Rovos Rail: The Most Luxurious Train, Routes and Packages

Cape Town 3 NIGHTS • 1600km

South Africa is a microcosm of the globe, and this winding path exemplifies that perfectly. Explore the Great Karoo’s eerie desolation and the Highveld’s lush, gold-rich grasslands; trudge across the Cape’s breathtaking mountain ranges and picturesque winelands. Cape Town, South Africa’s Mother City, is at the end of the journey. It is embraced by the majestic Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, and Lion’s Head. The northbound and southbound routes both stop at the historic settlement of Matjiesfontein, which was founded as a refreshment stop in 1890 and is a wonderfully maintained Victorian village with an attractive museum on the platform. Kimberley is the site of two other attractions: the Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole, the biggest artificial excavation in the world.

Cape Town – Traverse the Karoo – Matjiesfontein visit – Journey through the Cape Winelands – Kimberley Diamond Mine Museum tour – Pretoria

Durban Safari 2 NIGHTS • 800km

During the summer, you can go on a safari from Pretoria to Durban that stops at game drives, hear a story about a battle from a renowned historian, and see some unique African ceramics. Discover the Nambiti Conservancy, a private sanctuary in KwaZulu-Natal situated on 20,000 acres of bushveld that is free of malaria. It is home to the Big Five. Savannah, grasslands, thornveld, and towering acacia trees are just a few of the amazing ecosystems found there. Set on a vast game farm and bordering an 11,000-acre nature reserve, Spionkop Lodge provides an ideal home base from which to explore the area’s mountains, bush, birds, and battlefields. Ardmore Ceramics tells the tale of the Zulu people, whose vibrant culture is influencing people all across the globe through their music, dance, and rhythm. Before making the journey to Durban via the Valley of a Thousand Hills, stop by this picturesque centre in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

Ardmore Ceramics Gallery visit – Durban – Pretoria – Spionkop Reserve game drive – Drakensberg Mountains – Nambiti Reserve game drive – Hear the historic tale of Spionkop – Trundle through the Valley of a 1000 Hills

Victoria Falls Journey 3/4 NIGHTS • 1400km

The journey starts when the train pulls out from Pretoria’s Rovos Rail Station. Pass through Warmbaths (Bela-Bela), a town known for its mineral waters, and Nylstroom (Modimolle), a town whose river was nicknamed by the Voortrekkers as the source of the Nile River since it occurred to be flowing north when the town was founded. Reach Bulawayo, the second-largest city in Zimbabwe, the capital of Matabeleland, and the country’s industrial hub, after crossing the Limpopo River and the Tropic of Capricorn. In Matobo National Park, a World Heritage Site featuring bushmen caves, rock art, and spectacular granite hills, go on a wildlife drive (four-night journey only). On top of Malindidzimu, a “hill of benevolent spirits” offering a “view of the world,” is the burial of Cecil John Rhodes. Enjoy a game drive excursion as you travel through Hwange National Park, a diverse and abundant wildlife refuge, before crossing one of the world’s longest segments of straight railway line, at 114km. This journey comes to a close when you reach the unparalleled Victoria Falls on the powerful Zambezi River. Cruises, whitewater rafting, and photo safaris are just a few of the recreational possibilities available to visitors in the surrounding areas. Backwards compatible. The possibility of passing through Botswana exists, subject to railway capacity.

Hwange Reserve game drive – Traverse the Limpopo province – Pretoria – Traverse the edge of the Kalahari Basin – Matobo National Park game drive – Victoria Falls

Golf Safari 9 NIGHTS • 2100km

This safari explores the extreme northeast of South Africa and is sure to please even the pickiest golfers, while also providing non-players with a wonderful schedule to enjoy. Take a day trip from Pretoria to Sun City*, a game viewing destination nestled in the Pilanesberg hills. Get to Spionkop* via the breathtaking Drakensberg Mountains; it’s a great jumping off point for adventures into the local bush, birds, and battlefields. Make your way to Durban* via the picturesque Valley of a Thousand Hills and explore the city and its botanical gardens. Engage in conversation with skilled craftspeople as they make candles with intricate geometric designs. We continue our game viewing in Zululand at Hluhluwe, one of the country’s oldest reserves, then in Malelane at the world-renowned Kruger Park, before making our way to the Kingdom of eSwatini. Experience the arts and crafts of Dullstoom, listen to a flyfishing demonstration, and learn about whiskey before your unforgettable tour comes to a close in Pretoria.

*Course selection is dependent on availability: Sun City Gary Player/Lost City, Champagne Sports Resort, Durban Country Club/Mount Edgecombe/Cotswold Downs, Royal Swazi and Highland Gate.

Dullstroom Visit – Durban tour – Play the Golf Safari courses – Introduction to Flyfishing – Visit the Lost City – Pilanesberg Reserve game drive – Hear the historic tale of Spionkop – Traverse eSwatini – Trundle through the Valley of a 1000 Hills – Drakensberg Mountains – Durban Botanic Gardens tour – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park game drive – Kruger Park game drive – Mantenga Cultural Village visit – Pretoria – Spionkop Reserve game drive – Swazi Candles visit

Namibia Safari 11 NIGHTS • 3400km

Along this route, the train passes through the Highveld savannahs and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The journey begins in Pretoria and ends in Kimberley, the site of a world-renowned diamond rush, where visitors may experience the mining town’s ambiance as it was in the 1870s. From the austere landscapes of the Northern Cape, the train travels to the second-largest canyon in the world, the Fish River Canyon, and on to Garas Park, home to a quiver-tree forest. After passing through the wild and beautiful Kalahari Desert, guests will continue on to a cheetah conservation project. They will also have the opportunity to see Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, a vibrant and multicultural city with a strong German influence. The next stop is the breathtaking Namib Desert pan Sossusvlei, where you’ll spend the night before continuing on to the game-rich Etosha National Park. The train’s final morning excursion along the Namib River takes passengers to Walvis Bay and the remarkably well-preserved German Hansa town of Swakopmund, marking the end of an extraordinary voyage.

**As of 2024, the Namibia Safari and Shongololo Dune Express merged to become 11 NIGHTS. The running times were tweaked with the addition of a visit to Kolmanskop and Lüdertiz, known for its museum, architecture and coastal wildlife.**

Cheetah conservation project visit – Etosha game drives and overnight stay – See the quiver trees at Garas Park – Traverse the Karoo – Lüderitz visit – Pretoria – View Star Dune 45 – Upington walking tour (optional) – Windhoek tour – Deadvlei visit – Fish River Canyon visit – Traverse the edge of the Kalahari Basin – Kolmanskop visit – Traverse the Namib Desert – Sossusvlei game drives and overnight stay – Visit the Trans-Namib Museum – Walvis Bay

African Collage 12 NIGHTS • 3700km

From Pretoria to Cape Town, this scenic journey offers both golfing and non-golfing options. Following a game drive in Kruger Park*, visitors can explore Swazi heritage in the Kingdom of eSwatini* and then head to Hluhluwe to see more wildlife. After a coastal journey to Durban*, you may take a city tour before making your way through the Valley of a Thousand Hills to Spionkop Lodge*. This lodge serves as an ideal location for exploring the surrounding mountains, bush, birds, and battlefields. Stay the night at Fancourt in Knysna, a natural paradise, before continuing on to Port Elizabeth* for a game drive at Addo Elephant Park. ~Visit an ostrich farm and the breathtaking Cango Caves on a transfer via the Outeniqua Mountains. Before arriving in Cape Town, this amazing journey passes via the Karoo, the breathtaking winelands, and the Cape highlands.

*Courses dependent on availability and direction: White River/Mbombela/Leopard Creek (on request), Nkonyeni/Royal Swazi, Durban Country Club/Mount Edgecombe/Cotswold Downs, Champagne Sports Resort, Humewood, Fancourt and Pezula/Simola.

~Parts of the railway line between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town have sadly been damaged and washed away due to fire and flooding. Repairs are underway with estimated completion to be confirmed. We have altered the routing between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town but have pleasingly retained the excursions and departure/arrival points.

As of 2024, the African Collage and Shongololo Good Hope merged to become 12 NIGHTS. The running times were tweaked with the addition of visits to the Kingdom of eSwatini, Golden Gate National Park, the picturesque town of Clarens and Bloemfontein, the city of roses.

Addo Elephant Park game drive – Journey through the Cape Winelands – Play the African Collage courses – Durban tour – Travel along the Garden Route – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park game drive – Boat cruise on the Knysna lagoon – Mantenga Cultural Village visit – Traverse the Outeniqua Mountains – Port Elizabeth tour (northbound only) – Sandstone Estate Heritage Trust – Spionkop Reserve game drive – Swazi Candles visit – Cape Town – Clarens Town Visit – Drakensberg Mountains – Durban Botanic Gardens tour – Golden Gate National Park Drive – Traverse the Karoo – Kruger Park game drive – Oudtshoorn ostrich farm tour – Outeniqua Transport Museum (optional) – Pretoria – Hear the historic tale of Spionkop – Traverse eSwatini – Trundle through the Valley of a 1000 Hills

Southern Cross 11 NIGHTS • 2500km

Cross the Drakensberg Mountains and continue on to Kruger, where you may see wildlife on the Panorama Route. Explore the hilly Kingdom of eSwatini after touring Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. At Kapama, you may go on a wildlife drive and also see the Great Zimbabwe Monument and a center for endangered species. Take a tour of Antelope Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Matobo National Park. Once you reach Victoria Falls, you can take a walking tour of the village and marvel at the thunderous falls. After your game viewing at Hwange, continue on to Victoria Falls. Cap it all off with a sunset ride on the majestic Zambezi.

Antelope Park visit – Drakensberg Mountains – HESC visit – Kapama game drive – Traverse the Limpopo province – Matobo National Park game drive – Pretoria – Swazi Candles visit – Bourke’s Luck Potholes visit – Great Zimbabwe Monument tour – Hwange Reserve game drive – Kruger Park game drive – Mantenga Cultural Village visit – Pilgrim’s Rest visit – Traverse eSwatini – Victoria Falls

African Trilogy 15 NIGHTS • 5000km

Embark on a thrilling game drive in the world-renowned Kruger Park after descending the breathtaking escarpment from Pretoria. Visit the floral gardens in Durban and the Kingdom of eSwatini before going on a game drive in the Hluhluwe wildlife reserve. Kimberley, a mining town in the 1870s and the epicentre of a world-famous diamond rush, is reached by traversing the Valley of a Thousand Hills and the formidable Drakensberg Mountains. Keep going through the Karoo’s semi-desert area until you reach Upington and the second-largest canyon in the United States, the Fish River Canyon. To witness the Quiver trees at Garas Park, which is home to about 300 species of the Aloe dichotomy, you have to cross the wild grandeur of the Kalahari Desert. For a lodge stay around by the breathtaking dunes of the Namib-Naukluft Park, take a short flight to Sossusvlei. Near Deadvlei, where camel-thorn trees stand out against the white-clay pan bottom, you may enjoy desert drives, a bush dinner, and breakfast. Travel to Windhoek, the vibrant capital of Namibia, and stop at a cheetah conservation project on your way to Etosha National Park, home to an abundance of wildlife. Walvis Bay, at the end of your adventure, lies on the untamed Atlantic coast, so leave the huge, tranquil Namib Desert behind.

Cheetah conservation project visit – Drakensberg Mountains – Durban Botanic Gardens tour – Fish River Canyon visit – Traverse the edge of the Kalahari Basin – Kimberley Diamond Mine Museum tour – Mantenga Cultural Village visit – Pretoria – View Star Dune 45 – Swazi Candles visit – Upington walking tour (optional) – Windhoek tour – Deadvlei visit – Durban – Etosha game drives and overnight stay – See the quiver trees at Garas Park – Traverse the Karoo – Kruger Park game drive – Traverse the Namib Desert – Sossusvlei game drives and overnight stay – Traverse eSwatini – Visit the Trans-Namib Museum – Walvis Bay

Dar es Salaam 15 NIGHTS • 5530km

A world-renowned epic train ride, this one passes through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania. After a brief introduction to South Africa in Cape Town, visitors will have the opportunity to see Matjiesfontein, Kimberley, and Pretoria, the capital city, on foot. Then, they will spend two nights in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Guests will spend the night at the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe after traveling via Botswana. Guests can take a bush walk at Chisimba Falls when the train crosses the powerful Zambezi River and joins the Tazara line in Zambia. Through the breathtaking escarpment’s tunnels, switchbacks, and viaducts, the train ascends to the Tanzanian border before descending into the Great Rift Valley. Prior to its raucous arrival in Dar es Salaam the following day, it ascends once more and travels through the Selous Game Reserve, the biggest on the continent and a representation of timeless Africa.

Cape Town – Chishimba Falls visit – Travel over Kafue Railway Bridge – Traverse the Karoo – Traverse the Limpopo province – Traverse the Magaliesberg – Matjiesfontein visit – Travel through the Rift Valley – Travel the Tazara Railway – Victoria Falls Hotel overnight stay – Journey through the Cape Winelands – Dar es Salaam – Traverse the edge of the Kalahari Basin – Kimberley Diamond Mine Museum tour – Madikwe Reserve game drives and overnight stay – Optional walk at Makambako – Pretoria tour – Selous Reserve game drive – Traverse the Udzungwa Mountains – Victoria Falls

Trail of Two Oceans 15 NIGHTS • 4300km

Rovos Rail has been operating its Cape to Dar trip out of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, since 1993. This voyage continues with a stop in Lubumbashi, DRC, a game visit in the Selous Reserve, and a fly-in two-night safari in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. Short walking excursions describing Angola’s recent history conclude at Lobito after the train joins the Benguela line.

**In July 2019, Rovos Rail set off on this new 15-day expedition traversing Tanzania, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola. It was the first time in history that a passenger train travelled the famous east-to-west copper trail on this route. The trip was a great success. Read the story here

Travel the Benguela Railway – Dar es Salaam – Optional walk at Makambako – Selous Reserve game drive – Travel the Tazara Railway – Chishimba Falls visit – Kolwezi copper mine visit – Travel through the Rift Valley – South Luangwa game drives and overnight stays – Traverse the Udzungwa Mountains

Copper Trail 14 NIGHTS • 3100km

A fresh journey across Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Take a sunset sail on the Kafue River after crossing the formidable Zambezi River from the world-renowned Victoria Falls. Fly into South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) for a three-night safari after seeing Lusaka’s elephant sanctuary, where crews rescue and rehabilitate orphaned elephants. Beautiful and teeming with wildlife, this park boasts a variety of terrains, including the Muchinga Escarpment to the west and northwest and the Luangwa River to the south. After a visit to Lubumbashi (DRC), you can embark on small walking tours tracing Angola’s recent past along the historical copper trail. Your journey will conclude in Lobito.

In July 2019, our pioneering Trail of Two Oceans journey between Dar es Salaam and Lobito travelled the famous east-to-west copper trail, making it the first time in history that a passenger train took this route. The trip was a great success. Read the story here

Travel the Benguela Railway – Travel over Kafue Railway Bridge – Lusaka Elephant Sanctuary visit – Victoria Falls – Choma Museum (southbound only) – Kolwezi copper mine visit – South Luangwa game drives and overnight stays