Rovos Rail: Pretoria to Walvis Bay or vice versa
- Duration
- 12 Days
- Prices From:
- AU$ 15,439
DELUXE | RAIL: Ride through the natural wonders of Southern Africa on this luxury rail journey aboard Rovos Rail. As you pass from South Africa to Namibia, you’ll explore diamond mines, hike through deep canyons and vast deserts, and head on safari game drives, all while enjoying unmatched luxury aboard your train.
This 10-day Southern African vacation takes you on a rail journey through South Africa and Namibia, with stops at Kimberley, Sossusvlei, and Etosha National Park. It includes deluxe accommodations and shared tours.
Your South African rail journey begins in Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, where you’ll board one of Rovos Rail’s luxury trains, which evoke an era of sophisticated travel with classically-designed sleeping cars, attentive staff, and gourmet restaurants that offer all the comforts of a 5-star hotel. Once settled aboard, you’ll head out for the Goldfields of Witwatersrand in Gauteng, where you’ll find some of the deepest and most significant gold mines in the world. Continue along to Kimberley for an excursion to the Big Hole and the Diamond Museum, where you’ll learn about how the Diamond Rush of 1871 transformed South Africa into the world’s greatest diamond centre. Continue through the Great Karoo semi-desert plateau, and reach Uptingon, where you can take part in a two-hour walking tour along the banks of the Orange River.
Cross into Namibia and visit Fish River canyon, which runs 550m deep at points and is second only to the Grand Canyon in terms of size. Enjoy a hike along the trickling stream of Fish River before seeing the stark forest of Garas Park. Continue through the famous Kalahari Desert on route to Mariental, where you’ll board a flight for an overnight excursion to Sossusvlei, the top natural attraction in Namibia. Connect into the Vlei to see the spectacular salt and clay pan with its massive red sand dunes, some of which climb to 380m in height. If you happen to visit on a windy day, you’ll see the dunes shifting and changing before your eyes, reshaping and showing off their wide range of colours due to the composition of the sand.
Fly onwards to Windhoek, where you can visit the Transport Musuem, before reboarding the train and venturing onwards through Namibia. Visit a Cheetah Conservation Project in Otjiwarongo to learn about the world’s fastest land animal before you connect into Etosha National Park, a diverse landscape of desert, savannah, and woodland. Staying at a game lodge, you’ll enjoy a full day of game drives in the park, venturing through the bush to spot lions, giraffes, and the endangered black rhino. You’re also likely to spot flamingos as there are several important breeding grounds within the park. Reconnect with the train and continue on to your final destination, Walvis Bay, sitting on the Atlantic Coast, where you’ll transfer to the airport for onward travels. This rail journey can also be taken in the opposite direction from Walvis Bay to Pretoria, with the same included excursions.
- Duration
- 12 Days
- Prices From:
- AU$ 15,439
Itinerary View Trip Map
Pretoria
Please check-in a minimum of one hour before departure. Should you wish to visit our museum or do a site tour at Rovos Rail Station, we suggest arriving two hours prior to departure.
At 11:00 AM, Depart from Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria. Travel south across the goldfields of the Witwatersrand. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car or observation car at the rear of the train.
At 1:00 PM, Lunch is served in the dining cars.
Tea in the lounge and observation cars at 04:30 PM.
At 7:30 PM, Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Kimberley. Dress: Formal
Please ensure that the Train Manager or Administration Deputy is in possession of your passport.
| Meal Plan | Lunch and Dinner |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 Nights |
| Accommodation |
Rovos Rail |
| Location | View map |
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Rovos Rail
The golden age of luxury train travel has been renewed in the heart of the African bush. These beautifully restored trains consist of up to 20 coaches that can be drawn by steam, diesel or electric locomotives operating at various stages of the journey. The …
The golden age of luxury train travel has been renewed in the heart of the African bush. These beautifully restored trains consist of up to 20 coaches that can be drawn by steam, diesel or electric locomotives operating at various stages of the journey. The sleeping cars as well as the observation and dining cars have been splendidly refurbished in the style of the period but with an eye for modern comfort. The train carries a maximum of 72 passengers who are attended by highly motivated members of staff, and provides a cuisine of superb standard. Rovos Rail offers unique rail safaris through some of the most spectacular scenery in Africa.
Kimberley
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 AM.
At 10:00 AM, Enjoy a tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Capital of the Northern Cape, Kimberley is well known for the discovery of diamonds that led to its establishment in 1871.
Lunch is served in the dining cars. The observation car will be leading the train until after tea – a different aspect that our rail enthusiasts enjoy. Travel through the Karoo, a vast semi-desert region that was once an enormous inland sea. Over millions of years, volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as silt upon the seabed to form what geologists call the Karoo system.
Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
At 7:30 PM, Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to De Aar, an important railway junction. Dress: Formal
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Upington & The Orange River
At 07:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
Lunch is served in the dining cars.
Enjoy a walking tour of Upington with a sundowner cruise on the Orange River.
Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Ariumsvlei for border formalities with Namibia. Dress: Formal
The Orange River is the longest river in South Africa (2432km/1511mi). It rises in the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho and flows westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the borders between South Africa and Lesotho and South Africa and Namibia. Except for Upington, it does not pass through any major cities. Attorney General of the Cape, Sir Thomas Upington was principally responsible for liquidating the business activities of all the Orange River pirates and capturing their leader, Klaas Lucas. When the desperadoes were finally chased away in 1884, the town was founded on the banks of the Orange River and named in his honour.
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Fish River Canyon
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train travels along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin.
At 2:00 PM, Transfer (±60 min) to the Fish River Canyon.
Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Aus at 7:30 PM. Dress: Formal
The Fish River rises in the centre of the country before flowing south into the Orange River on Namibia’s border with South Africa. It has formed the great Fish River Canyon – the largest canyon in the southern hemisphere and probably only second to Arizona’s Grand Canyon in terms of size. The vast rocky landscape breaks up into a series of spectacular cliffs. Its size is impressive: 161km long, up to 27km wide and almost 550m at its deepest.
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Kolmanskop & Luderitz
At 6:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
At 8:00 AM, Transfer (±60 min) to the ghost town of Kolmanskop followed by lunch in Lüderitz. Lüderitz is known for its museum, colonial architecture and wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. Look out for the illusive legendary horses rumoured to roam the Namib.
Return to the train. Depart for Keetmanshoop. The observation car will be leading the train until after dinner.
Dinner is served in the dining cars at 7:30 PM. Dress: Formal
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Keetmanshoop & Garas Park
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
At 09:00 AM, Visit Keetmanshoop and Garas Park (Quiver Trees), home to roughly 300 specimens of the Aloe dichotomy.
The prehistoric trees have forked branches that reach up to 5m making for great photographic opportunities.
At 1:00 PM, Return to the train for lunch. Depart for Mariental.
Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Rehoboth at 7:30 PM. Dress: Formal
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Sossusvlei
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay in Sossusvlei. Tog bags have been placed in your suite for your convenience.
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars en route to Windhoek.
Transfer to the airstrip at 09:00 AM. Depart in a light aircraft for a one-hour flight to a Sossusvlei lodge for overnight.
After check-in, enjoy lunch and an afternoon at leisure.
At 4:30 PM, Afternoon desert drive and a bush dinner after sunset. Overnight at the lodge. Dress: Casual
The dunes of the Namib Desert were created by sand carried by the wind from the coast of Namibia. The sand here is over five million years old and is red in colour due to its iron-oxide content. As the light changes during the day, so does the appearance of the dunes’ characteristic colour allowing for interesting photographs at any time. The wind in the Sossusvlei area blows from all directions causing the sand to form a star shape with multiple arms, hence the name “star dunes”.
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Sossusvlei & Windhoek
Please ensure your overnight bag is ready to be collected from your suite before the drive. Bags will be stored in the lodge’s baggage area before being loaded into the aircraft. Time of drive to be confirmed.
An early wake-up call with tea and coffee. Enjoy a desert drive with breakfast in the vlei.
Return to the lodge to use the facilities, check-out and transfer to the airstrip.
Depart in a light aircraft for the one-hour flight to Windhoek at 11:00 AM.
Lunch at Windhoek Country Club followed by a city tour. Visit the Trans-Namib Transport Museum, the Independence Memorial Museum, the Evangelical Lutheran Church (a striking landmark) and the Namibia Craft Centre in the old Breweries Building.
At 6:00 PM, Depart for Kranzberg.
Dinner is servedin the dining cars at 7:30 PM. Dress: Formal
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Cheetah Conservation Project
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
Lunch is served in the dining cars at 12:30 PM.
At 2:30 PM, Transfer (±60 min) to a cheetah conservation project in Otjiwarongo. Founded in Namibia in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild.
Depart for Otavi.
Dinner is served in the dining cars at 7:30 PM. Dress: Formal
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Etosha National Park
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay in Etosha.
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
Transfer (±60 min) to an Etosha lodge for overnight. Check-in and enjoy lunch.
Afternoon game drive at 3:00 PM (approximately 3 hours).
At 7:30 PM, Dinner at the lodge and overnight. Dress: Casual
Etosha National Park (22270km2) offers great game viewing with many species of mammals, birds and reptiles. It gets its name from the Etosha pan (4760km2), which almost entirely lies within the park. Etosha is a large salt pan forming part of the Kalahari basin and means ‘Great White Place’.
| Meal Plan | Breakfast |
|---|
Etosha National Park
Please ensure your overnight bag is ready to be collected from your suite and proceed to checkout by 10:45 AM. Your bag will be loaded into the vehicles. Time of game drive to be confirmed.
An early wake-up call with tea and coffee followed by a game drive in the Etosha National Park.
Return to the lodge for a late breakfast and check-out.
Transfer (±60 min) to the train at Tsumeb Station.
At 1:00 PM, Lunch is served in the dining cars. The observation car will be leading the train until tomorrow.
Tea in the lounge and observation cars at 4:30 PM.
At 7:30 PM, Dinner is served in the dining cars. The train travels southwest towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Dress: “1920s” Theme or Smart Casual
| Meal Plan | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
|---|
Walvis Bay
Please ensure luggage is ready for collection 15 minutes before departure and that you have your passport.
At 7:00 AM, Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Traverse the Namib Desert towards Walvis Bay.
Arrive at journey’s end in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
The Namib stretches for more than 2000km along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The geology consists of sand seas near the coast while gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops occur further inland. The name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means “vast place”. Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for roughly 55-80 million years, the Namib may be the oldest desert in the world.
| Meal Plan | Breakfast |
|---|
Other Information
DEPARTURES:
2024:
Pretoria to Walvis Bay: April 2 & 30
Walvis Bay to Pretoria: March 15; April 15; May 17; November 15
2025:
Pretoria to Walvis Bay: April 1
Walvis Bay to Pretoria: March 21; April 14; May 12; November 14
PRICE INCLUDES:
- 11 nights in deluxe accommodations aboard Rovos Rail Pullman Suite*
- Guided shared visit of Kimberley Open Mine Museum and Big Hole
- Shared walking tour of Upington
- Shared visit to Fish River Canyon
- Shared visit to Garas Park & Quiver Trees
- Shared Windhoek Train Museum & City Tour
- Shared morning & afternoon desert drives in Sossusvlei (max 10 guests)**
- Shared morning & afternoon game drives in Etosha National Park (max 7 guests)**
- Entrance fees
- South Africa VAT
- Limited laundry
- Room service
- Overnight bag for off-train accommodations
- All beverages (excluding International/French champagne) while aboard Rovos Rail
- Water and limited wine selection during lunch and dinner while off-train
- Internal light aircraft flights: Windhoek - Sossusvlei / Sossusvlei - Windhoek including air taxes
- 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 dinners
* Cabin upgrades are available at additional cost. Please enquire
**Please note maximum vehicle capacities are subject to change without prior notice
PRICE EXCLUDES:
- Travel insurance
- International and domestic airfare & airfare taxes
- Meals & beverages not explicitly listed as included
- Gratuities
- Optional excursions
- Items of a personal nature
- Visa fees if applicable
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
Prices are "from" per person based on twin/double share accommodation and for travel in low season. Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply. Limited seat/spaces and all pricing is subject to change and availability. Rates for single or triple travellers are available on request - please enquire.
30 Apr 2024
