Rovos Rail: Golf & Safari in South Africa

If you think you’ve already seen it all…

Then chances are you’ve never teed off at Leopard Creek with a view of zebras. And you’ve almost certainly never stowed your golf bag in the saloon car of one of the world’s most stylish trains.

South Africa is today’s tip — individual, exclusive and close to nature — where safari and golf aren’t opposites, but become moments that last a lifetime.

Warmly,

your NineteenGOLF.Guide team

Golf in Your Heart. Africa in Your Sights. Time in Your Luggage.

You lift your golf bag onto the train as the Rovos Rail rattles gently out of Pretoria. Outside, the landscape drifts past; inside, style awaits in every carriage: elegant Art Deco carriages, gourmet chefs serving exquisite dinners, and a touch of glamour drifting through your Emerald Deluxe Suite.

Across eleven days and nine nights, golfing dreams merge with safari magic: you’ll play top courses such as Leopard Creek, Durban Country Club or Royal Swazi, with Africa’s Serengeti waiting around the next bend. Rhinos, historic battlefields, Mkhaya in Eswatini and the Kruger Park are all included — always accompanied by the quiet rhythm of the rails beneath you.

This golf journey is an invitation — to everyone who loves golf, indulgence and great moments.

On 3 February 2026, the Rovos Rail departs Pretoria for what may be the most exclusive golf safari of the year — exclusively for German-speaking guests. On board: PGA pro Harald Ruoss, who accompanies you with expertise and charm on the country’s finest courses, and Joerg Hess of BountyGolf, who doesn’t just know South Africa — he lives it.

From safari adventure straight to the fairway? No problem!

You love golf and fine style, and dream of experiencing South Africa in an entirely different way? Then climb aboard — and let yourself be chauffeured from fairway to fairway, through landscapes you’d otherwise only know from documentaries. To the most exclusive golf courses in the country.

The Emerald Deluxe Suite on the Rovos Rail is your private compartment full of charm — and, at the same time, your window onto Africa’s endless expanse. With its own en-suite bathroom, air conditioning and a minibar for the sundowner.

Ten Days. Nine Stops. Countless Wow Moments.

Day 1 – Pretoria

Welcome aboard! You board the Rovos Rail, leave Pretoria behind, and immerse yourself in the charm of bygone times — with afternoon tea, fine dining in the Art Deco carriage, and your first glimpses of South Africa’s wild expanses.

Day 2 – Pilanesberg / Gary Player & Lost City

In the morning, safari feeling in the Pilanesberg Reserve — or straight onto the fairway of one of Africa’s most famous golf courses: Gary Player or Lost City. In the afternoon, there’s time to explore the glittering world of Sun City.

Day 3 – Relaxing on Board

As the train rolls towards the Drakensberg, you enjoy fine cuisine, good conversation and views over vast landscapes — from history-steeped hills to the majestic Majuba Hill.

Day 4 – Spionkop / Champagne Sports

History meets pleasure: experience the legendary Battle of Spionkop, or swing your club at the picturesque Champagne Sports Resort — surrounded by the Drakensberg.

Day 5 – Durban

Tropical city flair or golfing legend? Discover Durban with its botanical garden and beach promenade — or play at the iconic Durban Country Club.

Day 6 – Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park

Up early for a real safari. Big Five safari in Africa’s oldest game reserve, where rhinos, elephants and giraffes take the place of the fairway.

Day 7 – Eswatini / Royal Swazi Sun

Today it’s Swaziland on the programme. Art, culture, scenery: a visit to the Mkhaya Reserve, colourful craftsmanship at Swazi Candles — or golf at the Royal Swazi Sun with hillside views.

Day 8 – Kruger Park / Leopard Creek (optional)

Big Five up close: safari in Kruger National Park — or, optionally, golf at the legendary Leopard Creek. The Rovos Rail then crosses the dramatic Drakensberg.

Day 9 – Dullstroom / Highland Gate

Idyll or tee shot? Discover fly fishing, a whisky distillery and craftsmanship in Dullstroom — or play at the highly acclaimed Highland Gate Golf Estate.

Day 10 – Pretoria

One last breakfast on the train — then the Rovos Rail rolls into Pretoria. Ten days of golf, safari and indulgence come to an end; the memories remain.

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Rovos Rail Golf Safari

This trip is designed exclusively for German-speaking guests and takes you to legendary courses such as the Gary Player Country Club, the Durban Country Club and — optionally — South Africa’s most elite golf course: Leopard Creek.

In between: Big Five instead of birdies, safari instead of scorecards. South Africa’s nature takes centre stage here — and you’re right in the middle of it.

You travel in style in your Emerald Deluxe Suite aboard the luxurious Rovos Rail, enjoying eleven days of the finest gourmet cuisine, carefully selected wines and impeccable service — and a journey you won’t forget any time soon.

Get in touch now

For all questions — including pricing — Heike Gerntholtz from Rovos Rail (she speaks German) is happy to help you personally.

Everything Included. Everything Deluxe.

Exclusive group trip from 3 Feb – 12 Feb 26, German-speaking

9 nights aboard the Rovos Rail, including all meals (as per itinerary)

Accommodation in a stylish Emerald Deluxe Suite — nothing more is needed

6 carefully selected 18-hole rounds — reserved tee times included

Green fees, carts, halfway snacks: all already included

For non-golfers: excursions, experiences & discoveries along the route

Harald Ruoss, PGA Pro

A PGA golf professional with heart, humour and a soft spot for South Africa. He runs his own golf school with passion and sensitivity — personal, professional, motivating.

Jörg Hess, Tour Guide

Jörg Hess lives and loves South Africa. As the head of BountyGolf Deutschland, he has been taking golf travellers to the country’s most beautiful places for years — with style, heart and a fine sense for the special. Anyone who travels with him experiences South Africa personally, authentically and unforgettably.

Rewilding. Big Five Safari. Luxury. Samara.

📍 Samara Karoo Reserve, Great Karoo, Graaff-Reinet

A place where nature breathes again — amid the vastness of the Karoo, with the Big Five up close, guided cheetah walks and a retreat in elegant boutique style: the Samara Karoo Reserve, with its safari lodge, creates moments that touch the soul.

The vast semi-desert of the Great Karoo — almost as large as Germany and Switzerland combined — wakes in the warm dusk light. Reddish hills and endless horizons become the backdrop for a safari that’s about far more than encountering animals.

In this untouched realm, Sarah Tompkins and her family have turned a vision into reality across what is now 27,000 hectares: restoring an ecosystem to the way it was centuries ago. “Rewilding” is no empty word here, but a lived passion — with the reintroduction of the cheetah Sibella in 2004 marking a milestone. She gave birth to 18 cubs, which have since left their mark across the whole of South Africa.

Samara is working step by step to restore the land to nature, so that wildlife can return and the landscape is preserved as it was centuries ago. Today, the Big Five once again live here — lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. They are all part of this rewilding project, which we as travellers actively support the moment we set foot on Samara’s soil.

But Samara is far more than a conservation project. It’s a retreat created for truly mindful and sustainable moments. Three intimate lodges — Karoo Lodge, The Manor and Plains Camp — place you right in the heart of nature, with plenty of style, calm and personal touches.

Here, the soul beats more slowly, the mind breathes out — and you live in the moment. Each lodge is also a starting point for encounters that change your perspective: cheetah walks on foot, night safaris beneath the Milky Way, encounters with animals that are free and wild — and an invitation to be part of something bigger. Because with every visit, this landscape is protected a little more, day by day, for generations to come.

Discover Samara

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