South Africa · Cape Town to Dar es Salaam
Rovos Rail
Pride of Africa. Edwardian elegance through the heart of the continent, from the Cape winelands to Victoria Falls and beyond.
DiscoverLuxury Rail Travel
From the Cape winelands to the Zimbabwean border, South Africa offers some of the most spectacular rail journeys in the world. Two exceptional trains, one extraordinary continent.
The Collection
Two legendary trains through the landscapes of southern Africa, each offering an entirely different approach to the art of luxury rail travel.
South Africa · Cape Town to Dar es Salaam
Pride of Africa. Edwardian elegance through the heart of the continent, from the Cape winelands to Victoria Falls and beyond.
DiscoverSouth Africa · Pretoria to Cape Town
A five-star hotel on rails between Pretoria and Cape Town. Personal butlers, en suite bathrooms and spectacular Karoo and Winelands scenery.
DiscoverSouth Africa has two of the most celebrated luxury trains in the world, and they could hardly be more different from each other. Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa is a collection of lovingly restored vintage carriages that travel the great routes of the African continent at a leisurely pace, carrying a small number of guests in exceptional comfort. The Blue Train is a sleek, modern five-star hotel on rails connecting Pretoria and Cape Town through some of the most dramatic scenery in the country.
Both trains offer a wholly different perspective on South Africa from the one you get by road or air. The Karoo, the Hex River mountains, the Winelands and the vast open spaces of the interior reveal themselves slowly from a train window, and the experience of waking up somewhere new each morning without having left your bedroom is one that is very hard to replicate by any other means. Our specialists can help you choose between them and find the right departure for your travel dates.
Rovos Rail, known as the Pride of Africa, is the creation of Rohan Vos, who began restoring vintage rolling stock in the late 1980s with the ambition of recreating the golden age of African rail travel. The result is a train of extraordinary elegance: a collection of restored Victorian and Edwardian carriages pulled by a variety of vintage steam, diesel and electric locomotives. The interiors are finished in polished hardwood and brass, with private en suite facilities in every suite.
The classic route runs from Pretoria to Cape Town through the Karoo, but Rovos Rail also operates an extended journey to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and a Cape Town to Durban route. A round trip to Victoria Falls passes through Zimbabwe and Botswana. The train carries a maximum of 72 guests and the service is unhurried, generous and deeply personal. All meals, wines and spirits are included, and the observation car at the rear of the train provides an open-air platform for watching the African bush pass by.
The Blue Train has been operating between Pretoria and Cape Town since 1946, and its reputation as one of the world's finest trains has only grown in the decades since. The current train is a modern five-star hotel on rails, with 18 suites offering en suite bathrooms, butler service and picture windows that frame the passing landscape. The journey takes approximately 27 hours in each direction, passing through the Hex River mountain range and the Klein Karoo before arriving in the Winelands on the approach to Cape Town.
Unlike Rovos Rail, which takes a more leisurely and vintage approach, the Blue Train is sleek, contemporary and efficient. Meals are served in the dining car, the bar is well stocked and the level of personal service is high throughout. Occasional special departures to Hoedspruit in the Limpopo give passengers access to the Big Five country of the Kruger area. For first-time visitors to South Africa seeking a memorable way to travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town, the Blue Train is an outstanding choice.
South Africa is one of the great destinations for overland travel, and the train is arguably the finest way to see it. The distances between Johannesburg, Cape Town and the game reserves are too great to drive comfortably, and flying over them means missing landscapes of real beauty. The Karoo in particular, that vast semi-desert interior, looks utterly different from a train window than from any other vantage point. It is also worth noting that both trains are fully inclusive, which means that once you board, the only decision you need to make is whether to sit in the observation car or the bar.
Our UK-based specialists can advise on both trains and help you decide which suits your travel style better. We can also help combine a South Africa luxury train journey with game drives, garden route touring or a Cape Town extension.
Why Book With Us
We are dedicated specialists in luxury rail travel and not a generalist agency. Our entire focus is on finding you the perfect journey aboard the right train.
All bookings are fully protected as members of the Travel Trust Association, giving you complete peace of mind when you book with us.
Speak directly with our specialists, real people with first-hand knowledge of the journeys we sell. No call centres, no queues.
We have been booking luxury train journeys for over 25 years and have built close relationships with every operator we represent.
Call our specialists today and we will help you choose between Rovos Rail and the Blue Train for your journey.
0333 405 0192