A moving experience
A luxurious train journey from Pretoria to Cape Town offers a champagne-filled, rose-tinted glimpse of South Africa, writes Anna Healy Fenton
Some would see a 52-hour train journey as bliss, others as a short prison term. Even the most rail-averse, however, might be tempted by the thought of being gently swayed to sleep like a big baby in a huge pram; by gourmet meals served in phone-free peace in a 1911 dining car, washed down with unlimited local wine.
on entering the plush waiting room at Rovos Rail's private Capital Park station. Putonghua is being spoken - in Pretoria! A sneaky glance at the passenger list while a charming liveried waiter proffers champagne and cucumber sandwiches to those seated on restored Victorian and Edwardian furniture reveals that a third of the 60-odd passengers are from China. We feel right at home.
Capital Park was built with materials salvaged from other stations around the country, as they were being renovated, and the picture of times past is complete when a steam locomotive huffs in to hook up to 20 vintage coaches.
Before boarding, Rovos Rail's founder, Rohan Vos, gathers the passengers for a pep talk. He personally waves off each of his trains as they embark on one of seven routes across Africa. After a warm welcome, we are told to have a great time, dress for dinner and keep our windows closed and shutters down when the train isn't moving: a reminder that South Africa is not the safest place in the world.
