Shongololo Dune Express: Luderitz, Sossusvlei, Etosha National Park & More

Check-in at Walvis Bay Station, Namibia. The train departs for Otjiwarongo. Lunch is served in the dining cars. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09:00. Please have the overnight bag ready for departure. Tog bags have been placed in your cabin for your convenience. Transfer to a lodge in Etosha for overnight. Enjoy lunch on arrival. Game drive in Etosha National Park. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Etosha National Park offers great game viewing. It gets its name from the Etosha pan, a large salt pan forming part of the Kalahari basin. Etosha means 'Great White Place'.

Breakfast at the lodge followed by a morning of game viewing in Etosha National Park. Please be checked out with luggage before departure. Return to the train at Otjiwarongo Station with lunch en route. Depart for Kranzberg. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09:00. Enjoy a city tour of Windhoek with visits to the Trans-Namib Transport Museum, the Alte Feste, the Evangelical Lutheran Church (one of the city's most striking landmarks) and the Namibia Craft Centre in the old Breweries Building. Return to the train. Depart for Mariental. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

Situated in Namibia's central highlands, Windhoek is an attractive city surrounded by clusters of hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. The Trans-Namib Transport Museum outlines Namibian transport history, particularly that of the railway. The Alte Feste is a fortress and museum featuring displays that lend insight into Namibia's complex history.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09:00. Please have the overnight bag ready for departure. Transfer (3.5 hours) to a Sossusvlei lodge in Namib-Naukluft Park for overnight. Enjoy lunch on arrival. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Early breakfast is served at the lodge. Please be checked out with luggage before departure. Transfer (1 hour) to Deadvlei. Visit Dune 45 and Sesriem Canyon. Return to the lodge for lunch. Scenic drive across the Great Escarpment - formed over 80-million years ago. Arrive at Mariental. Depart for Keetmanshoop. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

The dunes of the Namib Desert were created by sand carried by the wind from the coast of Namibia. The sand here is over five million years old and is red in colour due to its iron-oxide content. As the light changes during the day so does the appearance of the dunes' characteristic colour allowing for interesting photographs at any time. The wind in the Sossusvlei area blows from all directions causing the sand to form a star shape with multiple arms, hence the name "star dunes". The Tsauchab River has shaped the Sesriem Canyon over millions of years. It is one of the few places in this area that holds water all year round. The early Afrikaans explorers named the canyon after the fact that they had to use six ("ses") leather straps ("riem") tied together to create a rope long enough to lower water buckets into the canyon below.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 08:30. Visit Keetmanshoop and Garas Park (Quiver Trees), home to roughly 300 specimens of the Aloe dichotomy. The prehistoric trees have forked branches that reach up to 5m making for great photographic opportunities. Return to the train. Depart for Aus. Lunch is served in the dining cars. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure. Visit the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Arrive in Luderitz, known for its museum, colonial architecture, and wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos, and ostriches. Look out for the legendary horses rumored to roam the Namib. Return to the train. Depart for Holoog. Dinner is served in the dining cars.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure. Visit the Fish River Canyon. Return to the train. Depart for Nakop and Ariumsvlei for border formalities. Lunch is served in the dining cars. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Upington.

The Fish River rises in the centre of the country before flowing south into the Orange River on Namibia's border with South Africa. It has formed the great Fish River Canyon - the largest canyon in the southern hemisphere and probably only second to Arizona's Grand Canyon in terms of size. The vast rocky landscape breaks up into a series of spectacular cliffs. Its size is impressive: 161km long, up to 27km wide and almost 550m at its deepest.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure. Arrive Upington. Visit historical sights beginning with a drive past the Donkey Memorial - which honours the life of the working donkey - and the railway on the Orange River followed by a tour and tasting at Bezalel Wine & Brandy Estate. Return to the train. Depart for De Aar. Lunch is served in the dining cars. Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Holoog.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure. Disembark for a tour of Kimberley, the Diamond Mine Museum, Big Hole, William Humphrey Art Gallery, and McGregor Museum. Depart Kimberley. Ten minutes after leaving Kimberley, a shallow lake appears on the left-hand side of the train where on most occasions, there are spectacular flocks of Lesser Flamingos (approximately 23 000). Tea is served in the lounge car and observation car at the rear of the train. Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Potchefstroom.

Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 09:00. Please have the luggage ready for collection at 11:30. Arrive Rovos Rail Station in Capital Park, Pretoria. Check out of the train. Journey ends.