Africa Travel WeekA privately owned company with its 60-acre headquarters at Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria, the company has evolved from one overnight trip to an offering of eight different sojourns across Southern Africa lasting from 48 hours to two weeks.
The eight journeys include:
- Cape Town (three days)
- Durban Safari (three days)
- Victoria Falls (four days)
- Namibia Safari (nine days)
- Golf Safari (nine days)
- African Collage (ten days)
- Dar es Salaam (15 days)
- Trail of Two Oceans (15 days)
For further details on each journey please visit www.rovos.com/journeys
There are three types of accommodation on board the train each cabin with its own en-suite bathroom:
- Royal Suites
±16sqm with ready-made king bed, private lounge area, bath as well as separate shower - Deluxe Suites
±11sqm with twin or double beds, lounge area and shower - Pullman Suites
±7sqm with sofa-seat during the day which is converted into single, double or bunk bed in the evenings. En-suite bathroom with shower
OFF-TRAIN EXCURSIONS
Each journey has its own off-train excursions, and these range from safari, cultural and historical outings. “It was important to us from the very beginning that this wasn’t just a train ride. We wanted our guests to learn a bit about this country, it’s history and its diverse culture, and of course experience our magnificent wildlife”, says Rohan Vos, owner and CEO of Rovos Rail. “Travelling with us isn’t about the destination, in fact, that doesn’t really matter. Our trips are about the journey”, he adds.
ALL-INCLUSIVE JOURNEY
“Our first decision, which we’ve never regretted, was to make the ticket all-inclusive and to stock the train with excellent food accompanied by fine wines and liquor”, says Anthea Vos, Rohan’s wife and partner in the business. Suffice to say that the ticket price is fully inclusive all meals, all alcoholic and other beverages, the off-train excursions, room service and a limited laundry service. It does not include flights, transfers or gratuities for the train staff.
ROVOS RAIL FAMILY
An exciting addition to the company was the acquisition of the three-star Shongololo Express train in January of 2016. The train has been repainted in green and cream and an additional dining car plus an observation car have been added. The accommodation of six Emerald (± 10sqm) and 30 Gold cabins (± 7sqm) have been overhauled to allow for more space and upgraded bathrooms.
The three itineraries, Southern Cross – Pretoria to Victoria Falls (12 days), Dune Express – Pretoria to Walvis Bay (12 days), Good-Hope – Pretoria to Cape Town (15 days); have been rebuilt with more stationary time at night and less road time spent on the excursions. All itineraries available in reverse.
As an extension of the Rovos Rail brand, the company opened the doors to 12 suites across two beachfront guest houses in the well-to-do area of St James, situated on the southern peninsula in Cape Town. St James Manor and St James Homestead are individually decorated luxury homes offering guests a relaxing getaway with easy access to the city centre and the winelands, on one of the Western Cape’s prettiest coast lines.
For more information on the guest houses, please visit www.stjamesguesthouses.com
