Rovos Rail, Africa

Overview

With polished teak finish and ivory detailing, Rovos Rail feels as if you’ve stepped into a bygone era of African romance. The train winds from Pretoria to Victoria Falls across scrubland, drifting red dunes, and savannahs teeming with wildlife glimpsed from sun-sunned observation decks. Suites evoke Edwardian elegance – plush beds, silk curtains, and marble bathrooms that feel more hotel than train.

Sunlit afternoons invite you onto open viewing cars for sundowner cocktails beside giraffe herds at waterholes, while evenings call for white-gloved service in dining cars carved from rosewood. Multi-course South African cuisine pairs with cellar-aged Pinotage; dinners may be followed by stories shared in the lounge, piano playing, or quiet lights under the African sky.

Stops might include guided game drives at Kruger national park, colonial train stations restored as restaurants, or walking visits at Victoria Falls at dawn. The journey is less about the miles than the architecture of luxury – every detail intentional, every pause rhythmic, and every vista rendered with thoughtful reflection.