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Appearing in Travel
World News, New York,
Africa Travel Magazine and other media by
request
Cape Town to
Pretoria on Rovos Rail, Pride of Africa
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 "travel
opportunity of a lifetime" is not just a South
African experience -- its routes extend to
five
other 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 as "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 from our cozy cocoon on wheels.
My intuition proved to be quite true.
 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 for the evening meal, and as we took our seats,
red roses were 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 its lush gardens
and 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 90s, 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
Jerry W. Bird is Editor and
Publisher of Africa Travel Magazine and President
of the Africa Travel Association's Canada Chapter.
He originated the popular series "Railways of the
World" in 1989, and has written many articles on
the topic of rail travel.
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A
VERSION OF THE ABOVE STORY BY MUGUETTE
GOUFRANI WILL BE AVAILABLE IN FRENCH IN
OUR MAY-JUNE 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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