This special luxury train journey commences in Pretoria and travels east towards the spectacular Drakensberg escarpment en route to Nelspruit. Play at Hans Merensky Golf Estate or enjoy a game drive in the world famous Kruger Park followed by lunch. Tee off at the Royal Swazi Golf Club, near Manzini in Swaziland, while non-golfers visit the Ngwenya Glass Factory, lunch at Malendelas followed by a game drive in the Mkhaya Game Reserve. Then it’s on to Zululand for game viewing in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve.

Play one of South Africa’s finest golf courses, the Durban Beachwood Country Club, while non-playing guests enjoy a city tour of Durban followed by lunch at the Golf Club. In the foothills of the imposing Drakensberg Mountains 18-holes await at the Champagne Sports Resort, with a guided tour of the Battlefields a further highlight for non-golfers. Relax as the train travels north towards the magnificent resort of Sun City in the Pilanesberg Mountains. A full day is spent at this world-famous facility before departing for Pretoria where this memorable journey ends.

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2011 Price:
Pullman Suite: R36 500
Deluxe Suite: R54 200
Royal Suite: R71 000

2012 Price:
Pullman Suite: R36 000
Deluxe Suite: R54 000
Royal Suite: R72 000

Single Supplement: +40% on all suites

Includes

• Accommodation,
• Meals and excursions during the train journey, as well as alcoholic beverages whilst on board the train.

2011 Departure dates are:
13th - 21st April, 12th - 20th October and 7th - 15th December 2011

2012 Departure dates are:
22nd February - 1st March, 11th - 19th April, 10th - 18th October & 28th November - 6th December 2012

9 Day Luxury Rovos Rail Golf Safari Itinerary:
Day 1
10am: Depart Rovos Rail’s private station, Capital Park in Pretoria
4.50pm: The train stops for 15 minutes. Thereafter we travel the spectacular 14km descent through the Drakensberg Escarpment arriving in Waterval Onder.

Day 2
6am: A continental breakfast is served in the dining car/s until 06h30.
6.45am: Transfer to the Hans Merensky Golf Course for a 07h36 tee off.
Non-golfers: Board the open safari vehicles for a game drive in the Kruger National Park. Tea and bathroom break mid morning at Letaba with an opportunity for craft and curio shopping.
9pm: Depart Komatipoort after border formalities.
Midnight: Arrive at Mpaka in Swaziland where we overnight.

Hans Merensky Golf Course, Kruger National Park – Parkland (Carts Available)
The famous Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest game reserves, stretches along the entire length of the Estate's eastern boundary. Greet the African dawn on the manicured fairways of the challenging 18 Hole, Par 72 Championship golf course, where crocodile and hippo add spice to the normal "hazards" of a good game of golf. Wild game including elephant, lion, giraffe and a wide variety of antelope and bird life are often seen on the golf course & in the surrounds. The legendary Bob Grimsdell designed this unique course, which extends over a vast area of indigenous bush, interspersed with tranquil pools and velvet greens.

Day 3
6.30am: Breakfast is served in the dining car/s until 08h30.
8.30am: Board the coach for Royal Swazi Sun Hotel & Golf Course.
9.30am: The coach arrives at the Royal Swazi Golf Course.
Non Golfers: Depart for the scenic drive to the Ngwenya Glass Factory. Lunch at Guava Galleries where there is an opportunity for craft and curio shopping.
10am: Golfers tee-off at Royal Swazi Golf Club.
3.30pm: After-golf snacks are served at the Indzaba room.
Non Golfers: Game drive in Mkhaya Game reserve (returning to the train at around 6pm).
5pm: The coach departs for Phuzamoya Station arriving at 6.10pm where we board the train.
6.30pm: The train departs for the Golela border post and Hluhluwe.
2.30am: The train arrives at Hluhluwe Station where we overnight.

Royal Sun Swazi Sun Golf Course, Swaziland (Carts Available)
The scenic beauty of the mountain vistas surrounding the Royal Swazi golf course is matched by the beautiful complexity of the lie of the trees, fairways and greens. The sweeping par 72 is usually played to a length of 6 166 meters off the men's tee.
One of its dominant characteristics is that at the back of the greens slopes away, punishing those who do not pitch with pinpoint accuracy. An overrun often takes the ball down into thick rough or bush.
The first hole carries promise of what is to come. A drive to the left of the fairway opens up the dogleg. An over strong second shot can result in a difficult chip back to an elevated pin. The fourth is the most difficult hole on the front nine. It is a long uphill par 4 with a narrow fairway, requiring an accurate drive. A second accurate shot to a split-level green is essential for good scoring on this hole. Hole number six, a 163-metre par three, is also one of the most difficult. A wayward shot to the right is out of bounds, while one to the left is often a lost ball. On the second nine, hole number thirteen is often the make or break hole of the round. It is an uphill par 4, which requires a good second to a very small green protected in front by a large number of small bunkers, which make it difficult to pitch and run onto the green. The short fourteenth and eighteenth holes are typical of this course, where anything but an accurate shot is severely punished by thick rough water or bunkers.
The not so serious golfer should take time out (without delaying the field, of course) during the round to admire the views, bird life and the spectacular flora. The hibiscus, banana palms, acacias and flamboyant trees are magnificent in the right season.

Day 4
6am: Game drive in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve
11am: Depart Hluhluwe.

Day 5
7.30am: Tee off at Durban Beachwood Country Club
Non-Golfers depart the train at 09h00 for the Durban City tour followed by lunch with the golfers at the Durban Beachwood Country Club

Durban Country Club, Durban – Beachwood – Links/Parkland (Walking Course)
The seaside golf layout of Beachwood has deservedly received accolades for its immaculate conditioning. Originally designed by Sid & Jack Brews in 1930 it has always been famed for its narrow fairways and indigenous variety of trees and palms, but it is since the club became the second course of the Durban Country Club that it has truly become one of this province’s most sought after golfing venues.
When the Beachwood Club amalgamated with Durban Country Club in the late 1990’s, Gary Player’s design team was asked to upgrade and redesign some of the holes while introducing additional hazards. The results are to be savoured, as one plays a course with clever bunkering and water features and quite superb greens. The 5 882 metre 72 par course is set on a narrow strip of land that follows rolling and undulating contours. This allows for the fairways to follow natural valleys between high grassy banks.
The charm of this delightful golf course is made up of the lush sub-tropical foliage, interspersed with banana and palm trees and swamp locations. The sound of the sea also adds to the aura. Though the course is adjacent to the beach, the dense foliage that lines the course protects a little from the sea breezes and shelters the course from any sandy invasion. At the 11th hole, a gap in this foliage allows a glimpse of the brilliant blue of the Indian Ocean, a long and uncluttered stretch of beach and in the distance the Durban City frontage.

Day 6
7.30am: Transfer to Champagne Sports Resort
Non Golfers depart for battlefields tour
9am: Tee off at Champagne Sports Resort, Drakensberg
8am: Non-Golfers enjoy a professional tour of the Battlefields by Raymond Heron, “storyteller extraordinaire“. His tale will begin at Mt Alice which was the headquarters of General Buller and the historic story will end on the top of Spionkop. Enjoy lunch & refreshments at Spionkop Lodge. Thereafter we board the vehicles for shopping visits (time permitting) to Ardmore Ceramics, Thokiziwa and the Rug factory.

Champagne Sports Resort, Drakensberg – Mountain (Carts Available)
This golf course, located in the beautiful Central Drakensberg area, has to be rated as one of the most scenically memorable golf layouts in South Africa. The scenery of the dramatic Drakensberg Mountain range that surrounds this golf course will surely take your breath away. In fact the golf course, the resort and the facilities are bound to have the collective effect of ensuring the whole experience, in this sensational area of South Africa, will forever be imprinted on the visitor’s mind.
The golf course undulates, sometimes severely and sometimes gently, up and around the natural contours of a valley that nestles under the dominant peaks of Champagne Castle and Cathkin Peaks Mountains. Hugh Baiocchi and Kevin Curren have in recent years upgraded the original 18-hole course, designed by Hugh Baiocchi. Their completed design has received deserved accolades for successfully blending the natural attributes of the terrain and the surrounding beauty with the modern demands of a quality golf course.
The course at 7 400 metres is a long par 72, with the first three holes being particularly hard work when walking the course. Those not so fit are recommended to make use of a golf cart.
The golf course incorporates several holes with blind tee shots and it is on second playing that the charm and challenge is best appreciated. The weather patterns of the area have a marked effect on the experience to be encountered here. In summer everything is lush green, while in winter, due to the winter frosts, the mood changes to a rusty brown as (except for the greens) the grasses die. Apart from the visual differences this has little effect on the playing of the golf course (though there is more roll on the brown fairways in winter), especially as the quality of the greens remain constant throughout the year. Indeed the consistency and quality of the greens at Champagne Sports deserve special mention and much credit for these goes to Trevor Livesey, the resident golf professional who has been responsible for their construction and subsequent maintenance. His passion for ‘his’ greens is worthy of mention and remains unabated after his many years at Champagne Sports Resort.
The first impression of the golf course is from the balcony of the charming thatch roofed clubhouse that sits high above the course. From there, there is a panoramic overview of the challenge to come, with the 1st, 9th, 10th and 18th holes as the forefront of a splendid canvas backed by the formidable mountain peaks of the Drakensberg Mountain range. Though the drama of the mighty mountains dominates the eye, the course also enjoys gentle vistas where the lower hills create a kaleidoscope of colour and where the layout is blessed with trees, rivers and dams to add challenge to the visual aspects.

Day 7
7am: Depart Ladysmith. Day at leisure on the train

Day 8
7am: Board the coach for the Gary Player (walking course)/Lost City Golf Course (carts only).
8.10am: Golfers tee-off on the Gary Player/Lost City GC
Non Golfers: 10am: Depart on the coach for a morning at leisure in Sun City. This includes a pre-arranged Palace of the Lost City Tour.
1.30pm: Everyone enjoys lunch at the Golf Club.
3.30pm: Depart from the Golf Club for a Game Drive in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
6pm: On our return from the Game Drive we board the coach and return to the train.

Lost City Golf Course, Sun City (Carts Compulsory)
The course was carved out of undulating and rocky terrain. Situated over a hill from the Gary Player Country Club, the Lost City’s layout is different in character. With the wide fairways and receptive greens it is a fantastic golf experience for golfers of varying standards. The Lost City golf course covers more than 100 hectares and incorporates 28 000 square metres of water features - not surprisingly Golf Carts are compulsory.
The Lost City Golf Course is an 18-hole desert-style golf course with spectacular views across the bushveld. Unique to this 72 par course is the most hazardous 13th hole. Inhabiting the water hazard are 38 crocodiles some of them nearly two metres long. Golfers are discouraged from retrieving their wayward balls from the croc infested pool. This unusual water hazard is just one of the features that make the Lost City Golf Course exciting and interesting to play. No effort was spared to make the course a masterpiece.
The desert style design of the golf course has an exotic allure all of its own and designer, Gary Player has acknowledged it as one of his favourite courses. The Lost City Golf Course is flexible: playing off the forward tee a course length of 5 953 metres, extending to 6 983 metres off the back tee. The course provides spectacular views.
Playing the back nine at Lost City Golf Course is like going on a golf safari. It has often been noted that the game is more exciting when played downhill and this is certainly the case here.
In addition to the previously mentioned 13th, holes eleven, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen are all played from elevated tees offering thrill, excitement and challenge to the golfer with some of the most spectacular African views to be had on a golf course.

Gary Player Country Club, Sun City (Walking Course)
The greens are lightning quick and kidney-shaped, allowing for various pin positions to be tucked away in difficult corners, while cunningly placed water hazards and increased bunkering over the past few years makes this truly a thinking man's golf course.
"There's a lot of strategy involved when you play this course," says Nick Price, the man recognized as the master of this layout following his three Golf Challenge victories, a play-off victory over world number one Tiger Woods for his 1998 title, and once the holder of the tournament record of 24-under par 264 in 1993. That record was surpassed by Ernie Els in 1999, when he won with a total of 25-under par 263.
"You've got to be patient. It's important to play the key holes well. All the par-threes are vital. Of the par-fours, holes three and eight in particular are really tough holes. You've also got to birdie the par-fives, and then take the rest as it comes." The par-four eighth, in particular, has come up for some criticism in the past. Many professionals dislike the semi-blind tee shot, and also feel the clover-leafed green makes a second shot, ranging from a four-iron to a seven-iron depending on the wind, incredibly difficult.
The signature hole would have to be the 545-metre par-five ninth, described by Player as a "truly heroic par-five". The tee shot should favour the fast-running right side of the fairway, but the real test comes in the combination of power and finesse to find the island green. It's a gambler's hole, based on a decision to lay up or go for the green which, depending on where the tees are placed, can take anything from an eight-iron to a three-wood to reach in two.
As a perfect balance of risk and reward, the ninth must rate amongst one of the best par-fives in the world. As a precursor to the back nine, this is the hole where a swing of two or three shots can make things really interesting coming down the home straight.
As Player pointed out, the biggest challenge in designing the course was water. The crater of an extinct volcano is, after all, hardly an area associated with water.

Day 9
10am: Arrive Capital Park Station; Pretoria

Please note:
We cannot be held liable for any delays due to trains not running to schedule. Off-train excursions cannot be guaranteed and will only be undertaken if time and circumstances permit. Departure and arrival times are approximate and cannot be guaranteed. We reserve the right to alter our routing at any time between departure and arrival points.

• Visas to be purchased and paid for prior to departure for Africa (if applicable),
• Passengers are advised to take anti-malaria precautions as may be prescribed,
• Travel insurance is strongly advised.

Golf Course Information kindly supplied by Larry Gould author of “Larry Gould’s Guide to Golf “ (Where to play and where to stay in South Africa)

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