Rovos Rail: Durban to Pretoria Safari

• International/French Champagne and any off-train beverages
• Gratuities
• Personal expenses
• Travel insurance
• Pre- and post-journey accommodation
• Flights and transfers

• Rovos Rail is predominantly an adult evironment, however it does accommodate children. Parents please ensure children respect the elegant, adult nature of the onboard environment.
• Children between 0-2 years old are not permitted to travel, and it is not recommended for children under 13 years.
• There are no child-minding facilities or activities available for children on board.
• A maximum of two guests can share per suite/cabin. For 1 guest only, a single supplement of 50% applies, please request a quote.
• One child aged 3 - 5 years will be allowed to share with two adults (in a Deluxe Suite only).
• Children over the age of 5 will need their own suite/cabin. Should parents not feel comfortable with this option, one of the parents could then share with each of the children.
• Children 3 - 9 years will be charged 75% of the per adult sharing rate. 
• Children 10 years and older will be charged the full rate.

This safari between Durban and Pretoria departs during the summer months and includes game drives, a battlefield tale with a world-class historian and a look at unusual African ceramics. Experience the Nambiti Conservancy – a Big Five private 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. 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, colour, dance and song, as well as the spirit of the African imagination, is exerting its influence on the other continents of the world. Visit this charming centre in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands before travelling the Valley of a Thousand Hills to Durban. 

Each train has accommodation carriages, dining cars (±42 seats), a lounge car (±26 seats), small gift shop, smoking lounge (±11 seats) and observation car (±32 seats) with open-air balcony. Maintaining the spirit of a bygone era, there are no radios or television sets on board.

The dining cars are made up of two-seaters and four-seaters where guests eat together or individually. The lounge and observation cars – with their big picture windows, sofas and booths – make for great mingling areas or quiet corners to while away the days.

Many passengers enjoy the formality of fine china and glassware, crisp linen and silver, and dress accordingly. Days on board are smart casual while evening attire is more formal.

An enthusiastic team of chefs is responsible for overseeing the very important task of ensuring guests’ every need is catered for. There’s an accent on fresh local ingredients and traditional dishes are a specialty. Meals are served in one sitting only in the dining cars and are complemented by a selection of fine South African wines. The bar menu is comprehensive although special items such as French Champagne would need to be requested in advance.

The wood-panelled sleeper coaches, remodelled and refurbished to mint condition, offer every modern convenience and comfort with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. The suites accommodate one or two passengers with the option of double or twin beds. All have tea facilities, safes, air conditioning, linen and amenities and are serviced daily. There is adequate storage and small cupboards with hangers and shelves. 

Pullman Suites (±7m2) have an en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. During the day the suite is set up with a comfortable couch that can be converted into a few sleeping options.

Deluxe Suites (±10m2) have a lounge area and en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and basin.

Royal Suites (±16m2) each take up half a carriage and are spacious and elegant. Each has its own private lounge area and en-suite bathroom with Victorian bath, separate shower,  toilet and basin.

About the Journey: Durban to Pretoria OR Pretoria to Durban 

2 Night 3 Day Journey Durban to Pretoria Safari (800km)

Day 1: Durban & Ardmore Ceramics

• 09h00 - Check-in
• 10h00 - Depart Durban Station and travel in a northwesterly direction towards Pietermaritzburg, the provincial capital and major producer of aluminium and timber and dairy products. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car or observation car at the rear of the train.
• 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train traverses the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills.
• 15h00 - Visit the famous Ardmore Ceramics Gallery. Here, artists are encouraged to express their imagination based on nature and Zulu folklore and tradition.
• 19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. The train climbs the escarpment to Ladysmith and passes Chieveley Siding where, 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. Overnight on board. Dress: Formal

Day 2 (Spionkop & Nambiti)

• 06h45 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
• 08h00 - Transfer (50 minutes) to Spionkop Lodge. A choice of two excursions is available: 1. An escorted tour of the historic battlefields OR 2. A game drive in the 11 000-acre Spionkop Reserve.
• 12h00 - Return to the train.
• 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train travels to Elandslaagte.
• 15h00 - 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.
• 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars. Travel towards Volksrust across the Drakensberg Mountains, first named by the Voortrekkers who thought the unbroken chain of heavily weathered peaks reminded them of the spines on a dragon’s back, hence the name ‘Dragon Mountain’ or Drakensberg in Afrikaans. The train passes Glencoe – site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War and now the centre of the province’s coalfields – and Newcastle, where the Indian population has erected what is reputed to be the largest domed Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere. From here the train descends from Majuba Hill, site of the decisive battle that ended the First Anglo Boer War. Dress: Formal

Day 3 - Pretoria

• 07h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. The train travels northwest across the Highveld towards Balfour, a small mining town in Mpumalanga, and Heidelberg, site of the first Rand gold strike.
• 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train traverses the gold-rich mining areas of Gauteng.
• 16h00 - Arrive at journey’s end at the gracious home of Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria

About the Journey: Pretoria to Durban

2 Night 3 Day Journey Pretoria to Durban Safari (800km)

Day 1: (Pretoria) Check in PT @ 09:00 Departure at 10:00)

• 10h00 - Depart Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria. 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.
• 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The Drakensberg Mountains were first named by the Voortrekkers who thought the unbroken chain of heavily weathered peaks reminded them of the spines on a dragon’s back, hence the name ‘Dragon Mountain’ or Drakensberg in Afrikaans.
• 16h30 - Tea in the lounge and observation cars. The train climbs to Majuba Hill – site of the decisive battle that ended the First Anglo Boer War – then passes Newcastle, which has what is reputed to be the largest cella-dome Hindu temple in the southern hemisphere.
• 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Elandslaagte. Dress: Formal Pass Glencoe, site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War and now the centre of the province’s coalfields.

Day 2: (Nambiti & Spionkop)

• 05h45 - 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.
• 11h00 - Brunch is served in the dining cars. 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.
• 19h30 - 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: (Ardmore Ceramics)

• 07h00 - 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.
• 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train traverses the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills.
• 16h00 - 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.

Dress Code Rovos Rail

For days on the train, dress is smart casual. Evening attire is more formal – for the gentlemen a jacket and tie is a minimum requirement while for ladies we suggest cocktail/evening dresses or suits. Please include warm clothing for cold mornings and evenings.