-Bela), so named for its mineral waters, and Nylstroom (Modimolle), christened by the Voortrekkers as the source of the Nile River as the town’s river happened to be north flowing. Cross the Tropic of Capricorn and Limpopo River to Matobo National Park. Travel along one of the world’s longest stretches of straight railway line – 114km – before traversing Hwange National Park, a rich and diverse wildlife sanctuary where a game drive excursion is enjoyed. Arrive at the incomparable Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River where this sojourn ends. The surrounding areas offer travellers many recreational opportunities including cruises, whitewater rafting as well as superb game viewing and photo safaris. 

JOURNEYS

GOLF SAFARI 9 NIGHTS • 2100km
Travel from Pretoria to Sun City in the hills of the Pilanesberg for game viewing. Cross the grasslands of the Highveld to Spionkop, the perfect base for exploring the mountains, bush, birds and battlefields of the region. Traverse the scenic Valley of a Thousand Hills to Durban. Interact with artisans. The game viewing continues at Hluhluwe in Zululand and the world-famous Kruger Park in Malelane with a visit to the Kingdom of eSwatini. 

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NAMIBIA SAFARI 11 NIGHTS • 3400km
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 mining village. Guests continue across the untamed beauty of the Kalahari Desert to a cheetah conservation project and a stop in Namibia’s capital for a tour; Windhoek is a lively, cosmopolitan city with a strong German flavour. Then it’s a short flight to Sossusvlei, a stunning pan in the Namib Desert, for an overnight stay followed by a night in the game-rich Etosha National Park. 

SOUTHERN CROSS 11 NIGHTS • 2500km
Travel the eastern line to join the scenic Panorama Route with its dramatic escarpments followed by game viewing in the Kruger Park. Tour Maputo, capital of Mozambique. Enjoy a game drive at Kapama and a visit to the Great Zimbabwe Monument. Tour Antelope Park and view Matobo’s bushmen caves. Continue to Hwange for game viewing before arriving in Victoria Falls. End with a sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi.

JOURNEYS

AFRICAN COLLAGE 12 NIGHTS • 3700km
After a game drive in Kruger Park, travel to the mountainous Kingdom of Eswatini. Traverse the subtropical coastline to the port city of Durban. Navigate the Valley of a Thousand Hills to Spionkop for a nature drive and hear the historic tale of the battle here. Visit Bloemfontein, the City of Roses and seat of South Africa’s judicial system. Continue to Port Elizabeth for a game drive at Addo Elephant Park then on to the natural paradise of Knysna for an overnight stay at Fancourt. 

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Transfer through the steep and sloping Outeniqua Mountains to the impressive Cango Caves and an ostrich farm for a visit. 

AFRICAN TRILOGY 15 NIGHTS • 5000km
Starting in Pretoria, descend the spectacular escarpment to the world-famous Kruger Park for a game drive. Explore the Kingdom of eSwatini. Traverse the Valley of a Thousand Hills and the imposing Drakensberg Mountains. Continue through the semi-desert region of the Karoo to Upington and the Fish River Canyon, second in size to the Grand Canyon. Take a short flight to Sossusvlei for a lodge stay surrounded by the dramatic dunes of the Namib-Naukluft Park. Enjoy desert drives, a bush dinner and breakfast near Deadvlei. Visit Namibia’s lively capital, Windhoek, and a cheetah conservation project before overnighting in the game-rich Etosha National Park. 

JOURNEYS

COPPER TRAIL 14 NIGHTS • 3100km
A new expedition traversing Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. Travel across the mighty Zambezi from the incomparable Victoria Falls towards Kafue River. After a visit to Lusaka’s elephant sanctuary, fly into South Luangwa National Park for a three-night safari. Enjoy a tour of Lubumbashi.

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DAR ES SALAAM 16 NIGHTS • 5800km
This  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. The train climbs to the Tanzanian border – almost exactly the midpoint between Africa’s two Great Rift Valley lakes – then negotiates the tunnels, switchbacks and viaducts of the spectacular escarpment to the jungled Udzungwa Mountains. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF ROVOS RAIL

The Observation Car - Located at the rear, this car features an open-air balcony, perfect for photography and soaking in the African landscape.

Vintage Atmosphere - The train operates with no televisions or radios, embracing a, bygone era of travel.

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Gourmet Dining -  Meals are served on fine china with silver service, accompanied by a selection of premier South African wines.

Luxury Suites - Three suite types are available—Pullman, Deluxe, and Royal—all featuring en-suite bathrooms and 24-hour room service. 

Unique Journeys - Routes range from 2-day trips between Pretoria and Cape Town/Durban to 15-day adventures to Dar es Salaam or the African Trilogy.