Rovos Rail Luxury Train Safari Itinerary (from/to Durban) - Join this three-day safari on the most luxurious train in the world and experience the splendour of KwaZulu Natal.
In order to accommodate the varying worldwide travel restrictions, we have introduced special COVID-19 Policy Terms (detailed below) that will take effect 60 days prior to each departure. Should Rovos Rail cancel a journey, a 100% refund will be offered or clients will have the option to postpone their booking to a future date. Given the unpredictability of global events, we recommend clients wait until 31 days prior to their departure date to make a decision to postpone or cancel. Should clients elect to postpone or cancel bookings that are 61 days or more away from the departure date, Rovos Rail’s standard T&C apply.
Join this three-day safari and experience the splendor of KwaZulu-Natal. Take in the Big Five, a battlefields tour with a world-class historian and unusual African ceramics.
Experience the Nambiti Conservancy – a Big Five private bush retreat set on 20 000 acres of malaria-free bushveld in KwaZulu-Natal. It has an incredible biodiversity including savannah, grasslands, thornveld and tall acacia trees. The Sundays River flows through the reserve and has two 40-metre waterfalls with magnificent ravine bush, home to several rare bird species. Situated on an expansive game farm, Spionkop Lodge – which adjoins an 11 000-acre nature reserve – is the perfect base for exploring the mountains, bush, birds and battlefields of the region.
Ardmore Ceramics is a story about the Zulu people whose sense of rhythm, color, dance and song, as well as the spirit of the African imagination, is exerting its influence on the other continents of the world. Pay a morning visit to this charming center in the rolling hills of the Midlands before the train makes its way to Durban.
This itinerary can be done in either direction but there are slight variations so please contact us for more info - there is a departure most months of the year (except December, May, June & July) but send us your dates and we will try to find the best way to incorporate your luxury train journey).
Experience the Nambiti Conservancy – a Big Five private bush retreat set on 20 000 acres of malaria-free bushveld in KwaZulu-Natal. It has an incredible biodiversity including savannah, grasslands, thornveld and tall acacia trees. The Sundays River flows through the reserve and has two 40-metre waterfalls with magnificent ravine bush, home to several rare bird species. Situated on an expansive game farm, Spionkop Lodge – which adjoins an 11 000-acre nature reserve – is the perfect base for exploring the mountains, bush, birds and battlefields of the region.
Ardmore Ceramics is a story about the Zulu people whose sense of rhythm, color, dance and song, as well as the spirit of the African imagination, is exerting its influence on the other continents of the world. Pay a morning visit to this charming center in the rolling hills of the Midlands before the train makes its way to Durban.
This itinerary can be done in either direction but there are slight variations so please contact us for more info - there is a departure most months of the year (except December, May, June & July) but send us your dates and we will try to find the best way to incorporate your luxury train journey).
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Rovos Rail: Pretoria to Durban luxury train
Day 1: Friday
Departs Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria at 10am. Travel southeast across the Highveld and the goldfields of the Witwatersrand towards Heidelberg, site of the first Rand gold strike, and Balfour, a small mining town in Mpumalanga. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car and observation car.
In the afternoon the train climbs to Majuba Hill (2146m/7040ft) – site of the decisive battle that ended the First Anglo Boer War – then on to Newcastle where the Indian population has erected what is reputed to be the largest domed Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere. Dinner is served. The train passes Glencoe, site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War and now the centre of the province’s coalfields. Overnight on board en route to Elandslaagte.
(Breakfast 7am-10am • Lunch 1pm • High Tea 4.30pm • Dinner 7.30pm).
Departs Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria at 10am. Travel southeast across the Highveld and the goldfields of the Witwatersrand towards Heidelberg, site of the first Rand gold strike, and Balfour, a small mining town in Mpumalanga. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car and observation car.
In the afternoon the train climbs to Majuba Hill (2146m/7040ft) – site of the decisive battle that ended the First Anglo Boer War – then on to Newcastle where the Indian population has erected what is reputed to be the largest domed Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere. Dinner is served. The train passes Glencoe, site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War and now the centre of the province’s coalfields. Overnight on board en route to Elandslaagte.
(Breakfast 7am-10am • Lunch 1pm • High Tea 4.30pm • Dinner 7.30pm).
Day 2: Saturday
05.45am - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
Enjoy a game drive in the Nambiti Reserve, a private Big Five bush retreat set on 20 000 acres of malaria free bushveld with incredible biodiversity including savannah, grasslands, thornveld and tall acacia trees.
Transfer (±30 min) to Spionkop Lodge for the afternoon. A choice of two excursions is available:
1. Hear the historic tale of the Battle of Spionkop OR 2. Enjoy a game drive in the 11 000-acre reserve.
7.30pm - Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Estcourt. Dress: Formal
Shortly after Chieveley, on the right of the track, stands a memorial to Winston Churchill who was captured here in November 1899 while trying to free an armoured train trapped by a Boer ambush.
Day 3: Sunday
7am - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. The train descends the escarpment to Lions River.
Visit the famous Ardmore Ceramics Gallery. Here, artists are encouraged to express their imagination based on nature and Zulu folklore and tradition.
1pm - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train traverses the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills.
4pm - Arrive at journey’s end at Durban Station. A number of museums and cultural sights, the beautiful botanical gardens and the superb shark-protected beaches are but a few of the city’s many charms.
Rates per person sharing: 1st January 2021 - 30th September 2021:
Pullman Suite: R24 250
Deluxe Suite: R36 500
Royal Suite: R48 900
Pullman Suite: R24 250
Deluxe Suite: R36 500
Royal Suite: R48 900
Rates per person sharing: 1st October 2021 - 30th September 2022:
Pullman Suite: R26 500
Deluxe Suite: R39 500
Royal Suite: R53 500
Pullman Suite: R26 500
Deluxe Suite: R39 500
Royal Suite: R53 500
Single Supplement: 50% all suites
Accommodation on board Rovos Rail:
All the suites offer passengers the opportunity to travel in privacy, comfort and luxury, with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. The wood-panelled rebuilt sleeper coaches, remodelled 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. 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.
The Pullman Suites (±7 sq metres/±76 sq feet) are equipped with a comfortable sofa-seat during the day with a conversion to double or twin beds (bunk) for the evening, and also have an en-suite bathroom with shower. These are ideal for single travelers due to their size.
Accommodation on board Rovos Rail:
All the suites offer passengers the opportunity to travel in privacy, comfort and luxury, with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. The wood-panelled rebuilt sleeper coaches, remodelled 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. 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.
The Pullman Suites (±7 sq metres/±76 sq feet) are equipped with a comfortable sofa-seat during the day with a conversion to double or twin beds (bunk) for the evening, and also have an en-suite bathroom with shower. These are ideal for single travelers due to their size.
Please note:
Day, Itinerary, Departure & Arrival times are subject to change.
Dates are specific - Please Check at time of inquiry.
Prices in South African Rand.
Prices Per Person Sharing.
Children Rate On Request.
Off train excursions cannot be guaranteed and will be undertaken only if time permits.
Departure and arrival times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed.
Book your This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. now.
Day, Itinerary, Departure & Arrival times are subject to change.
Dates are specific - Please Check at time of inquiry.
Prices in South African Rand.
Prices Per Person Sharing.
Children Rate On Request.
Off train excursions cannot be guaranteed and will be undertaken only if time permits.
Departure and arrival times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed.
Book your This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. now.