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ecil Rhodes may have dreamed of an unbroken
railway link between Cape Town and Cairo but his
19th century plans dissolved like his rail track in the
wilds of the Congo (Zaire). Today, it remains an unfulfiled
dream, but fate would have it that the need to locate a
northern sea port for the mineral wealth of land-locked
Botswana saw the construction of the Tazara Corridor link
from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam on the east coast of Tanzania. It
was a monumental achievement funded by the People’s
Republic of China in the early 1970’s.
Several times a year the liveried coaches of the luxury train
operator, Rovos Rail, embark on a spectacular 12 night rail
odyssey between Cape Town and Dar es Salaam that must
surely rank as one of the world’s epic train adventures.
Travelling in the height of luxury the trains consist of
beautifully restored South African coaches with two lounges,
two restaurant cars, private sleeping compartments, each
with private ensuite facilities. With daily stops for sight seeing
tours the true magnificence of the unfolding landscape of the
dark continent can be truly appreciated in a manner that
epitomises the pursuit of classic travel and the fulfilment to
some extent of Rhodes’ great dream. Sadly, the onward
journey to Cairo requires other modes of transport but a
special Rail, Air & Nile Cruise super itinerary is also available
with Rovos Rail.
20
Epic Journeys acro
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Rovos Rail is the brainchild of South
African businessman, Rohan Vos, a
latecomer to the world of trains. He
was involved in the motor spares
industry when one of his staff got him
involved in a steam train restoration
project in 1986. Since then he has
collected and restored probably the
largest and most original train set in
the world. The rolling stock dates from
around 1911 to 1930 and now runs on
private tours all over South Africa, as
well as trips to Namibia, Victoria Falls
and on up to Dar es Salaam on the east
coast of Tanzania.
As Rohan Vos has so aptly said:
“Boy, have I got a great train set”.
Rohan Vos
- A man with
extraordinary drive and passion
Breathtaking rail adventures on board Rovos Rail
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