Namibia Safari – Walvis Bay to Pretoria: 9-Nights
$10189 $9679 per person
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*prices are CAD per person, based on 2 people sharing in a Pullman Suite; Single Supplement +50% on all Suites
Upgrades for 2022 Departures:
Deluxe: +$3199 pp
Royal: +$6599
This ten day journey takes the train from the savannahs of the Highveld to the Atlantic in the west. Departing from Pretoria, the first stop is Kimberley, centre of one of the world’s famous diamond rushes where there is an opportunity to savour the 1870s atmosphere of the mine village. The train traverses the stark vistas of the Northern Cape to the Fish River Canyon – second in size to the Grand Canyon – and Garas Park with its Quiver Tree Forest and the Giant’s Playground. Guests continue across the untamed beauty of the Kalahari Desert to Namibia’s capital for a tour; Windhoek is a lively, cosmopolitan city with a strong German flavour. Then it’s a short flight to Sossusvlei, a stunning pan in the Namib Desert, for an overnight stay followed by a night in the game-rich Etosha National Park. On the last morning, the train travels the Namib to the perfectly preserved 19th-century German Hansa town of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay – an unforgettable end to a remarkable journey.
What’s Included: Accommodation; all meals; all beverages on board; room service; limited laundry; excursions with a qualified guide
(where applicable); entrance fees as per itinerary; government tax. Flights to/from Sossusvlei; overnight bag; accommodation; meals, water, tea/coffee
What’s Not Included: All off-train beverages; international/French
Champagne; gratuities; personal expenses; visas; travel insurance; pre- and post-tour transfers, accommodation and flights. Off train portion only – All other beverages; laundry; personal expenses.
*MEMBER BENEFIT: 5% Savings Off All Published Rates. Discounted rate showing includes the 5% Member Benefit savings.
Call for assistance: 1-800-481-9739 ext 1
Mention Promo Code for Savings: rvrtrip
Departure Dates
*All Departure Dates shown below are $9679 CAD per person based on twin share in a Pullman Suite
April 16 to 25
May 8 to 17
May 15 to 24
-
Destination
-
Arrival City
Walvis Bay, Namibia -
Departure City
Pretoria, South Africa -
Passenger Limit
N/A
DAY 1: WALVIS BAY
- 11h00 - Depart from Walvis Bay, Namibia. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car or observation car at the rear of the train.
- 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train travels across the Namib Desert.
- 16h30 - Tea in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train.
- 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Otjiwarongo for overnight. Dress: Formal Please ensure that the Train Manager or Administration Deputy is in possession of your passport.
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.
DAY 2: ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
-
- 07h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
- 10h30 - Transfer (120 min) to Mokuti Lodge in Etosha National Park. Check-in and enjoy lunch.
- 15h00 - Afternoon game drive (approximately 3 hours).
- 19h00 - Dinner at the lodge and overnight. 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 3: ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
- 06h00 - After an early morning wake-up call, join fellow guests for light refreshments before setting off on a game drive in the Etosha National Park.
- 09h45 - Return to the lodge for breakfast and check-out.
- 11h00 - Meet in the foyer to check-out and transfer (60 min) to the train at Tsumeb Station.
- 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars.
- 16h30 - Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.
- 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Otjiwarongo for overnight. Dress: Formal
DAY 4: CHEETAH CONSERVATION PROJECT
- 07h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
- 09h00 - 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.
- 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars.
- 16h30 - Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.
- 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
DAY 5: WINDHOEK & SOSSUSVLEI
-
- 07h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure at 09:00.
- 09h00 - Disembark at Windhoek. Visit the Trans-Namib Transport Museum followed by a tour en route to the airport.
- 11h00 - Depart in a light aircraft for a one-hour flight to Sossusvlei.
- 12h30 - After check-in, enjoy lunch at the restaurant.
- 13h30 - Afternoon desert drive and a bush dinner after sunset. Overnight at the lodge. Dress: Casual
Situated 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. The dunes of the Namib were created by sand carried by the wind from the coast. The sand here is over 5-million years old and is red due to its iron-oxide content. As the light changes during the day so does the appearance of the dunes’ characteristic colour 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 6: SOSSUSVLEI
-
- 06h00 - An early wake-up call with tea and coffee. Enjoy a desert drive with breakfast in the vlei.
- 11h00 - Return to the lodge to use the facilities, check-out and transfer to the airstrip.
- 12h00 - Depart Sossusvlei in a light aircraft for the one-hour flight to Mariental to rejoin the train.
- 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train travels south through the Kalahari Desert.
- 14h30 - Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.
- 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Keetmanshoop. Dress: Formal
DAY 7: GARAS PARK & FISH RIVER CANYON
-
- 06h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
- 08h00 - 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.
- 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars.
- 03h00 - Board vehicles for the one-hour drive to the Fish River Canyon.
- 18h00 - Return to the train. Travel east along the southern reaches of the Kalahari Basin.
- 19h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars. Border formalities with South Africa. Dress: Formal
The Fish River rises in the centre 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 8: UPINGTON
-
-
- 07h00 - Breakfast is served until 10:00. Disembark the train for an optional two-hour walking tour of Upington. Lunch is served in the dining cars. 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. Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.
- 17h30 - Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to De Aar, an important railway junction. Dress: Formal
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 honour.
-
DAY 9: KIMBERLEY
- 07h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. The observation car will be leading the train until lunchtime.
- 12h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars.
- 14h30 - 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.
- 16h30 - Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. The train travels across the Free State and continues its climb to Pretoria in the Gauteng province.
- 19h30: Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress: “Africa” Theme or Smart Casual
DAY 10: PRETORIA
- 07h00 - Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Travel through the goldfields of the Witwatersrand.
- 13h00 - Lunch is served in the dining cars.
- 17h00 - Arrive at journey’s end at Rovos Rail Station, Pretoria.
Tour Location
Leave a Reply
Deluxe Suites - 10 Square Metres (3 Configurations) Bathroom with Shower, Air Conditioning, Luggage Shelf, Cupboards and Safe, Mini-Bar Facilities Crosswise Double L-Shaped Twin Lengthways Double Pullman Suites - 7 Square Metres (3 Configurations) Bathroom with Shower, Air-Conditioning, Luggage Shelf, Cupboards and Safe, Mini-Bar Facilities Daytime Sofa Bed Night-time Upper and/or Lower Bed Royal Suite - 16 Square Metres Lounge Area and Mini-Bar Facilities, Air-Conditioning, Bathroom with Bath and Shower, Luggage Shelf, Cupboards and Safe, Double Bed or Twin Beds