The 16 day Rovos Rail African Trilogy is a combined journey visiting South Africa, eSwatini (ex-Swaziland) and Namibia. Travel Southern Africa in style while seeing some of the top attractions of the region.
If you want to start in Pretoria (or Cape Town in 2026), have a look at our Namibia Rovos Journey.
Starting in Pretoria, descend the spectacular escarpment to the Kruger National Park for a game drive. Explore the Kingdom of eSwatini. Followed by a game drive in Hluhluwe wildlife reserve and a tour of Durban and its botanical gardens. Traverse the Valley of a Thousand Hills and the imposing Drakensberg Mountains to reach the 1870s mining village of Kimberley. Center of one of the world’s notorious diamond rushes. Continue through the semi-desert region of the Karoo to Upington and the Fish River Canyon. Second in size to the Grand Canyon. Cross the untamed beauty of the Kalahari Desert to see the Quiver trees at Garas Park. Home to roughly 300 specimens of the Aloe dichotomy.
Take a short flight to Sossusvlei for a lodge stay surrounded by the dramatic dunes of the Namib Naukluft Park. Enjoy desert drives, a bush dinner and breakfast near Deadvlei. Where camelthorn trees contrast against the white clay pan floor. Visit Namibia’s lively capital, Windhoek, and a cheetah conservation project. Before a night in the game rich Etosha National Park. Leave the vast stillness of the Namib Desert for the wild Atlantic coast and journey’s end, Walvis Bay.
4 pm departure in October / 6 pm departure in February
Please check in a minimum of one hour before departure. Should you wish to visit the museum or do a site tour at Rovos Rail Station, we suggest arriving two hours prior to departure.
Depart from Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travelers in the lounge car or observation car. Please ensure the Train Manager or Administration Deputy is in possession of your passport. It will be returned to you before the end of the trip.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. The train travels the eastern line towards eMalahleni (Witbank). Dress: Formal
Day 2: At Leisure On Board
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am.
1 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars. The rolling hills of eMakhazeni (Belfast), eNtokozweni (Machadodorp) and Dullstroom are a welcome sight and are renowned for the genteel yet skilful sport of trout fishing.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars. The train descends the spectacular Drakensberg Mountain escarpment.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars en route to Malelane. Dress: Formal
Day 3: Kruger National Park
5 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until departure.
6:30 am: Game drive in the Kruger National Park with tea and lunch. Rejoin the train at Malelane.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars en route to eSwatini. Dress: Formal
The famous Kruger National Park has 2 million hectares of an unrivaled diversity of life forms. It is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and home to an impressive number of species. 336 x trees, 49 x fish, 34 x amphibians, 114 x reptiles, 507 x birds. Plus of course, 147 x species of mammals including the Big Five.
Day 4: Eswatini Border: Malelane, South Africa / Mpaka, Eswatini
6 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until departure. Border formalities.
8:30 am: Disembark at Mpaka. Visit Swazi Candles and Mantenga Cultural Village with lunch at Mantenga Lodge.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. Border formalities. Dress: Formal
The tiny Kingdom of eSwatini (Swaziland) covers only 17 000km2, most of which is mountainous. For such a small country, it is surprising that it sustains two capital cities. Mbabane is the administrative capital and Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital. In April 2018, Swaziland changed its name to the Kingdom of eSwatini (meaning “place of the Swazi”). It is an absolute monarchy. It is landlocked and borders South Africa and Mozambique.
At Swazi Candles, guests are invited to interact with the artisans as they make a variety of candles. Woodcarvings, colorful textiles and superb basketwork are also on display. Mantenga is nestled in the mountains overlooking ‘Execution Rock’. The village is a living museum of old traditions that represents a classic Swazi lifestyle during the 1850s.
Day 5: Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park Border: Mpaka, Eswatini / Golela, South Africa
5 am: Continental breakfast is in the dining cars until departure.
12 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars. Travel towards Empangeni.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars en route to Durban. Dress: “Africa” Theme or Smart Casual
Day 6: Durban
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until departure.
9 am: Enjoy a tour of Durban and the botanical gardens. Transfer (±30 min) to Umhlanga for lunch. Return to train. Traverse the Valley of a Thousand Hills towards Ladysmith.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Durban is the third largest city in South Africa and enjoys great importance due to its industry and very large port. Drive along the ‘Golden Mile’ promenade where numerous hotels and restaurants are situated.
Day 7: At Leisure On Board
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars. Traverse 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. Pass some of the highest peaks at 3450m.
1 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Day 8: Kimberley
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until departure. Enjoy a tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Capital of the Northern Cape, Kimberley is well known for the discovery of diamonds that led to its establishment in 1871.
1 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars. The observation car will be leading the train until after tea. Travel through the Karoo, a vast semi-desert region that was once an enormous inland sea. Over millions of years, volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as silt upon the seabed to form what geologists call the Karoo system.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge car and observation car at the front of the train.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Day 9: Upington (Border: Nakop, South Africa / Ariamsvlei, Namibia)
7 am: Breakfast is until 10 am. The train travels into Upington on the Orange River. Your activity will be confirmed on the day.
1 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars. Border formalities.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars en route to Holoog. Dress: Formal
The Orange River is the longest river in South Africa (2432km/1511mi). It rises in the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho and flows westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the borders between South Africa and Lesotho and South Africa and Namibia. Except for Upington, it does not pass through any major cities. Attorney General of the Cape, Sir Thomas Upington was principally responsible for liquidating the business activities of all the Orange River pirates and capturing their leader, Klaas Lucas. When the desperadoes were finally chased away in 1884, the town was founded on the banks of the Orange River. And named in his honor.
Day 10: Fish River Canyon & Garas Park
6 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until departure.
1 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars. The train travels along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin.
3:15 pm: Visit Garas Park (Quiver Trees), home to roughly 300 specimens of the Aloe dichotomy. The prehistoric trees have forked branches that reach up to 5m making for great photographic opportunities.
Scenic Kalahari views
5 pm: Late tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. The train travels north through the Kalahari to Windhoek. Dress: Formal
The Fish River rises in the center of the country before flowing south into the Orange River on Namibia’s border with South Africa. It has formed the great Fish River Canyon. The largest canyon in the southern hemisphere and probably only second to Arizona’s Grand Canyon in terms of size. The vast rocky landscape breaks up into a series of spectacular cliffs. Its size is impressive: 161km long, up to 27km wide and almost 550m at its deepest.
Day 11: Sossusvlei
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay in Sossusvlei. A tog bag has been placed in your suite for your convenience. See below for inclusions/exclusions.
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am.
10:30 am: Transfer to the airstrip. Depart in a light aircraft for a one hour flight to Sossusvlei.
12 pm: After check in, enjoy lunch at the lodge.
4:30 pm: Afternoon desert drive and a bush dinner after sunset. Overnight at the lodge. Dress: Casual
The dunes of the Namib Desert were created by sand carried by the wind from the coast of Namibia. The sand here is over five million years old and is red in color due to its iron-oxide content. As the light changes during the day so does the appearance of the dunes’ characteristic color allowing for interesting photographs at any time. The wind in the Sossusvlei area blows from all directions causing the sand to form a star shape with multiple arms. Hence the name “star dunes”.
Day 12: Sossusvlei & Windhoek
Please ensure your overnight bag is ready to be collected from your suite before the drive.
An early wake up call with tea and coffee. Enjoy a desert drive with breakfast in the vlei.
11 am: Return to the lodge to use the facilities, check out and transfer to the airstrip.
12 pm: Depart in a light aircraft for a one hour flight to Windhoek. Enjoy lunch and visit the Transport Museum.
6 pm: Depart Windhoek. Travel to Otjiwarongo.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
In Namibia’s central highlands, Windhoek is an attractive city. Surrounded by clusters of hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. The Trans-Namib Transport Museum outlines Namibian transport history. Particularly that of the railway. The Independence Memorial Museum focuses on the anti-colonial resistance and the national liberation struggle of Namibia.
Day 13: Cheetah Conservation Project
6 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until 9 am.
12 pm: Early lunch is in the dining cars.
1:30 pm: Visit a cheetah conservation project in Otjiwarongo. Founded in Namibia in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars en route to Otavi. Dress: Formal
Day 14: Etosha National Park
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay in Etosha.
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am. Transfer (±60 min) to a lodge in Etosha for overnight. Check in and enjoy lunch.
7:30 pm: Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Dress: Casual
Etosha National Park (22270km2) offers great game viewing. It gets its name from the Etosha Pan (4760km2), a large salt pan forming part of the Kalahari Basin. Etosha means ‘Great White Place’.
Day 15: Etosha National Park
Please ensure your overnight bag is ready to be collected from your suite and proceed to checkout by 10:30 am.
Early morning game drive in the Etosha National Park. Return to the lodge for breakfast and check out.
11 am: Transfer (±60 min) to the train.
1 pm: Lunch is in the dining cars. The train travels southwest towards the Atlantic Ocean.
4:30 pm: Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7:30 pm: Dinner is in the dining cars. Dress: “1920s” Theme or Smart Casual
Day 16: Walvis Bay
Please ensure luggage is ready for collection 15 minutes before departure and that you have your passport.
7 am: Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am. Traverse the Namib Desert towards Walvis Bay. The observation car will be at the front of the train for last stretch. A different aspect that our rail enthusiasts enjoy.
The Namib Desert stretches for more than 2000km along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means “vast place”. Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for roughly 55 – 80 million years, the Namib may be the oldest desert in the world. The geology consists of sand seas near the coast. While gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops occur further inland.
12 pm: Arrive at journey’s end at Walvis Bay Station, Namibia.
Namib Desert
15 day Rovos Rail African Trilogy Journey Costs and Departure Dates
Rovos Rail African Trilogy Rates / Departure Dates (Walvis Bay to Pretoria)
Deluxe Cabin
Pullman Cabin
Per Person Sharing
Single Rate
Per Person Sharing
Single Rate
5th – 20th February 2025
R293 000
R420 000
R224 000
R320 000
1st – 16th October 2025
4th – 19th February 2026
R355 000
R455 000
R263 500
R347 000
9th – 24th October 2026
There is no Royal Suite on the Rovos Rail African Trilogy.
Rovos Rail African Trilogy Rates Include:
Accommodation, all meals, all beverages on board the train, room service, limited laundry, excursions with a qualified guide (where applicable), entrance fees as per itinerary, government tax. The rates also include the light aircraft flights to / from Sossusvlei and your overnight bag.
EXCLUDED:
All off train beverages, international/French Champagne, gratuities, personal expenses, visas, travel insurance, pre and post tour transfers and international flights.
All our Namibia Safaris and Tours ↓
We are still working on this and have many more Namibian Tours available if you get in touch with us.
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