Luxury Rail Tour of Namibia

Board The Pride of Africa and familiarise yourself with one of the most luxurious trains in the world. The birth of these luxurious beasts also has an interesting backstory. The company had a humble beginning with the purchase of a single coach shortly after founder Rohan Vos fell in love with steam trains. Inspired by a Wilbur Smith novel heroine with her own private railway coach, he set off on recreating the ultimate luxury steam train journey. Today, Rovos Rail still offers a limited number of steam train journeys, but their longer routes now run on a fleet of efficient diesel and electric locomotives. Keeping the nostalgia of the golden rail age alive, Rovos has one of the most extensive collections or restored vintage coaches, many of which are actively in use. Dinner is served every night in the dining car, and dress for dinner is always formal.

As you move towards Kimberley, you'll notice a shallow lake appear on the right-hand side of the train. On most occasions, there are a spectacular flock of Lesser Flamingos numbering almost 23,000 at the lake making for a colourful pink bust of colour set against normally arid plains. Kimberley owes its existence to the world's largest diamond rush, and the scars of its success are still plain to see. Guests will be taken on a tour of the city, the Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole - the deepest open cast mine dug entirely by hand. In the afternoon you can enjoy lunch in the dining cars, or tea in the lounge or observation car as you watch the scenery of the Great Karoo desert roll by.

Your final stop before the border crossing to Namibia is in Upington, a town famous for the wine produced on the flood plains of the orange river and you will be able to disembark and go on a 2-hour tour of the town. As you make your way to Namibia you'll notice an increasing number of animals, especially antelope and smaller animals like warthogs and meerkats roaming the landscape long before you arrive at any nature reserve. After crossing the border with Namibia at Nakop, the train snakes through the Great Karoo on the way to Holoog station where it will overnight.

You will disembark the train and transfer to vehicles for the one-hour drive to the Fish River Canyon, the biggest canyon in Africa, and the second largest on the planet. This gigantic ravine is the second most visited attraction in Namibia. It spans more than 160km and is up to 27km wide. According to local folklore, it was created by the whiplash of a dragon's tale. The river is dry most of the year, flooding occasionally, but the famous Ai-Ais hot spring ensures a year-round green oasis at the bottom of the Canyon. On your return, the train departs Holoog, and travels along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin, before stopping at Garas Park for a visit to the Quiver Tree Forest and the Giant's Playground. Giant's Playground is formed by a unique geological phenomenon, resulting in massive stacks of rectangular dolomite boulders that appear to be stacked like giant Jenga towers.

After arriving in Windhoek, guests can explore this charming Capitol with a city tour en route to the airport. The trip is a great way to learn about colonial past of the city and includes the key landmarks and monuments of the city, such as the train Museum, Christ Church, The Ink Palace, Rider Memorial and old Fort. At the airport, you will board a light aircraft for a one-hour flight to Sossusvlei. You'll enjoy lunch at the restaurant of this impressive lodge, before going on a desert drive to enjoy a spectacular Namibian sunset. In the evening you will experience an authentic African bush dinner and get a chance to gaze at the stars. Unlike dinners on the train, dress code for the bush dinner is casual.

Your day is off to an early start as you receive a wake-up call with tea and coffee at 05:30. Your bags will be collected from your suite after you depart on your desert drive. The luxury lodge is situated right at the gate of the Namib Naukluft Park and is ideally located to easily access the towering red sand dunes of the area. Standing more than 400m tall, these are some of the tallest in the world, and also some of the most photographed. You will enjoy breakfast at Deadvlei before exploring this unmistakable landscape providing a burst of contrasting colour formed by the white clay pan, red dunes, but skies and black stumps of the petrified Acacia forest. There just isn't something like this anywhere else in the world. You will depart Sossusvlei by light aircraft to join the train back in Windhoek where lunch, tea and dinner are served on the train as you travel towards Otjiwarongo.

You will be collected from Otjiwarongo Station for an overnight excursion to the Etosha National Park. Guests will stay at Mokuti Lodge on a 4000-hectare private reserve that shares a common border with the Etosha National Park and is only a few kilometres from the park's southern gate. After checking in and enjoying lunch, guests will go on an afternoon game drive which will last approximately 3 hours and offer lots of opportunities to spot the enormous variety of wildlife including elephant, hippos, crocodiles, lions, cheetah, leopards, wild dogs, buffalo, giraffe and many different types of antelope. Dinner options at the lodge abound, and guests can enjoy either a buffet or 3-course meal in served up the in the Tamboti Dining Room and Terrace, al fresco dining area or as a Boma Dinner experience.

Ensure that your overnight bag is ready to be collected from your suite by 07:00 before you depart for a final game drive in the Etosha National Park. Early morning game drives offer an excellent opportunity for game viewing as animals are more active before the heat of the day sets in. Stopping off at watering holes which provide a unique opportunity to see the spectacle of animals observing an uneasy truce as they all quench their first. You will return to the lodge for breakfast, before rejoining the train at Otjiwarongo. Enjoy lunch, tea and dinner on board as you make your way to the Atlantic Coast and the Sea of Dunes. 

Your final day of the train sees you traverse the Skeleton coast and a stop in at the perfectly preserved German Hansa town of Swakopmund; a town once said to be more German, than Germany. This rich history continues to reflect in the local culture and architecture, despite Swakopmund being more famous as Namibia’s premier seaside resort town these days. Your final stop is Walvisbay where you will disembark and depart for the airport for the first leg of your journey home.