Luxury Rovos Rail in Namibia

“This is one of the most luxurious trains that have ever gone through our station,” said a proud senior controller for passenger service at the Windhoek train station, Gerson Eiseb, when the Rovos Rail parked at the station for nearly two days last week.
The vintage train with 19 coaches is currently in Namibia on its bi-annual roundtrip through the country, hitched to a TransNamib locomotive.
The private railway company operates from the Capital Park Station in Pretoria, South Africa where its leisurely cruise to Namibia started. It arrived in the country through the Ariamsvlei border and passed through small stations like Kunis, Kokerboom, Hamab, Nuwefontein, Wolplaas, Karasburg, Sulz and the Gemsvlakte.
It stopped over at Holoog, the nearest station to the Fish River Canyon where two busses that accompany the tour by road were waiting to take the guests to the gigantic natural spectacle where they slept before travelling to Keetmanshoop.
The stopover at Windhoek gave the guests a chance to go on a walk tour of the city and the next morning some were flown out to Sossusvlei for a short visit.
Then, the train continued to Kranzberg from where it travelled to Otjiwarongo and the guests were bussed to Makuti Lodge for a visit to the Etosha National Park. From there, it went back through Kranzberg to Swakopmund ending its first part of the Namibian journey before it heads back with a fresh group of tourists to Ariamsvlei.
This tour of the country will end on 14 May.
This train ride through Namibia is one of Rovos Rail’s sought after trips in Africa. Its most prestigious package however, is the long scenic 15-day route from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam. Rovos Rail is considered as, the pride of Africa on wheels. What makes it so special, said train manager on this Namibian roundtrip, Adam Bentley, is that it offers one of the last vestiges of old-world elegance and luxury to a degree that was never equalled since the 1920’s.
“The point is to create the feeling of a bygone era, to bring back old-fashioned nostalgia,” Bentley said of the tours.
The Society of International Railway Travellers (IRT) has consistently rated Rovos among the top five luxury trains in the world. In Africa, the other luxury train, the Blue train, offers more modern facilities on board and is much faster than Rovos Rail that never chugs along at more than 60 kilometres per hour.
The slow gentle pace of the Rovos Rail is intended to imbue its clients a sense of calm and relaxation with no distraction from the outside world, explained Bentley.
There is no radio or television on board and guests are not allowed to use cell phones or laptops in public areas. The purpose is to unplug from the rat race for the duration of the trip.
“We want to bring back an environment that allows for old-fashioned conversations,” Bentley said.
The remodelled and hand-crafted coaches reflect that intent. In the late 1980’s the owner, Rohan Vos, started off buying coaches in various stages of disrepair and with a dedicated team started to rebuild each and every one.
Each train has a classy, soft-cushioned lounge car. There is an open-balcony observation car, a smoking club lounge and one or two dining cars that are either a 1920s piece with teak pillars or a more modern 1930s one, with large windows.
The sleeping cabins come in three price ranges with the most luxurious, the Royal suites, fitted with a proper bathtub and shower.
Meals on the train are prepared with fresh produce and a choice list of South African wines is included in the price. Dinner is a dressed-up affair. No flip-flops and jeans allowed.
This trip, reckons Bentley, is worth putting on your bucket list. It is one way to experience Namibia’s haunting beauty – in style.

Catherine Sasman