Travel Type
Rail & Hotels
Duration
3 Days/2 Nights
Country
South Africa
 

This safari between Pretoria and Durban 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 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. Available in reverse.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ardmore Ceramics Gallery visit
• Drakensberg Mountains
• Durban
• Nambiti Reserve game drive
• Pretoria
• Hear the historic tale of Spionkop
• Spionkop Reserve game drive
• Trundle through the Valley of a 1000 Hills

Inclusions

2-night accommodation in selected suites on board of the Rovos Rail
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
All beverage (except of international sparkling wines)
Room service
Limited laundry
Excursions with a qualified guide (where applicable)
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Government tax

Exclusions

International airfare – Transfers from/to airport or to/from the hotel – Pre and post tours – International sparkling wines – Gratuities to personnel & guides – Personal expenses – Visa if required – Travel insurance

Additional Information

Note

• Excursions may be changed according to the schedule achieved. Times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed.
• Meals on board (unless adjusted): Breakfast 07:00-10:00 • Lunch 13:00 • Tea 16:30 • Dinner 19:30.
• Please check-in a minimum of one hour before departure. Should you wish to visit the Rovos Rail Museum or do a site tour at Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria, we suggest arriving two hours prior to departure. If Pretoria is your arrival point, we suggest delaying your pick-up so you can enjoy the site tour.
• Passports are required at check-in. No vouchers are required. Luggage will be tagged and placed in your suite on board the train where you will find a full itinerary pack.

1

DAY 1 PRETORIA

10:00 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.
13:00 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.
16:30 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.
19:30 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.

Meals : Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation : Selected suites – Rovos Rail for 2 nights

2

DAY 2 NAMBITI AND SPIONKOP

05:45 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.
11:00 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.
19:30 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.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

3

DAY 3 DURBAN

07:00 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.
13:00 Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train traverses the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills.
16:00 Arrive at journey’s end at Durban Station. Several museums and cultural sights, the beautiful botanical gardens and the superb shark-protected beaches are but a few of the city’s many charms.

The above itinerary is available in reverse too (Durban to Pretoria).

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch

ROVOS RAIL

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 three types of suites available – Pullman (7sqm), Deluxe (10sqm) and Royal (16sqm) – offer passengers privacy and comfort with double or twin beds and fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. All have en-suites with shower, toilet, basin and bath (Royal only), tea facilities, safes, air conditioning, linen and amenities and are serviced daily. There is adequate storage and small cupboards with hangers and shelves.

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.

Days on board are smart casual while evening attire is more formal. On long journeys you can enjoy themed evenings where guests can dress up accordingly or opt for smart casual.
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. Breakfast: 07:00-10:00 • Lunch: 13:00 • Tea: 16:30 • Formal Dinner: 19:30. Bar service is from 07:00-±01:00. All meals are served at these times unless otherwise stated in the itineraries.

PULLMAN SUITES

The Pullmans, used on the short journeys, accommodate one or two passengers and have an en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. During the day, the suites have a comfortable sofa-seat with a conversion to double or twin beds (side-by-side or upper and lower bunks) for the evening. A dedicated host/ess is available at all times and services the suites daily. Please note in the animation that we indicate a bar fridge, however, these have been removed from the Pullmans.

DELUXE SUITES

The Deluxe Suites accommodate one or two passengers in double or twin beds and have their own lounge area and en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. A dedicated host/ess is available at all times and services the suites daily. A bar fridge is filled with the on-board beverages of the passengers’ choice.

ROYAL SUITES

The Royal Suites each take up half a carriage with their own private lounge area and en-suite bathroom with Victorian bath, separate shower, toilet and basin. They accommodate one or two passengers in double or twin beds. A dedicated host/ess is available at all times and services the suites daily. A bar fridge is filled with the on-board beverages of the passengers’ choice.

Dates of departures 2024 – PRETORIA TO DURBAN
September 6
October 4
November 15
Dates of departures 2024 – DURBAN TO PRETORIA
September 9
October 7
November 18
Dates of departures 2025 – PRETORIA TO DURBAN

January 24
February 14
March 7
April 11
August 15
September 19

Dates of departures 2025 – DURBAN TO PRETORIA

January 27
February 17
March 10
April 14
August 18
September 22

Rates in CA$, per person, starting from

Train Package
Departures 2024-2025DoubleSingle
 
Pullman Suites28894329
Deluxe Suites42996439
Royal Suites57798669

**Prices in this document are for information only; they were issued at press time, for the current year. Please note that due to exchange rates and temporary promotions, they can increase or decrease at any time. Contact your travel agent for the price and promotion of the moment. Prices include the contribution of customers to the Compensation Fund for clients of Quebec travel agents.

*** PLEASE CAREFULLY READ OUR TERMS & CONDITIONS. ***

Durban Safari – Detailed itinerary
Durban Safari – Detailed itinerary