Rovos Rail Cape Town to Walvis Bay

The "Mother City" itself, Cape Town, welcomes you to Africa as your rail vacation begins today. On arrival, you are transferred from the airport to your chosen hotel, either in the heart of the city or close to the breathtaking Twelve Apostles Mountain Range. Choose between our two handpicked five-star hotels on a B&B basis.

After checking in, get a better understanding of Cape Town's history as you drive past the Parliament Buildings, City Hall and the Slave Lodge. You'll visit the Company Gardens and learn more about the history of the Bo-Kaap and its people as you make your way up the cobblestoned hills to the Malay Quarter. Watch a professional diamond cutter at work while visiting a diamond-cutting factory, and drive past the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town Stadium, Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay as you make your way to Table Mountain. Here, you can admire the views from the lower cable station or buy a ticket to reach the summit. 

Today is a free day in Cape Town, a cultural melting pot whose history dates thousands of years and whose surroundings provide dreamy views. You could appreciate the vistas from the top of Table Mountain (reached by cable car) or follow a hiking trail to the popular viewpoint, Lion's Head.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens also offers lovely open views and is one of the world's seven most magnificent gardens. Set beneath Table Mountain, this paradise in the city has a diverse array of indigenous plants, including varieties of coral-hued proteas and flowering trees. You could also check out the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a buzzing waterside hub with restaurants, cinemas, heritage museums and a shopping center. Alternatively, choose one of our optional excursions, which are available as a supplement.

Enjoy a second free day in Cape Town and a chance to dig under this beautiful city's surface. You could visit one of Cape Town's many museums or art galleries, several of which are in the historic "Gardens" area, or spend some time exploring the coastline and relaxing by the ocean.

Browse the stalls of Greenmarket Square in the city center, visit the shops of the V&A waterfront or wander through the gritty Long Street market for local art or souvenirs. Enjoy world-renowned South African cuisine at an upscale restaurant in Bree Street, try a trendy eatery in the Kloof Road area, savor fresh seafood with a view in Camps Bay or visit a market to sample local dishes. Alternatively, choose one of our supplementary optional excursions.

Today, an included transfer takes you from your hotel to Cape Town station to board the iconic Rovos Rail train. Arguably the most luxurious train in the world, Rovos Rail offers a superb standard of service with details such as fine china, glassware and crisp linen, as well as excellent cuisine from an onboard team of chefs.

From the moment you step aboard this classic touring train, you can appreciate the atmosphere of luxury and indulgence. The lounge car and observation car are perfect areas for relaxing and watching the scenery drift by, sinking into soft sofas and having afternoon tea while passing stunning scenery.

The train departs at 10:00 a.m., and at this time, you can join other passengers in the lounge car or observation car at the rear of the train. Lunch is served in the dining cars as we trundle through the scenic winelands of the Western Cape, and afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation cars. Each evening is themed, and you may wish to dress up accordingly or opt for smart casual for dinner.

During breakfast, the train arrives in Matjiesfontein, a character-filled Victorian-era village with a famous hotel, the Lord Milner, which once attracted well-known visitors like Rudyard Kipling. If there is time, you can visit the village or the museum on the platform, which has a collection of vintage cars and railway carriages.

The train continues through the semi-desert region of the Karoo, once an enormous inland sea and now a vast terrain marked by isolated farms and wild ostriches. Lunch and dinner are served in the formal dining cars, while afternoon tea is available in the lounge and observation cars.

The Rovos Rail train pulls into the historic South African town of Upington today. You disembark after lunch for a walking tour of this oasis in the Kalahari Desert, which benefits from its position in the fertile Orange River Valley. After seeing the town, join a sundowner cruise on the Orange River, the longest in South Africa, which rises in the mountains of Lesotho and flows westwards across the southwestern section of the continent, all the way to the Atlantic.

Dinner is served back on board the train this evening.

Today brings another natural highlight of your tour: an excursion to the magnificent Fish River Canyon. After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy the views as the train travels along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin. Have lunch onboard, and then in the early afternoon, disembark at Fish River Canyon, the largest in the southern hemisphere and second in size to Arizona's Grand Canyon. This vast rocky landscape is defined by a series of spectacular cliffs and measures 100 miles long, 16 miles wide and almost 1,800 feet at its deepest point.

You return to the train before dinner onboard.

Breakfast is served early this morning before the train arrives in the ghost town of Kolmanskop, followed by lunch in the small colonial town of Lüderitz. Here, you could visit the museum, look around the historical buildings or wander around the harbor, where you might spot seals, penguins and flamingos.

Back onboard, the train makes its way to Keetmanshoop with the observation car at the front of the train until after dinner. As the journey takes you across the vast Namib, look out for the elusive wild horses rumored to roam the desert in this region.

This morning brings another unique tour experience. Alight the train at Keetmanshoop to visit the Quiver Trees of Garas Park. These striking trees are a type of Aloe whose forked branches reach up to 16 feet, which look especially dramatic against the red sands and blue skies. Many hundreds of years old, the trees are not petrified but preserved by the dry desert heat.

Return to the train before lunch, at which time your journey continues to Mariental. Tea is available in the lounge and observation cars, and dinner is served en route to Rehoboth this evening.

Pack a small overnight bag (available in your suite), then step off the train after breakfast. Today's adventure includes a transfer to the airstrip, a one-hour flight in a light aircraft to the surreal sands of Sossusvlei and an overnight stay in Sossusvlei Lodge.

The sand here is over five million years old, and its vivid red color is due to its high iron-oxide content. As the light changes during the day, so does the appearance and color of the dunes, providing interesting photographs at any time. Created over millennia, these remarkable "star dunes" were formed by the changing wind directions of the Sossusvlei area. After checking in to the lodge, enjoy lunch followed by an afternoon at leisure. Later, you are taken on a desert drive into this otherworldly landscape before an outdoor bush dinner after the sun sets. You return to the lodge for the night.

Your day begins with an early wake-up call for tea or coffee before heading out on an exciting drive into the desert, where you may witness some local wildlife. Breakfast is served outdoors during this excursion. Next, you transfer back to the airstrip for a one-hour flight on a light aircraft to Namibia's capital, Windhoek. The city is surrounded by the central Highlands and the mountains of Auas and Eros.

On landing, a short transfer takes you to the colonial Windhoek Country Club for lunch, and then the day continues with an afternoon tour of the city. Sights include the Trans-Namib Transport Museum, the Independence Memorial Museum - which showcases the nation's struggle for liberation, the striking Lutheran Chapel and the Namibia Craft Centre in the Old Breweries building. Returning to the train at the end of the afternoon, you depart for Kranzberg and enjoy dinner in the dining cars.

After a scenic breakfast, step off the train to visit a cheetah conservation project. Located near the city of Ojiwarongo, this full-scale conservation organization is working to save the cheetah and its ecosystem. Here, you meet the project's Ambassador Cheetahs at the Cheetah Run, as well as the livestock guarding dogs. The landscape is part of the picturesque Waterberg Plateau of open bushland and red mountains, where herds of impala may be seen grazing.

Lunch is served back onboard while en route to Tsumeb. Savor a relaxing afternoon as the train follows its route, perhaps taking afternoon tea in the lounge and observation cars, now at the train's rear. Dinner is served from the dining cars as the train departs from Otavi and enters the ever-changing scenery.

Another exciting outdoor adventure lies ahead in Etosha National Park, where you stay overnight in the Etosha Lodge. This vast park is named after the incredible Etosha Pan, a large salt pan that forms part of the larger Kalahari Basin. Etosha was named by the Indigenous Ovambo tribe and means "Great White Place."

After a leisurely breakfast, transfer to the lodge, where there is time to relax and enjoy the facilities, such as the swimming pool, before lunch, followed by check-in. This afternoon, you are taken on a wildlife safari into this park, which is home to zebra, wildebeest, antelope, elephants, lions, leopards and giraffes. You are likely to see some of these magnificent creatures in the park and during the rainy season, you may be lucky to witness flamingos gathering at a watering hole.

Your day starts with an early breakfast at the lodge and a morning drive into the Etosha National Park. On safari, it's impossible to predict what you may see, but anticipation is a big part of the excitement.

After checking out of the lodge, you are transferred to the train at Tsumeb Station in time for lunch in the dining cars. Once again, the observation cars lead the train until tomorrow, and you can enjoy views from the windows over afternoon tea. This evening, dinner is served as the train travels southwest toward the Atlantic Ocean.

There is time for a leisurely final breakfast onboard as the train traverses the ancient Namib Desert and reaches its journey's end, Walvis Bay. Arriving around midday, you are transferred to your hotel in the coastal town of Swakopmund for the night and have the rest of the day to get your bearings in your new location.

This epic adventure has taken you from South Africa's vibrant city of Cape Town to the surreal sand-sculpted landscapes of Namibia, from the magnificent Fish River Canyon to mysterious ghost towns and coastal cities untouched by time. With these magical memories, your Namibian vacation comes to a close today.

You could enjoy some free time in the city to explore before it is time for you to leave. After being transferred from your hotel to Walvis Bay airport, bid farewell to Africa and join your overnight flight home.