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Great
Continental Rail Safaris and Rail
Cruises
by
Jerry W. Bird
 We've
been avid Rail Travel enthusiasts
for decades, and our sights are
set on South Africa for a return
engagement on the elegant
Rovos
Rail.
We've been raring to return to
Ethiopia as well to revisit
Emperor Haile Sellasie's historic
'Lion of Judah" train with its
matched set of rail coaches. In
1989 I introduced Railways of the
World to the travel industry,
despite a lukewarm response from
several media colleagues at the
time, including my boss. However,
the concept proved to be a
roaring success, and led to other
avenues of opportunity in the
world of travel, tourism and
transportation. From example, I
went on to write
stories
on rail travel for a variety of
newspapers and magazines. Often
my mailbox was jammed full of
requests from individuals and
couples, many of them active
retirees with plenty of time on
their hands. Post Report to
Come on Africa Rail 2005: 25+
speakers,
11
hours of
networking,
9
panel
sessions,
8
year track
record,
4
regional
symposiums,
3
full conference
days,
3ministers
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 half 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
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