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 traverses the Highveld to the Drakensberg Mountains.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 2
Today, your golf safari activities kick off to a fabulous start!
Golfers: Enjoy a transfer to the famed Leopard Creek Golf Course for a morning tee off. 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. After golf, enjoy lunch at the club.
Non-Golfers: Embark on your first game drive in the world-famous Kruger National Park. Here, the wildlife is incredibly abundant and you’re likely to see most or all of the Big 5 of Africa (elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, and rhino) on today’s game drive.
This evening, board the train in Malelane and depart for Swaziland.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 3
The golfers in your party will enjoy their first game drive this afternoon as the whole group sets off on a safari in Hluhluwe Game Reserve, the oldest game reserve in Africa. It was on this unspoiled land that Zulu kings like Dingiswayo and Shaka once hunted and the first conservation laws where put into place. Today, Hluhluwe Game Reserve teems with an abundance of wildlife, including the famous Big 5 which rustle through the verdant savannah.
This evening, travel alongside the St Lucia Wetland Park en route to Durban.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 4
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.
This evening, travel the Valley of a Thousand Hills to Ladysmith across the Drakensberg Mountains.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 5
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. Enjoy lunch and a short game drive before rejoining the golfers this evening.
Your train will travel across the Highveld this evening.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 6
Today is your chance to fully enjoy the beautiful views and luxurious amenities onboard the Rovos Rail, as your train travels toward the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. Chat with your fellow travelers in the dining car, lounge in your spacious suite with panoramic windows, or head to the Observation Car for a full view of your stunning surroundings.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 7
Golfers: Transfer to Humewood golf course this morning. Situated on the sand dunes on the shores of Algoa Bay, this true links course is characterized by thick coastal bush, swales, humps, and hollows. Although the fairways are wide and undulating in order to compensate for the strong winds, the rough that borders them is unforgiving. The holes are simple yet neat, the gulf greens are fast and firm, and the few bunkers are well positioned with tough, steep faces.
Non-Golfers: Enjoy another thrilling game drive today in Addo Elephant Park. In addition to its protected elephants, Cape buffalo, and antelope, Addo Elephant Park is home to a rich and varied history. Centuries ago, the landscape played host to the Khoisan people, who had settlements in the Alexandria dunes. Hidden within the recesses of the Zuurberg Mountains are a number of San rock paintings, alive with stories etched within their ochre red ink. Additionally, the Melkhout Cave within the mountain is an archaeological haven with artifacts dating back to the Early Stone Age.
The train heads inland to Willowmore this evening.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 8
Golfers: Transfer to Oubaai Golf Course and tee off this morning. In designing Oubaai, Ernie Els and his team have taken full advantage of the spectacular landscape with the support of Nicklaus Design. With its special cliffside location and high vantage point above rivers and valleys, the initial impression will be of large open fairways, superb directional and protective bunkers, and large undulating greens, but be assured that despite the seeming freedom off the tee, there is a strategy that requires intelligent positioning of each shot.
Non-Golfers: Enjoy a little something different today as you tour an ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn. The town is flanked between the majestic Swartberg Mountains in the north and picturesque Outeniqua Mountains in the south. Learn about the area’s ostrich hunting history and the inner workings of the modern ostrich farming industry.
This evening, the group will come together to enjoy a gourmet dinner at the gorgeous Fancourt Estate.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 9
Golfers: Transfer to Fancourt Estate for tee off and lunch. Play one of the estate’s top-ranking golf courses. The Montagu Golf Course is exquisitely conditioned with a glorious parkland layout covering large tracts of varying terrain on rolling land. Mature trees, flowerbeds, shrubs, and water hazards provide a colorful contrast. Outenique Golf Course, named after the mountain range overlooking the area, is regarded as the easier course with its more open appearance, yet it has its share of challenges and risk-and-reward moments.
Non-Golfers: Enjoy a ferry ride on the beautiful Knysna lagoon. Knysna is one of the most popular stops along South Africa’s Garden Route and features gorgeous scenery and an alternative, whimsical lifestyle. Enjoy sightseeing and shopping in the bustling town of Knysna or take a guided, 60-minute walk on Leisure Island.
The train will travel the Garden Route to Riversdale this evening for an overnight stop.
Rovos Rail Luxury Train
Day 10
Enjoy a final day at leisure aboard the Rovos Rail as your train travels through the stunning landscapes of the Cape Fold Mountains. Arrive in cosmopolitan Cape Town around 5:00 pm, just in time to head out on the town and enjoy dinner at one of the city’s many fabulous restaurants.
In Cape Town, there’s plenty to see and do if you wish to extend your trip. Enjoy a private tour of the city complete with a spectacular pop-up lunch, see adorable penguins on Boulders Beach, tour the Cape Winelands just an hour’s drive outside of town, or head to nearby Hermanus for luxury lodges in gorgeous locales. Ask our Africa experts how best to extend your journey!
