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Deserts, Rivers & Wildlife – Northbound
Rovos Rail Namibia – Walvis Bay – Pretoria
Eleven nights, twelve days, around 3,400 kilometres from the Atlantic to the Highveld, across Namibia and South Africa. This is the Namibia Safari run in reverse, from the coast at Walvis Bay inland and east to Pretoria. It is the desert-focused counterpart to the longer cross-continent journeys, with the weight of the trip falling on Namibia: a cheetah conservation project, the game of Etosha, the dunes of Sossusvlei, the diamond ghost town of Kolmanskop, and the Fish River Canyon, before the train crosses into South Africa for the Orange River and the diamond town of Kimberley. The train is the thread that ties it together, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests. Three nights are spent off the train, two at a lodge on the edge of Etosha and one at a desert lodge near Sossusvlei. Between stops the country does the work, seen from your suite or from the open platform of the observation car.
Rovos Rail Namibia – Pretoria – Walvis Bay
Eleven nights, twelve days, around 3,400 kilometres across South Africa and Namibia, from the Highveld to the Atlantic. This is the Namibia-focused cousin of the longer African Trilogy. It skips the eastern legs through eSwatini and KwaZulu-Natal and heads west and north into the desert, so the weight of the trip falls on Namibia: the Fish River Canyon, the diamond-coast ghost town of Kolmanskop, the dunes of Sossusvlei, a cheetah project, and the game of Etosha, finishing where the desert meets the sea at Walvis Bay. The train is the thread that ties it together, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests. Two nights are spent off the train, at a desert lodge near Sossusvlei and at a lodge on the edge of Etosha. Between stops, the country does the work, seen from your suite or from the open platform of the observation car at the rear.
Rovos Rail – African Collage – Pretoria – Cape Town
Twelve nights and thirteen days, around 3,400 kilometres on a long loop across South Africa, from the Highveld east to the Kruger, south down the Indian Ocean coast, and west along the Garden Route to Cape Town. The African Collage is the most varied of the South African Rovos journeys, and the only one built to run on two parallel tracks: a golfing itinerary and a non-golfing one, side by side, so a party can split each day and come back together on the train each evening. Golfers play up to six well-known courses along the way, from Leopard Creek beside the Kruger to Ernie Els’ Oubaai on the Garden Route, while non-golfers take game drives, cultural visits, and city tours. Either way the route is the draw: Kruger, eSwatini, the Zululand game reserves, Durban, the Drakensberg battlefields, Addo, the ostrich country of Oudtshoorn, Knysna, and the Garden Route into the Cape. It is a journey for those who want the breadth of South Africa in one trip, from a wood-panelled suite on a train carrying no more than seventy-two guests.
Rovos Rail – Victoria Falls – Pretoria – 4 Nights
Four nights and five days, from the Zambezi south to the Highveld, across Zimbabwe and South Africa. This is the southbound run of the longer Victoria Falls to Pretoria journey, and the extra night earns its place: alongside the Hwange game drive, it adds a half-day in the Matobo Hills, one of the most atmospheric corners of Zimbabwe, with its granite country, ancient rock art, and the grave of Cecil Rhodes. The journey leaves the Falls and heads south through Zimbabwe, with a dawn safari in the elephant country of Hwange, then on to Matobo by way of Bulawayo, across the Limpopo into South Africa, and finishing in the capital. It pairs two real excursions with the romance of the train, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests, and starts at one of the great natural sights of Africa.
Rovos Rail – Victoria Falls – Pretoria – 3 Nights
Three nights and four days, from the Zambezi south to the Highveld, across Zimbabwe and South Africa. This is the southbound run of the shorter Victoria Falls to Pretoria journey, a good one if time is tight. It leaves the Falls and heads south through Zimbabwe, with an early game drive in the elephant country of Hwange, then past Bulawayo and across the Limpopo into South Africa, finishing in the capital. It pairs a real safari excursion with the romance of the train, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests, and starts at one of the great natural sights of Africa. The country outside the window does much of the work between stops, with the open observation car at the rear the place to watch it from.
Rovos Rail – Pretoria – Victoria Falls – 4 Nights
Rovos Rail – Pretoria – Victoria Falls – 3 Nights
Three nights and four days, from the Highveld north to the Zambezi, across South Africa and Zimbabwe. This is the shorter of the two Pretoria to Victoria Falls runs, and a good one if time is tight: it carries you from the capital up through the South African Bushveld, across the Limpopo into Zimbabwe, past Bulawayo, into the elephant country of Hwange for a game drive, and on to the Falls. It pairs a real safari excursion with the romance of the train, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests, and finishes at one of the great natural sights of Africa. The country outside the window does much of the work between stops, with the open observation car at the rear the place to watch it from.
Rovos Rail – Durban – Pretoria
Two nights and three days from the Indian Ocean up to the Highveld, through the battlefields country of KwaZulu-Natal. This is the Durban to Pretoria run, and it makes a good first taste of the train or an easy add-on to a longer trip. In three days it takes in one of South Africa’s best-known ceramics studios, the Anglo-Boer War battlefields of northern KwaZulu-Natal, and a private Big Five reserve, climbing from the warm coast at Durban up through the Midlands and the war country to the gold-rush Highveld around Pretoria. It is a scenic and historical sampler rather than a deep safari, and the train, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests, is as much the point as the stops.
Rovos Rail – Pretoria – Durban
Two nights and three days from the Highveld down to the Indian Ocean, through the battlefields country of KwaZulu-Natal. This is one of the shorter Rovos journeys, run in the warmer months, and it makes a good first taste of the train or an easy add-on to a longer trip. In three days it takes in a private Big Five reserve, the Anglo-Boer War battlefields of northern KwaZulu-Natal, and one of South Africa’s best-known ceramics studios, descending from the gold-rush Highveld around Pretoria to the warm coast at Durban. It is a scenic and historical sampler rather than a deep safari, and the train, a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests, is as much the point as the stops.
Rovos Rail – Pretoria – Cape Town
Two nights and three days, around 1,600 kilometres from the Highveld to the Cape, across the breadth of South Africa. This is the classic Rovos journey, the original line the company was built around, running from Pretoria down to Cape Town through some of the country’s most varied country. In two nights it crosses the gold-rush Highveld, stops at the diamond town of Kimberley, runs the length of the Great Karoo, pauses at the Victorian railway village of Matjiesfontein, and descends through the mountains into the Cape Winelands to finish under Table Mountain. It is often the first taste people get of the train, and a good one: short enough to add to a longer trip, long enough to settle into the unhurried rhythm of a moving hotel of wood-panelled suites carrying no more than seventy-two guests. The country outside the window does much of the work, and the two excursions, Kimberley and Matjiesfontein, are well chosen.
Kruger Reserve Safari – Nottens Bush Camp
Experience an unforgettable five-day safari in the Kruger Private Reserves, where wildlife encounters and authentic bush moments await. Set within the prestigious southern sector of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Notten’s Bush Camp offers an ideal base for immersive game viewing, with twice-daily game drives and the option of guided walking safaris for a deeper, more personal connection to the wilderness. This intimate four-star lodge features just eight suites, ensuring a quiet, exclusive atmosphere surrounded by the sights and sounds of the African bush. Owned and operated by the Notten family for over 40 years, the camp is renowned for its warm hospitality, understated elegance, and deep-rooted legacy—creating a safari experience that feels both welcoming and timeless.