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Cape
Town to Pretoria and Beyond on Rovos
Rail
by
Jerry W. Bird
"The design of the train has given us
suites considerably larger than the
world's famous trains such as the Orient
Express, the Blue Train, Royal Scotsman in
England and El Andalus in Spain." Rohan
Vos
One
of the first lessons one learns on
entering the wonderful world of Rovos Rail
is that this "tour of a lifetime" is not
just a South African experience -- its
routes extend to five
countries
on a network of steel rails. For example,
there's an annual excursion to Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, which many rave about.
On this cool January morning, however, the
destination is Pretoria, South Africa's
capital city and headquarters of Rovos
Rail, the Pride of Africa. Our leisurely
two and a h alf
day trip north through the country's
heartland, allows ample time to relax, lay
back, sip the wine, smell the roses, think
lofty thoughts and get to know some
interesting people. Daniel
Dunn,
one of the Western Cape's best informed
tour guides, drove us to the Cape Town
station, where Rovos Rail's owner Rohan
Vos and Sales Manager David Patrick
greeted us, as our baggage was whisked
away in a flash
What
a way to celebrate the New Year! As we
joined the other passengers assembled on
the red-carpeted platform, a traditional
toast of South African champagne and
orange juice set the mood, while a trio of
violinists provided soft, soothing
classical music -- a fitting background
for such a memorable send off. At the
microphone Mr. Vos gave a hearty and
humorous "bon voyage," announcing each
guest's name in turn as we boarded the
train. Many nations were represented that
morning - the UK, Norway, Italy,
Australia, USA, Switzerland, Spain,
Germany, France, South Africa and Canada.
These vintage coaches have carried royalty
on past tours, and we soon discovered
there was a European countess among us,
which reflects the company's claim "the
most luxurious train in the world. A mild
thunderstorm was brewing above Table
Mountain, and as rain began to beat on the
windows, the train pulled away from Cape
Town station. Have no fear, I had a
feeling that the trip would be even more
enjoyable, looking out from our cozy
cocoon on wheels. My intuition proved to
be quite true.
New Cape Town to Victoria Falls
Combination (see
below)
 Five
Star Hotel on
Wheels:
Private and
Personal
Talk about individualized service from
Rovos' team of young, attractive
hostesses. Our baggage was waiting in the
cabins, plus champagne, a fruit bowl,
chocolates and terry cloth robes. Private
suites on Rovos Rail are spacious,
elegant, fully equipped and finished in
highly polished wood panels, with amazing
attention to detail. Some of these vintage
coaches date back to 1911, and all are
beautifully restored. Full sized beds face
three large picture windows that open
easily, bathing the room with fresh air
and daylight as you view the changing
landscape, or allow perfect privacy as
needed. The writing desk was ideal for my
lap top computer, and the in-suite
telephone came in handy. Outside Muguette
Goufrani's suite, a brass plaque bore the
title "The Cullinan," after the world's
largest gem diamond, discovered in 1905,
and named for mine owner Sir Thomas
Cullinan. My private suite was titled "
The Etosha," in honor of Namibia's
national park.
 Order
of Good
Cheer:
As Mr. Vos says, "It is an atmosphere of
good food, good wine and good conversation
that we are striving to create. " Like
Pavlov's dog, and personal memories of
cruises on the Alaska coast, a soft gong
in the passageway signaled that dinner was
being served. Naturally,on Rovos Rail,
semi formal dress was the order of the
day, and as we took our seats, a red roses
was pinned on each lapel. After all, this
was a glorious land cruise - and the
superb menu featured such local game
dishes as Springbok with lemon honey
sauce, plus others like South African
Botobie and Kingclip in Pernod cream. It
goes without saying that the wine list was
extensive, and drinks were complimentary
for the entire trip, throughout the
train.
 The
Road Ahead:
The
vistas were spellbinding. Having read
Covenant by James Michener, several Wilbur
Smith sagas and various other books on
South Africa, I was aware that the
900-mile rail journey follows the old
pioneer trail from Cape Town north, via
Paarl, Worcester and South Africa's
bountiful Winelands, wending its way
through the Hex River Valley to the
interior's higher, drier Karoo country.
What I did not expect was the fact that
there were some exceptionally long tunnels
en route. Just imagine the engineering
challenges and effort that was involved in
early railroad-building in this
area.
 History
comes
Alive:
A pleasant surprise was our brief stop at
the historic village of Matjiesfontein,
which resembles a romantic movie set, with
its street of carefully restored
buildings, such as the Victorian Lord
Milner Hotel, with lush gardens and a
friendly pub nearby. I couldn't help
imagining that Miss Kitty of Gunsmoke
would come through the red velvet curtains
and descend the ornate staircase. Several
of us could have spent all day at the
nearby museum, checking out relics of
pioneer days, before, during and following
the Anglo Boer War and the frantic gold
and diamond rushes. It was hard to imagine
that the rich and famous of the world came
here 100 years ago, when it was a thriving
health resort. Well, we've been told a
renaissance is underway.
 Kimberley's
Diamond
Legacy:
Speaking of journeys into history, our
next major stop was at Modder River
station, a lonely spot where the Boers and
British once clashed in a major battle.
Disembarking from the train, we boarded a
bus for Kimberley, and received a history
lesson, which set the stage for our visit
to this provincial capital and luncheon at
the exclusive Kimberley Club, once male
only and frequented by Cecil Rhodes, De
Beers and colleagues. Well-fed and ready
for action, we were off to the famous
Kimberley diamond mine. A restored village
surrounded what they call the "greatest
hole in the world, " a huge excavation
that was once a gentle hill. Our final
lesson included mining practices and
replicas of world famous diamonds from
South Africa.
 Pretoria
and Capital Park
Station
The following morning our train passed
slowly through the suburbs of
Johannesburg, city of gold and South
Africa's thriving metropolis. Beyond was
Pretoria, our final destination. I will
elaborate on these two great cities later,
but it's important to mention the Capital
Park Station complex, heart of Rovos
Empire. While there, we explored the rail
yards, workshops, museum and training
area, which is like looking backstage at a
major Broadway production. Mr. Vos sums it
up in the following statement, " All our
rolling stock, consisting of 60 carriages
and 5 operating locomotives, our
administrative operation and workshops are
now based at Capital Park. We could indeed
not have wished for a better location,
especially as Capital Park has played such
an important part in South African
Railways History, and thus provides the
perfect home for our trains. The site
covers 25 acres and boasts 15 lines,
totally a distance of 12 km of which 100 m
section is under roof. It is our aim, not
only to rebuild the site to world-beating
standards, but also to transform it into a
working railway museum. Our new
Headquarters will cater to steam
enthusiasts, tourists and local visitors
alike. "
 Having
heard about Rovos Rail since the early
1989, when I originated the series,
"Railways of the World" in the travel
trade media, this New Year's excursion was
like a dream come true. It goes without
saying that the Rovos team won our hearts
and earned our respect as true
professionals, a credit to South Africa
and to the travel tourism industry. Many
thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Vos for such a
wonderful lifetime experience; one we're
proud to tell the world all about. Our
Rovos Rail story continues with new
installments at
http://www.africa-ata.org/sa_rovos.htm,
e-mail:
africa@dowco.com
Rovos
Rail offers new Cape to Vic Falls
combination
(with complimentary hotel stay and
transfers in Pretoria)
Rovos
Rail has launched a new 6-day packaged
journey from Cape Town to Victoria
Falls/Livingstone. The journey is a
combination of the existing Cape Town to
Pretoria route with the Pretoria to
Victoria Falls/Livingstone route and
includes a complimentary overnight stay in
a pre-selected Pretoria hotel on a bed and
breakfast basis, including transfers to
and from Rovos Rail's Capital Park Station
in Pretoria
"Whilst
some agents and operators have already
been combining the two back-to-back
journeys into one itinerary, we felt the
need to add value for the guest and reduce
the workload for our agents by booking and
including the overnight stay in Pretoria
with transfers" said Rohan Vos, owner and
founder of Rovos Rail. The overnight stay
in Pretoria provides an opportunity for
guests to explore and discover the
historic capital city and it's numerous
attractions. "Our agents and operators can
confidently put their clients in our hands
for a full 6 days knowing that all their
needs and desires will be exceeded
in the style and luxury with which our
product is associated". A Pretoria city
tour can be arranged on request and is not
included in the overall
package.
Off-train
excursions during the journeys include a
stop in the quaint Victorian village of
Matjiesfontein, a tour of the historical
diamond mining town of Kimberley, a game
drive in Kapama Game Reserve in the Kruger
National Park and a flight from
Pietersburg to Livingstone aboard Rovos
Air's Classic aircraft. En-route, guests
will be treated to Rovos Rail's legendary
service, fine cuisine, and luxurious
accommodation on a fully-inclusive
basis. The
new packaged itinerary will be available
for booking from 1 October 2005 on
selected fortnightly Monday departures out
of Cape Town during the Victoria Falls
train departure months.
For
pricing and other information please
contact Rovos Rail Reservations and
Marketing on +27-12-323-6052,
reservations@rovos.co.za or
heike@rovos.co.za
 AUTHOR:
Jerry W. Bird is Managing Editor of Africa
Travel Magazine and President of the
Africa Travel Association's
Canada
Chapter.
He originated the series
"Railways
of the
World"
in 1989, and has written many articles on
rail travel. If you have items or comments
regarding Rovos Rail, or railway travel in
general, please e-mail:
airhwy@dowco.com
From
Kentucky, USA
"..... we welcome you to see our site. I
loved yours! Very interesting and upbeat,
and makes me want to hop on a train."
see
letters
Eleanor Flagler Hardy, President, Society
of International Railway Travelers
For more Railway items and stories, see:
Marrakech
to Casablanca by
Rail
and Adventure
Rails
(part of a series from our two combined
websites)
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A
VERSION OF THE ABOVE STORY BY
MUGUETTE GOUFRANI WILL BE
AVAILABLE IN FRENCH IN A COMING
EDITION OF AFRICA TRAVEL
MAGAZINE.
Muguette
Goufrani,
Africa Travel Magazine's
Associate Editor covers
destinations and events in
Francophone Africa. She has lived
in five West African countries,
working for Air Afrique, Royal
Air Maroc and Citroen. As a
Travel Agent, she worked in North
Africa and France, where her
family operates an inbound tour
company, and later in Tahiti and
Cambodia.
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