14h00 – Check-in at Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria. (D)
15h00 – The train departs and travels south across the goldfields of the Witwatersrand.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars enroute to Kimberley.
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09h00. (BLD)
09h45 – A shallow lake appears on the right-hand side of the train where, on most occasions, there are spectacular flocks of Lesser Flamingos.
10h00 – Arrive Kimberley and disembark for a tour of the city, Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole.
12h30 – Depart Kimberley and travel through the Karoo.
13h00 – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Day 3 - Upington
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09h00. (BLD)
10h00 – Arrive Upington and visit historical sights beginning with a drive past the Donkey Memorial – which honours the life of the working donkey – and the railway on the Orange River followed by a tour and tasting at Bezalel Wine & Brandy Estate.
12h00 – Return to the train and depart for Nakop and Ariumsvlei for border formalities.
13h00 – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars enroute to Holoog.
Day 4 – Fish River Canyon
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars. (BLD)
09h00 – Visit the Fish River Canyon.
13h00 – Return to the train with lunch served in the dining cars.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars enroute to Aus.
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.
Day 5 – Kolmanskop & Luderitz
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars. (BD)
08h00 – Visit the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Arrive in Lüderitz, known for its museum, colonial architecture and wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. Look out for the legendary horses rumoured to roam the Namib.
18h00 – Return to the train and depart for Keetmanshoop.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Day 6 – Keetmanshoop & Garas Park
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars. (BLD)
09h00 – Visit Keetmanshoop, Garas Park and the Quiver Tree Forest, 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.
13h00 – Return to the train for lunch and depart for Mariental.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Day 7 – Sossusvlei & Sesriem Canyon
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars. (BLD)
Please have overnight bag ready for departure. Tog bags have been placed in your cabin for your convenience.
09h00 – Transfer (3.5 hours) to a lodge in Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft Park for overnight. Enjoy lunch on arrival.
19h30 – Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 8 – Sossusvlei & Namib-Naukluft Park
06h00 – Early breakfast is served at the lodge. Please be checked out with luggage before departure. (BLD)
07h00 – Transfer (1 hour) to Deadvlei. Visit Dune 45 and Sesriem Canyon.
11h00 – Return to the lodge for lunch.
13h00 – Scenic drive across the Great Escarpment – formed over 80-million years ago.
17h00 – Arrive at Mariental and depart for Rehoboth.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars.
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”. The Tsauchab River has shaped the Sesriem Canyon over millions of years. It is one of the few places in this area that holds water all year round. The early Afrikaans explorers named the canyon after the fact that they had to use six (“ses”) leather straps (“riem”) tied together to create a rope long enough to lower water buckets into the canyon below.
Day 9 – Windhoek
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars. (BLD)
09h00 – Enjoy a city tour of Windhoek with visits to the Trans-Namib Transport Museum, the Alte Feste, the Evangelical Lutheran Church (one of the city’s most striking landmarks) and the Namibia Craft Centre in the old Breweries Building.
12h00 – Return to the train and depart for Otjiwarongo.
13h00 – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Situated in Namibia’s central highlands, Windhoek is an attractive city surrounded by clusters of hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. The Trans-Namib Transport Museum outlines Namibian transport history, particularly that of the railway. The Alte Feste is a fortress and museum featuring displays that lend insight into Namibia’s complex history.
Day 10 – Etosha National Park
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09h00. Please have overnight bag ready for departure. (BLD)
10h00 – Transfer to a lodge in Etosha for overnight. Enjoy lunch on arrival.
15h30 – Game drive in Etosha National Park.
19h30 – Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Etosha National Park (22270km2) offers excellent game viewing in one of Africa’s most accessible venues. It gets its name from the Etosha pan (4760km2), a large salt pan forming part of the Kalahari Basin. Etosha means ‘Great White Place’.
Day 11 – Etosha National Park
06h00 – Breakfast at the lodge followed by a morning of game viewing in Etosha National Park. (BLD)
Please be checked out with luggage before departure.
12h30 – Return to the train with lunch enroute.
14h30 – Arrive at Otjiwarongo Station and depart for Kranzberg.
16h30 – Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Day 12 – End of Rovos Rail Dune Express Train Journey
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10h00. Please have luggage ready for collection at 10h30. (B)
11h30 – Arrive Walvis Bay Station where your train journey ends.