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Summary

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Namibia Safari Great Rail Journey On Rovos Rail From Walvis Bay To Pretoria

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Duration

12 Days

Starts In

Walvis Bay

Route

Pretoria, Etosha, Sossusvlei, Windhoek, Upington, Kimberley, Walvis Bay

To travel from Walvis Bay to Pretoria aboard Rovos Rail is to experience the full, extraordinary breadth of Namibia and Southern Africa in a single, magnificent sweep. Over twelve unhurried days, this epic journey crosses the ancient Namib Desert, visits a world-leading cheetah conservation project, explores the salt pans and waterholes of Etosha, flies by light aircraft to the crimson star dunes of Sossusvlei, wanders the ghost town of Kolmanskop, stands at the edge of Fish River Canyon, and cruises the Orange River before crossing into South Africa for Kimberley's diamond heritage and the golden Highveld approach to Pretoria. On board, impeccable cuisine, beautifully appointed private suites, and the timeless elegance of Rovos Rail make every mile between destinations as rewarding as the destinations themselves.

RAIL JOURNEY 12 Days / 11 Nights Aboard Rovos Rail Luxury Train from Walvis Bay, Namibia to Pretoria, South Africa featuring Walvis Bay, Etosha National Park, Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Upington, Kimberley and Pretoria. Includes private arrival & departure transfers, your choice of luxury cabin accommodations, room service, all meals, local beer, wine and soft drinks, onboard lectures and guided excursions as indicated in the itinerary.

Includes

Accommodations as per itinerary
Meals as per itinerary; breakfast (B), lunch (L), dinner (D)
Sightseeing: per itinerary
Train tickets as per the itinerary
Keytours 24-hour emergency assistance
Private arrival and departure transfers as per itinerary

Excludes

Items of a personal nature
All other items not mentioned as included
Transfers not mentioned in the itinerary
Travel insurance; please inquire with your Keytours travel consultant
Gratuities for drivers, guides, and escorts

Itinerary

Day
1

Day 1: Walvis Bay

Day
2

Day 2: Cheetah Conservation Project

After breakfast, a transfer to the Cheetah Conservation Fund near Otjiwarongo delivers one of the journey's most moving and purposeful excursions. Founded in Namibia in 1990, the CCF is a global leader in wild cheetah preservation — combining hands-on conservation, community engagement, and scientific research in the fight to secure the future of the world's fastest land animal. The encounter is intimate, educational, and deeply affecting. Back on board for lunch as the train continues toward Tsumeb, afternoon tea is taken before a formal dinner as Namibia's vast northern landscape rolls past and the promise of Etosha begins to build beautifully on the horizon.

Day
3

Day 3: Etosha National Park

After a leisurely breakfast, a transfer carries guests to a lodge within Etosha National Park — one of Africa's premier game-viewing destinations, its 22,270 square kilometers centered on the vast, shimmering salt pan that gives it its name: "Great White Place." Check-in and lunch at the lodge are followed by an afternoon game drive of approximately three hours, the pan's edge drawing extraordinary concentrations of elephant, lion, rhino, and plains game to its waterholes as the light softens toward evening. Dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge offer full immersion in the sights, sounds, and extraordinary stillness of the Namibian bush.

Day
4

Day 4: Etosha National Park

The final Etosha morning begins early — a game drive as the pan comes alive in the dawn light, animals gathering at the waterholes in numbers that make every other wildlife experience seem modest by comparison. Breakfast at the lodge follows before checkout and a transfer back to the train at Tsumeb Station, where the familiar rhythm of the rails reasserts itself with something approaching relief. Lunch is served as the journey resumes, afternoon tea taken in the observation car, and a formal dinner carried the evening as the train heads toward Kranzberg and the next extraordinary chapter of this remarkable Namibian odyssey.

Day
5

Day 5: Sossusvlei

After breakfast, guests transfer to a private airstrip for a one-hour light aircraft flight over Namibia's dramatic interior to Sossusvlei — one of the most photographed and otherworldly landscapes on earth. The Namib's ancient star dunes, their iron-rich sand over five million years old, shift in color from pale gold to deep crimson as the light moves across them throughout the day. After check-in and lunch at the lodge, an afternoon desert drive reveals the dunes at their most theatrical and alive. A bush dinner after sunset — the silence of the desert absolute, the stars extraordinary overhead — makes for one of the most memorable evenings of the entire journey.

Day
6

Day 6: Sossusvlei & Windhoek

The final Sossusvlei morning begins before dawn — tea and coffee, then a drive into the vlei itself for breakfast as the dunes ignite in the first light, the colours shifting from pale lavender through amber to deep, burning red in the space of thirty extraordinary minutes. After returning to the lodge to check out, a light aircraft carries guests back to Windhoek for lunch at the Country Club before a city tour takes in the Trans-Namib Transport Museum, the Independence Memorial Museum, the striking Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Namibia Craft Centre. By evening the train departs south through the Kalahari toward Mariental, a formal dinner served as Windhoek recedes behind.

Day
7

Day 7: Keetmanshoop & Garas Park

A morning at leisure on board as the southern Namibian landscape asserts its austere, elemental beauty before the train arrives near Keetmanshoop for one of the journey's most photogenic excursions. Garas Park is home to approximately 300 specimens of the extraordinary Quiver Tree — Aloe dichotoma — their forked branches reaching up to five meters skyward in formations at once prehistoric and strangely graceful. Named by the San people who hollowed out the branches to make quivers for their arrows, these ancient trees create a landscape unlike anything else on earth. Lunch, afternoon tea, and a formal dinner mark the remainder of a day rich in natural wonder and quiet, desert magic.

Day
8

Day 8: Lüderitz & Kolmanskop

After an early breakfast, a transfer delivers one of the journey's most atmospheric and haunting excursions: a visit to Kolmanskop, the famous diamond-rush ghost town slowly being reclaimed by the Namib Desert, its abandoned rooms half-filled with sand in a tableau of extraordinary, melancholy beauty. Lunch follows in Lüderitz — a town of striking German colonial architecture, seals, penguins, flamingos, and the legendary wild horses rumored to roam the surrounding desert. The observation car leads the train after departure as the Atlantic coastal landscape glows in the evening light, and tonight's Africa theme or smart casual dress code brings a warm, relaxed atmosphere to the dining car.

Day
9

Day 9: Fish River Canyon & Into South Africa

An early breakfast precedes one of the journey's most awe-inspiring excursions: a visit to Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in the Southern Hemisphere and arguably second only to Arizona's Grand Canyon in sheer scale — 161 kilometers long, up to 27 kilometers wide, and plunging nearly 550 meters into the earth. The rocky grandeur is genuinely humbling. Back on board for lunch, border formalities with South Africa are completed during afternoon tea as the train crosses into the Northern Cape and the final South African stretch of this extraordinary journey begins. A formal dinner is served en route to Upington.

Day
10

Day 10: Upington & The Orange River

After an early breakfast, a walking tour of Upington leads to a cruise on the Orange River — South Africa's longest waterway at 2,432 kilometers, rising in the Lesotho Drakensberg and flowing west to the Atlantic, its banks lush and improbably green against the surrounding semi-arid landscape. The town itself was founded in 1884 and named after the Attorney General who finally rid the river of its notorious pirates — a history as colorful as the river is long. Back on board, the train enters the Karoo — that vast, ancient semi-desert of haunting beauty — as lunch, afternoon tea, and a formal dinner are served en route to Kimberley.

Day
11

Day 11: Kimberley

After breakfast, the train arrives in Kimberley for one of the journey's most compelling historical detours. A guided tour of the Diamond Mine Museum and the legendary Big Hole — the largest hand-dug excavation on earth — brings vividly to life the story of the diamond rush that founded this city in 1871 and shaped the destiny of a nation. Back on board for lunch, the train continues its climb toward Pretoria as the Northern Cape gives way to the broader interior. Tonight's 1920s dress theme brings a wonderfully celebratory atmosphere to the dining car — a fitting send-off for a journey approaching its magnificent, glittering conclusion.

Day
12

Day 12: Pretoria

The final morning is savored slowly over a last breakfast as the train traverses the historic goldfields of the Witwatersrand — a landscape that speaks of extraordinary human ambition and the making of a nation. A final lunch is served as Pretoria draws steadily closer and the journey settles into its fond, unhurried conclusion. The train arrives at Rovos Rail's magnificent private station in the early afternoon — one of Southern Africa's great railway buildings and a deeply fitting end to twelve extraordinary days. From the Atlantic shores of Walvis Bay to the heart of South Africa, this has been Namibia and the wider region at their most breathtaking, most personal, and most unforgettable.

Dates & Prices

19 of Apr, 2027

Monday

17 of May, 2027

Monday

23 of Oct, 2027

Saturday

26 of Mar, 2028

Sunday

3 of May, 2028

Wednesday

21 of May, 2028

Sunday

20 of Nov, 2028

Monday

Frequently Asked Questions

What destinations are included in the Namibia Safari Great Rail Journey on Rovos Rail?

The Namibia Safari Great Rail Journey on Rovos Rail includes several stunning destinations: Walvis Bay, Etosha National Park, Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Upington, Kimberley, and Pretoria. Over the course of 12 days, travelers will experience the diverse landscapes and rich cultural heritage of Namibia and South Africa.

How many days and nights does this package last, and where do we stay?

This itinerary lasts for 12 days and 11 nights, primarily aboard the luxurious Rovos Rail train. Accommodations vary based on your choice of luxury cabin, and you will also stay at lodges in Etosha National Park and Sossusvlei, ensuring a comfortable and immersive experience throughout the journey.

What meals and drinks are included in this tour?

This package includes all meals during the journey, which consist of breakfast, lunch, and dinner as per the itinerary. Local beer, wine, and soft drinks are also included with meals, allowing travelers to enjoy a taste of local flavors while onboard.

Are there any optional excursions or activities that can be added to this itinerary?

Yes, while the Namibia Safari Great Rail Journey includes several guided excursions as part of the itinerary, travelers can customize their experience by adding optional activities. Your Keytours travel consultant can provide information on available excursions and help tailor your journey to your interests.

How do travelers move between destinations during this tour?

Travelers primarily move between destinations aboard the Rovos Rail train, which offers a luxurious and scenic travel experience. For specific excursions, such as the visit to Etosha National Park or Sossusvlei, private transfers and light aircraft flights are arranged to ensure seamless travel.

What is not included in the price of this package?

While the package includes accommodations, meals, train tickets, and guided excursions, it does not cover personal expenses, travel insurance, gratuities for drivers and guides, or any transfers not mentioned in the itinerary. Travelers are encouraged to consult with a Keytours travel consultant for insurance options.

Is this itinerary suitable for families or first-time visitors to Southern Africa?

Yes, this tour is well-suited for families and first-time visitors. The itinerary offers a mix of adventure, wildlife experiences, and cultural exploration, making it engaging for travelers of all ages. The luxurious onboard experience and guided excursions ensure comfort and ease for families traveling together.

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Include Flights?

Yes

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