Day 1
Your luxury vacation on board the Rovos Rail luxury train departs from the historical city of Pretoria (sometimes called “Jacaranda City” for the purple blossoms that color the streets each summer). Spend the day at leisure aboard the train as it heads to Rustenburg (about an hour outside of Sun City and Pilanesberg safari park) for an overnight stop.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 2
Enjoy the first of your golf safari activities today!
Golfers: Tee off at Lost City or Gary Player Country Club this morning. Gary Player Golf Course is the flagship course of Sun City Resort. Built in an extinct volcanic crater, the course offers 8,000 yards of golfing pleasure await all golfers with mesmerizing views at every turn. Lost City Golf Course provides a very different golfing experience and defies being assigned to any one category, with touches of mountain, desert, and African parkland in its make-up. The course presents a great test as the approaches to the greens—clad in bent grass and protected by bunkers—demand careful judgment.
Non-Golfers: Enjoy a morning game drive in Pilanesberg National Park. You’ll have a chance to see elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, and much more. After your first safari, explore Lost City and join the golfers in your party for a delicious lunch at the club.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 3
Enjoy all your meals onboard today as you journey south from Sun City to Estcourt in the KwaZulu-Natal region near the Drakensberg Mountains.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 4
Golfers: Tee off at the beautiful Champagne Sports Resort golf course. Located in the beautiful Drakensberg area, this course has to be rated as one of the most scenically memorable golf layouts in South Africa. Designed by Hugh Baiocchi and Kevin Curren, it successfully blends the natural attributes of the terrain and the surrounding beauty with the modern demands of a quality course. Professional and novice alike will appreciate the 84 well-appointed bunkers that line the fairways and greens.
Non-Golfers: This morning, enjoy a fascinating tour of the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields. When viewing this tranquil countryside, it’s hard to visualize the sweeping landscape as the scene of some of the bloodiest military engagements in South African history. During an informative battlefields tour, view the sites where local Zulu, Boer, and British forces clashed in gory battles that both shaped the progress of South Africa and shook the platform of the British Empire.
This evening, your train departs for the beach town of Durban.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 5
Golfers: Play a round of golf at Durban Country Club. Renowned for its classic Cape Dutch architecture, lush vegetation, undulating fairways, sand dunes, and beautiful setting overlooking the Indian Ocean, the club has been the venue of choice for many an important celebration in its rich history.
Non-Golfers: Embark on a city tour of sunny Durban. Durban’s famous aesthetic is one which attracts holidaymakers from all corners of the globe. The sunny city was once a prime Victorian town, which after World War 1 transformed into a modern metropolis dotted with high-reaching skyscrapers and multi-story buildings. Explore the bustling harbor and beautiful, white-sand beaches, then join the golfers for lunch at Durban Country Club.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 6
Embark on a morning safari in Hluhluwe Game Reserve, where you’ll have a chance to see Africa’s Big 5—lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and Cape buffalo—along with other amazing wildlife of the region. See the animals at their most active in the early morning, before the heat of the day leads them to rest until sundown.
Enjoy brunch onboard the train as you depart for Mpaka, Swaziland.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 7
Golfers: Tee off at Royal Swazi Sun this morning. This spectacular championship course is one of the most scenic locations found in the world. Opened in 1966, it has been laid out on the slopes of the Lebombo Range that curves gently down into the valley. The first nine holes are comparatively level, but the second nine fully exploit the mountainous terrain. Challenging features include lakes, gullies thick with vegetation, out-of-bound areas running close to fairways, swirling breezes, clusters of magnificent trees and indigenous plants, and wickedly sited bunkers.
Non-Golfers: Enjoy a safari game drive in Mkhaya Game Reserve. In this beautiful nature reserve, you’ll have the chance to see rare black and white rhino, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, hippos, and crocodiles, as well as fantastic birdlife. In the afternoon, visit the famous Ngwenya Glass Factory and perhaps take home a souvenir from this famous workshop where local craftsmen practice the delicate art of glassblowing.
The train departs for Malelane this evening.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 8
Golfers: Enjoy your final round of golf today at the famed Leopard Creek Golf Course. We’ve certainly saved the best for last! Nestled like a hidden gem in the heart of Mpumalanga and the southern border of Kruger National Park, Leopard Creek is a 360-hectare golfer’s paradise. Flanked to the north and west by the famous Crocodile River, Leopard Creek features postcard-worthy views and a magnificent course ready to be conquered.
Non-Golfers: Set off on your final game drive today as you explore the famed Kruger National Park. At this point, the Big 5 of Africa should already be checked off your list. In Kruger, you’ll have the opportunity for more Big 5 sightings, or your expert safari guide can show you some of the hidden gems of this world-renowned safari park. After your safari, enjoy a scrumptious lunch at the Buhala Lodge.
This evening, enjoy dinner onboard as the train travels to Witbank for an overnight stop.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 9
Your incredible adventure comes to an end today. Enjoy breakfast onboard en route to Pretoria, where you will reach the Rovos Rail Station around 10 am.
