The Rovos train company offers luxury train travel in Africa. At its inception of the company bought the Capital Park railway station which had its hey day in the age of steam. It was restored as a museum and as the starting point of luxury train travel tours throughout the African continent.

The things that fascinate luxury train aficionados are preserved here lovingly. Big steam locomotives, carriages, rails, signal lights, guards uniforms and shovels and all the paraphernalia that went with the golden age of steam are gathered together. Each exhibit has its own little aura of industrialization. Visitors can absorb the atmosphere of a bye gone age.

From Capital Park restored trains pull out on journeys of remembrance to various corners of Africa. One may book to luxury train travel to intriguing destinations. Within the country there are trips to Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Durban. Across national border one may visit Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It is even possible to travel from Cape to Cairo.

There are alternatives to train travel. The most obvious is the motor coach. Modern coaches, like aeroplanes without wings, have hostesses, air conditioning and a tiny toilet tucked into the back of the bus. For all the luxury they remained at the mercy of road congestion, and many stoppages for road repair that interrupt traffic flows. During these waits one can see tourists peering from windows, looking cramped, forlorn and quite often bored.

Another option is to hire a car. Here one has the flexibility to choose out-of-the -way destinations. In a country like South Africa this can be problematic because some destinations are dangerous and tourists who wander in looking lost and laden with expensive cameras are instantly in the eyes of criminal predators.

Another difficulty with hired cars is the actual task of negotiating traffic. On open roads where there are no obvious hazards one will see a pair of cops skulking behind a bush with their up to date speed camera trained on unsuspecting tourists. Notwithstanding this, local drivers behave with complete abandon, especially in cities where the cops are nowhere to be seen. Taxi drivers especially appear to be a law unto themselves. They will only be seen as curiosities from the safety of a train.

Between the tour coach and the hire car is the option of luxury train travel. One may walk about on the train as it trundles through beautiful countryside. The observation coach has wide deep windows to allow for maximum views, and there are restaurants and bars to allow for travellers to socialize as they travel, enjoying the landscape and the luxury of food and drink simultaneously.

Luxury train travel avoids some of the negative features of other travel modes. It offers relaxed and leisurely travel without the hassles of traffic and without the stresses of having to negotiate foreign, signs, maps streets and officials. It is worth looking into.

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