Rovos Rail: Walvis Bay to Pretoria

Arrive in Windhoek, Namibia’s highland capital, where you will be met for a private transfer to your chosen hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may wish to explore a little of characterful Windhoek and its German colonial architecture, or simply relax and prepare for the adventure ahead.

After breakfast, a private transfer takes you west across Namibia’s interior towards the Atlantic coast. Watch as the scenery shifts from rolling highlands to the vast, open spaces that herald the edge of the Namib Desert, before arriving in Walvis Bay, a coastal town framed by lagoon and dunes. You check in at Pelican Lodge, your base on the waterfront. Spend the afternoon at leisure, perhaps strolling along the lagoon, where flamingos often feed in the shallows, or simply relaxing on the terrace and breathing in the cool ocean air. In the evening, dine at the lodge, savouring fresh seafood and fine wines.

Stay: Pelican Point Lodge

This morning, transfer to Walvis Bay Station to begin your journey aboard Rovos Rail. After a warm welcome, settle into your elegant suite, with its period furnishings and picture windows framing the desert beyond. As the train departs for Otjiwarongo, you have time to freshen up before joining fellow travellers in the lounge or the open‑air observation car, which leads the train today, offering a unique perspective for rail enthusiasts. Lunch is served in the dining cars as you traverse the Namib Desert, its sun‑bleached plains and distant mountain outcrops unfolding in every direction. Afternoon tea is taken in the lounge and observation cars, followed by a formal dinner in the dining cars. Between courses, gaze out at the Namib (meaning “vast place”) – thought to be one of the world’s oldest deserts, its velvety sands and gravel plains glowing in the evening light.

After breakfast in the dining car, disembark for a visit to a renowned cheetah conservation project near Otjiwarongo. Founded in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund is dedicated to safeguarding these graceful predators in the wild, and your visit offers insight into their behaviour, habitat and the challenges they face. Returning to the train, enjoy lunch as the train continues towards Tsumeb, the desert scenery giving way to more wooded landscapes. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation cars, followed by a formal dinner on board, with the rhythm of the rails accompanying your evening.

Enjoy breakfast in the dining car before packing a small overnight bag, ready for your stay in Etosha. Transfer by road to a carefully selected lodge on the edge of Etosha National Park. On arrival, check in and enjoy lunch, with time to relax before your afternoon game drive. Etosha’s vast salt pan and surrounding savannah support an impressive array of wildlife, from elephant and lion to giraffe and antelope. As the sun dips, you return to the lodge for dinner and a casual, comfortable overnight stay, listening to the sounds of the bush beyond.

An early breakfast at the lodge is followed by a further game drive in Etosha, timed to make the most of the soft morning light and heightened animal activity. After your safari, return to the lodge to freshen up and check out. Your overnight bag is collected and loaded into the vehicles before you transfer back to Tsumeb Station, where Rovos Rail awaits. Lunch is served in the dining cars as the train resumes its journey, with afternoon tea in the lounge and observation cars. This evening, a formal dinner is enjoyed on board as you travel towards Kranzberg.

Having prepared another small bag for your overnight stay tonight, transfer to the airstrip after breakfast and board a light aircraft for a scenic flight over the desert to your Sossusvlei lodge. On arrival, enjoy lunch before an afternoon desert drive. As the sun begins to set, the iconic red dunes – formed from iron‑rich sands over millions of years – shift through a palette of ochres and russets, creating extraordinary photographic opportunities. This evening, a bush dinner is served under the stars, followed by a casual overnight stay at the lodge.

Stay: TBC

An early wake‑up call is followed by tea and coffee before you set out on a desert drive, arriving in the vlei as the first light touches the dunes. Breakfast is served in this serene setting, with the star‑shaped dunes casting long, sculptural shadows across the sand. Return to the lodge to use the facilities and check out, before transferring to the airstrip for your flight back to Windhoek. On arrival, enjoy lunch at the Windhoek country club, then embark on a curated city tour. Highlights include the Trans‑Namib transport museum, the independence memorial museum, the striking evangelical Lutheran church and the Namibia craft centre in the old breweries building. Later, rejoin the train as it travels south through the Kalahari Desert. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Mariental, with formal dress adding to the sense of occasion.

After breakfast on board, the train continues south and you enjoy a leisurely morning watching the changing landscapes from your suite or the observation car. Lunch is served in the dining cars before you disembark to visit Keetmanshoop and nearby Garas Park. Here, roughly 300 quiver trees dot the landscape, their forked branches reaching up to five metres and creating striking silhouettes against the sky. It is a wonderfully photogenic setting, particularly in the late afternoon light. Return to the train for tea in the lounge and observation cars, followed by a formal dinner in the dining cars.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars before you transfer to the ghost town of Kolmanskop, once a thriving diamond settlement now slowly reclaimed by the desert. Sand drifts through abandoned houses and public buildings, creating an atmospheric, almost surreal scene. Continue to Lüderitz for lunch, a coastal town known for its colonial architecture and abundant wildlife, including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. Keep an eye out for the elusive desert horses said to roam the surrounding Namib. Later, you rejoin the train as it departs for Holoog, with the observation car once again leading the train until after dinner. This evening’s dress code invites an “Africa” theme or smart casual attire.

Following breakfast, transfer to the Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in the southern hemisphere. Stretching for 161 kilometres, up to 27 kilometres wide and almost 550 metres deep, its vast rocky cliffs and winding riverbed create a truly impressive panorama. Return to the train for lunch in the dining car as you approach the Namibian/South African border, with formalities completed en route. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation car, followed by a formal dinner as Rovos travels towards Upington.

Breakfast is followed by a walking tour of Upington, a town founded on the banks of the Orange River and named after Sir Thomas Upington, who helped bring order to the region in the late 19th century. A gentle cruise on the Orange River offers a different perspective, gliding past tranquil banks and birdlife. Back on board, the train continues through the Karoo, a vast semi‑desert that was once an inland sea. Over millions of years, volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as silt, forming the geological Karoo system that underpins this starkly beautiful landscape. Lunch and afternoon tea are served in the dining cars and lounge, before a formal dinner en route to Kimberley.

After breakfast, disembark for a tour of Kimberley’s diamond mine museum and the famous big hole. Capital of the Northern Cape, Kimberley owes its existence to the discovery of diamonds in 1871, and a visit reveals the stories, engineering feats and social history behind this glittering industry. Return to the train for lunch as Rovos continues its climb towards Pretoria. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation car, followed by dinner in the dining car. This evening’s dress code suggests a “1920s” theme or smart casual, perfectly suited to the train’s vintage ambience.

On your final morning, breakfast is served in the dining cars as you travel through the historic goldfields of the Witwatersrand. After a leisurely lunch on board, the train glides into Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria, where your journey concludes. An included transfer will take you to Johannesburg Airport for your onward flight.