Rovos Rail Namibia Safari

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00, allowing guests a relaxed start to the day. The morning continues with a guided tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole, a landmark shaped by the diamond discoveries that led to the city’s founding in 1871. Lunch is enjoyed in the dining cars as the train departs Kimberley, with the observation car leading the journey until after tea—a novelty often appreciated by rail enthusiasts. The route crosses the vast Karoo, a semi‑desert landscape that was once an inland sea, its geological history revealed through layers of silt formed over millions of years. Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars during the afternoon, followed by a formal dinner in the dining cars as the train travels towards De Aar, an important railway junction.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00, offering guests a leisurely start to the day. Lunch follows later in the dining cars as the train continues its journey towards Upington. In the afternoon, guests enjoy a guided walking tour of the town, followed by a sundowner cruise on the Orange River, South Africa’s longest river at 2,432 kilometres. Rising in the Drakensberg Mountains of Lesotho, the river flows westward to the Atlantic Ocean and forms part of the borders between South Africa and Lesotho, and South Africa and Namibia. Apart from Upington, it passes no major cities along its course. The town itself was established in 1884 after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney General of the Cape, successfully brought an end to the activities of the Orange River pirates and captured their leader, Klaas Lucas. Dinner is served in the dining cars as border formalities take place, with guests invited to dress in an “Africa” theme or smart casual attire for the evening.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 as the train travels along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin, a landscape defined by its sweeping arid plains and soft red sands. Lunch follows in the dining cars before guests transfer by road, approximately one hour, to the Fish River Canyon. Carved over millennia by the Fish River—which rises in central Namibia and flows south to meet the Orange River on the South African border—the canyon is the largest in the southern hemisphere and second in scale only to the Grand Canyon. Its vast, rugged terrain opens into dramatic cliffs and immense chasms stretching 161 kilometres in length, up to 27 kilometres in width, and nearly 550 metres deep. After returning to the train, dinner is served in the dining cars as the journey continues towards Aus, with formal attire requested for the evening.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure, after which guests transfer by road for approximately one hour to the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Once a thriving diamond settlement, its abandoned buildings now stand partly reclaimed by the desert, offering a fascinating glimpse into Namibia’s mining past. The excursion continues to Lüderitz for lunch, a coastal town known for its museum, distinctive colonial architecture and diverse wildlife, including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. Travellers may also keep an eye out for the elusive wild horses said to roam the Namib. Returning to the train in the afternoon, the journey continues towards Keetmanshoop with the observation car leading the way until after dinner. A formal dinner is served in the dining cars, rounding out an evocative day of history, desert landscapes and coastal charm.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure, after which guests set out to explore Keetmanshoop and nearby Garas Park, home to around 300 quiver trees (Aloe dichotoma). These striking prehistoric plants, with their sculptural forked branches reaching up to five metres, create superb photographic opportunities amid the desert landscape. Returning to the train, lunch is served in the dining cars as the journey continues towards Mariental. Tea is offered in the lounge and observation cars during the afternoon, followed by a formal dinner in the dining cars as the train travels north towards Rehoboth.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00, after which guests transfer to the airstrip for a one‑hour light‑aircraft flight to a Sossusvlei lodge, where they will stay overnight. Following check‑in, lunch is served and the afternoon is left at leisure to enjoy the tranquillity of the desert surroundings. As the day cools, an afternoon desert drive reveals the shifting colours and sculptural forms of the Namib dunes, followed by a bush dinner under the night sky. Guests stay overnight at the lodge, with casual attire recommended for the evening. The dunes of the Namib Desert are formed from sand carried inland by coastal winds, their deep red hue the result of iron‑oxide content in grains more than five million years old. Throughout the day, the changing light transforms their colour and texture, offering superb photographic opportunities. In the Sossusvlei region, winds blow from multiple directions, shaping the distinctive “star dunes” with their radiating arms.

An early wake‑up call with tea and coffee sets the tone for the morning before guests depart on a desert drive, with breakfast served in the vlei as the first light washes over the dunes. After returning to the lodge, there is time to use the facilities before checking out and transferring to the airstrip for a one‑hour light‑aircraft flight to Windhoek. Situated in Namibia’s central highlands and framed by clusters of hills and the Auas and Eros Mountains, Windhoek is an attractive and culturally rich city. Lunch is enjoyed at the Windhoek Country Club, followed by a city tour that includes the Trans‑Namib Transport Museum, which traces the country’s transport and railway history, and the Independence Memorial Museum, dedicated to Namibia’s anti‑colonial resistance and liberation struggle. The tour also visits the striking Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Namibia Craft Centre housed in the historic Breweries Building. Guests then rejoin the train for the journey to Kranzberg, with a formal dinner served in the dining cars during the evening.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 as the train continues its journey north. Lunch follows in the dining cars before guests transfer by road, approximately one hour, to a cheetah conservation project in Otjiwarongo. Founded in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund is dedicated to protecting the species in the wild through research, education and community‑based initiatives. After the visit, guests return to the train for the onward journey to Otavi. A formal dinner is served in the dining cars during the evening, rounding out a day focused on wildlife conservation and Namibia’s remarkable natural heritage.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 before guests transfer by road, approximately one hour, to an Etosha lodge for an overnight stay. On arrival, guests are welcome to make use of the pool and lodge facilities before enjoying lunch and completing check‑in. In the afternoon, a three‑hour game drive offers the chance to encounter Etosha National Park’s remarkable wildlife, with its wide range of mammals, birds and reptiles. Dinner is served at the lodge, with casual attire recommended for the evening, followed by an overnight stay. Covering 22,270 square kilometres, Etosha takes its name from the vast Etosha Pan, a 4,760‑square‑kilometre salt pan that lies almost entirely within the park. Forming part of the Kalahari Basin, its name translates to “Great White Place”, a reference to the shimmering pale surface that defines this iconic landscape.

Breakfast is served at the lodge until 07:00, followed by a morning game drive in Etosha National Park, offering another opportunity to encounter the region’s diverse wildlife. Guests return to the lodge to freshen up and check out by 10:45 before transferring by road, approximately one hour, to Tsumeb Station to rejoin the train. Lunch is served in the dining cars as the journey resumes, with the observation car leading the train until the following day. Tea is offered in the lounge and observation cars during the afternoon, and dinner is served in the dining cars as the train travels southwest towards the Atlantic Ocean. Guests are invited to dress in a 1920s theme or smart casual attire for the evening.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00 as the train makes its way across the Namib Desert towards the coast. The journey concludes on arrival in Walvis Bay, marking the end of this remarkable expedition. Stretching for more than 2,000 kilometres along the Atlantic coastline of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, the Namib is a landscape of striking contrasts, with vast sand seas near the coast giving way to gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops further inland. Its name, derived from the Khoekhoegowab language, means “vast place”, an apt description for a desert that has endured arid or semi‑arid conditions for an estimated 55 to 80 million years, making it one of the oldest deserts on Earth.