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Rovos Rail - Namibia Safari - Pretoria - Walvis Bay

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You are viewing the 2024 itinerary. Select your departure year
20242025
12 days From $9,405 per person
5.0 stars(1 reviews)
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Each year this twelve-day 3,800-kilometer journey takes travelers from the savannahs of the Highveld to the Atlantic Ocean in the west by luxury rail.

Travel on your own following a well-planned itinerary

2024 Tour code: RR-NSPW-24

About the tour

The Pride of Africa departs from Pretoria for Kimberley, center of one of the world's most famous diamond rushes where there is an opportunity to visit the Big Hole and savor the 1870's atmosphere of the mine museum and village. The railway line then traverses the stark vistas of the arid Northern Cape into Namibia at Ariamsvlei. There is an excursion to the Fish River Canyon - second in size to the Grand Canyon and truly a spectacular sight. The train continues across the Kalahari Desert to Namibia's capital, Windhoek - a lively, cosmopolitan city with a strong German flavor - for a short city tour. Guests then fly to the world-famous Sossusvlei, a stunning pan in the Namib Desert surrounded by enormous red sand dunes. After a night's stay with desert drives and a bush dinner, guests rejoin the train in Windhoek and continue overnight to Tsumeb. A night is spent at the Mokuti Game Lodge on the eastern edge of the game-rich Etosha National Park. The journey then continues on to Walvis Bay, a town set between the dunes of the Namib desert and the roaring Atlantic Ocean - an unforgettable end to a remarkable journey.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - Pretoria

Depart from the Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria at 11:00am. Enjoy your first night aboard the train as it travels south towards the goldfields of the Witwatersrand. Overnight train. 

Includes
  • Lunch, Dinner
Day 2 - Kimberley

Arrive in Kimberley at 10:00 am and enjoy a tour of the city, Big Hole, and Diamond Mine Museum. The Diamond museum displays the unique diamond history of Kimberley and displays actual diamonds and artifacts from the Victorian ages. At lunch time, depart for Upington. Overnight train. 

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 - Upington & the Orange River

Disembark train to enjoy a walking tour of Upington with a sundowner cruise on the Orange River. The Orange River is the longest river in South Africa. 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. Overnight train. 

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 - Fish River Canyon

Disembark the train for a visit to the spectacular Fish River Canyon. Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world and the longest interior river in Namibia. Overnight train.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 - Kolmanskop & Lüderitz

Transfer 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 NamibReturn to the train. Depart for Keetmanshoop. The observation car will be leading the train until after dinner. Overnight train.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 - Keetmanshoop & Garas Park

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. Return to the train for lunch. Depart for Mariental. Overnight train.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - Sossusvlei

Breakfast is served in the dining cars followed by a transfer to the airstrip. Depart in a light aircraft for a one-hour flight to a Sossusvlei lodge for overnight. After check-in, enjoy lunch at the restaurant and an afternoon at leisure. This is followed by an afternoon desert drive and a bush dinner after sunset. Overnight Sossusvlei Lodge.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 - Sossusvlei & Windhoek

Enjoy a desert drive with breakfast in the vlei. Depart in a light aircraft for the one-hour flight to Windhoek. Enjoy 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. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Kranzberg. Overnight train.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 - Cheetah Conservation Project

Visit a cheetah conservation project in Otjiwarongo. Founded in Namibia in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund is dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Otavi. Overnight train.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 - Etosha National Park

After breakfast, transfer to an Etosha lodge and the Etosha National Park. Etosha is known for being home to several endangered and threatened black rhinos. While at the park enjoy lunch and an afternoon game drive. Overnight Etosha National Park.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11 - Etosha

Enjoy an early morning game drive in the Etosha National Park before returning to the train for lunch and your departure towards the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight train.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12 - Walvis Bay

Enjoy breakfast as the train crosses the Namib Desert before arriving at your journey's end in Walvis Bay, Nambia.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Pricing Plans

Pullman Suites
The Pullman Suites are equipped with a comfortable sofa-seat during the day with a conversion to double or twin beds for the evening, and also have an en-suite bathroom with shower. The wood-paneled rebuilt sleeper coaches, remodeled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort. In the en-suite bathrooms, original fittings combine with the modern technology of hot showers, hair dryers and shaver plugs. The spacious suites offer passengers the opportunity to travel in privacy, comfort and luxury, with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. All are equipped with a writing surface and a personal safe for valuables. There is also a bar fridge filled with beverages of the passengers' choice and room service is available 24 hours a day.

Deluxe Suites
The Deluxe Suites accommodate two passengers in either twin or double beds and have a lounge area and en-suite bathroom with shower. The wood-paneled rebuilt sleeper coaches, remodeled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort. In the en-suite bathrooms, original fittings combine with the modern technology of hot showers, hair dryers and shaver plugs. The spacious suites offer passengers the opportunity to travel in privacy, comfort and luxury, with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. All are equipped with a writing surface and a personal safe for valuables. There is also a bar fridge filled with beverages of the passengers' choice and room service is available 24 hours a day.

Royal Suites
The Royal Suites, each of which take up half a carriage. Each has its own private lounge area and full bathroom with Victorian bath and separate shower. The epitome of luxury with handsome wood paneling and period Edwardian features, the air-conditioned suites accommodate two people offering the option of side-by-side twin or spacious double beds. In the en-suite bathrooms, original fittings combine with the modern technology of hot showers, hair dryers and shaver plugs. The very spacious suites offer passengers the opportunity to travel in privacy, comfort and luxury, with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. All are equipped with a writing surface and a personal safe for valuables. There is also a bar fridge filled with beverages of the passengers' choice and room service is available 24 hours a day.

Please note

Prenight accommodations are available. A valid passport is required for this vacation. Visa requirements may also apply. Please inquire at the time of booking. Valid passport is required for this trip. Please check with relevant embassies or consulates about visa requirements.

Itinerary also available in reverse.

Departure times

Departure times vary based on selected rail vacation. This information will be provided in your final documents. For more information please speak with your rail specialist.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular vacation with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotels

Mokuti Etosha Lodge, Etosha National Park

Mokuti Etosha Lodge, Etosha National Park

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Sossusvlei Lodge, Namib Naukluft National Park

Sossusvlei Lodge, Namib Naukluft National Park

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Reviews

5.0 stars5.0 / 5 · 1 review

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RICHARD FREDRIC NOEL

5 stars

Submitted 13 May 2023

Great service and meals on the train. However, more excursions would be better.

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