Cape Town to Pretoria on Rovos rail was very disappointing in regards to the view . The food and ambiance in dining car is the only redeeming feature . Cabins are very small , absolutely nothing to d... See more
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The Cape Town - Pretoria 3 day trip. Quite possibly the most boring scenery. Second day one nice stop for 2 hours other than that left to sit in a cramped cabin between meals. Very hard to sleep due t... See more
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We took the Sholongolo Express Southern Star route from Pretoria to Victoria Falls. Yes, we did have a couple of setbacks due to the rail problems but it was all part of the adventure. Our cabin was s... See more
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The staff and service on our capetown to Pretoria trip were wonderful. Unfortunately, the trip and the company are affected by the challenges of South Africas railroad governance. We made numerous un... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Since its establishment in 1989, Rovos Rail has earned an international reputation for its truly world-class travel experiences. Train safaris through the heart of Africa combine magnificent scenery with the glamour and excitement of the golden age of leisure travel. In a series of journeys lasting from 48 hours to 15 days, Rovos Rail links some of the continent’s greatest destinations.
Contact info
1 Transnet Avenue, Capital Park, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa
- +27 (0)12 315 8070
- communications@rovos.co.za
- rovos.com
3.0
Average
32 reviews
No history of asking for reviews
This company hasn't invited their customers, so reviews may not be representative
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 48 hours
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Very luxurious train trip from Angola…
Very luxurious train trip from Angola to Zimbabwe.
Luxurious cabins, exquisit food ,friendly staff.
25 July 2022
Unprompted review
Do not go on Rovos Rail in South Africa
This may be, as claimed by its marketing people, “the most luxurious train journey in the world” , but what is carefully omitted is the fact that this happens on the WORST rail network in the world.
So, the wonder of travelling in beautifully restored carriages, excellent cuisine and attentive staff just cannot disguise the effects of electricity “load shedding”, broken down trains in front impeding progress, extremely poor track maintenance, signal cable theft, and nationalised drivers walking off due to strike action and abandoning the locomotives in the middle of nowhere that turned the expectation of a train trip of a lifetime into a nightmare for 70 passengers at the end of February 2023, which ended up with all incarcerated on the train for 3 days, missing an excursion to Kimberley and arriving, finally, in Cape Town some 6 hours late.
Our trip was due to start at Rovos’ own station in Pretoria, but actually we got taken on a 30 minute coach ride to join our train in a freight yard some way out of town. Only after boarding were we told about “load shedding”, whereby electricity gets cut off for 2 to 3 hours at a time, affecting power to the locomotives, signalling and points, such that we remained stationary several times a day, with no definitive news about when we would move again and for how long.
This Pretoria to Cape Town trip used to take a day, back in the day, but got extended to 2 days, and then mid-2022 to 3 days when Rovos knew that they could not meet the schedule. Is this explained on their website in an honest and transparent way? That would be too much to expect, so prepare to be misled and blame apportioned to everyone else bar Rovos.
Progress was so slow that the Kimberley stop and off train excursion was cancelled, and aside from the ability have a leg-stretch on a dirt service road along side the track during one of our load shedding enforced complete stand stills, the only break was a 30-minute stop at Matjiesfontein on the third and final day. This was after waking up at breakfast to discover that a union dispute at 5am had resulted in the drivers a banding the train, we were told that luckily (!) replacement drivers were on their way by road.
Eventually, we were disembarked at Touws Rivers for a 2-hour coach ride into Cape Town.
We were told that the owner of Rovos Rail would be getting in touch with every passenger to offer compensation, but are not holding our breath, because we expect Rovos not to shoulder any responsibility for the problems on our journey, the missed excursion to Kimberley, the late arrival into Cape Town and failing to deliver the level of customer care expected from the most luxurious train journey in the world and the prices charged. We would not return for such a poor experience, so be warned
21 February 2023
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Dear @ Lynne O
Thank you for your comments on social media as well as your reviews on Trip Advisor and Trustpilot.
We have emailed all travel agents and tour operators who had clients on this trip and also those who booked directly, offering our sincerest apologies and compensation for the delays experienced on this journey. We know the trip did not go well and assure you that we were as frustrated and disappointment.
Although we understand the upset and anger, the behaviour from certain guests on board was poor and our staff did not deserve the treatment which they received. This was also noted by other guests, who were equally upset, but treated our team with respect and did not support the unpleasant way others spoke to the train manager.
We understand any disappointment which, in part, is why we have offered all passengers what we feel to be a fair refund. This offer has been emailed to your travel agent.
Thank you for travelling with us.
Regards,
Brenda Vos
Communications Manager
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd
Complete and utter waste of money
Complete and utter waste of money. While the staff are lovely and food good, the amount of time waiting on the line is unacceptable and the ride is bumpy and noisy so sleep at night is impossible. So its stop, start, stop, start, crash bang, repeat.
22 February 2023
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Dear Mr Novels
Thank you for your review.
I am not in a position to write an informed response as you are still on board.
Once the train has arrived into Pretoria, I will then have an opportunity to debrief management and staff, who I am sure will appreciate your kind comment about their service.
Thank you again.
Brenda Vos
Communications Manager
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd
Journey 3-6 October 2022 Cape Town to…
Journey 3-6 October 2022 Cape Town to Pretoria.
Much like earlier reviews of Rovos Rail, Mr Vos replied to my email with a long explanation of what went wrong with our trip. It seems our travel agent (Titan) was well informed and notice of delays should have been passed onto us. We were informed we would be on the train for another night but not the reason why. I’d seen a newspaper article in early 2022 which stated that the Blue Train was having difficulties with the rails and overhead cables. I asked Titan about this and was reassured that all was ok with Rovos Rail.
I feel that travellers should know the full picture before booking Rovos Rail. So who should be responsible for that? Mr Vos lays the blame on Titan. His response to my email reminds me of the pan coating ‘Teflon…nothing sticks’! Titan haven’t replied to an email sent on 10th November 2022! In Mr Vos’s reply, I felt there were some inaccuracies between what the log and what the train manager conveyed.
My concerns are:
To reach our final destination, some 68 kms away, we had to dismount the carriage on makedo steps and walk over uneven tracks to get onto a coach. Two of our party had mobility difficulties. Mr Vos said
‘Regrettably there is no proper platform at Fochville so our own stairs needed to be used down onto ground level. Although less than ideal…….’ What about Health and Safety?
We were stationary for long periods. The track is never very far from a main road and passengers would be defenseless in the event of an attack.
If you are thinking of taking the Rovos trip I hope this review gives you a clear insight of what to expect. We were very disappointed.
2 October 2022
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Dear @ E5339FX
Thank you for your review.
To reiterate what we send our private response to you and on Trip Advisor, we had no choice but to disembark guests in Fochville due to cable theft, a broken-down train and a protest.
Even though the disembarkation in Fochville is not ideal, we stand by our decision as the train only arrived into Meyerton (where passengers were scheduled to disembark at 10h00) at 16h12 that afternoon which meant a very late arrival with some guests missing flights. We could not guarantee arrival into Meyerton as authorities could not confirm the time it would take for the broken down train ahead of us to be cleared and nor could we guarantee that the protest would remain civil.
We once again apologise for your disappointment.
Thank you for travelling with us.
Regards,
Brenda Vos
Communications Manager
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd
Greatly disappointed in Rovos
The CONSTANT delays leading to the passengers bussed into Pretoria seriously detracted from our experience. Despite the great food and gorgeous train, the delay seriously cut into our private tour of Pretoria scheduled for the final day of our vacation. Everybody felt bummed, after the announcement that the train had no hope of even vaguely arriving on time. That destroyed any possibility of enjoying our final evening onboard. Save your money!
7 November 2022
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Dear Dr Jones
Thank you for your review.
Your husband has already been in touch with us privately to express his disappointment but given that you've taken this online, I will explain the disruptions again.
The section of railway line, which allows us travel in and out of our private station in Pretoria, has been undergoing upgrades since 2019. The pandemic then shut all that work down which slowed progress down considerably. These challenges have all been transparently and repeatedly communicated to all travel agents, tour operators and to those guests booking with us directly.
Transnet, South Africa’s railway authority, advised us that the line would be open on 1 November 2022 which was obviously a great relief as we know that boarding and disembarking the train in Meyerton is less than ideal. I have been there myself and know that it is not five-star.
The Pretoria to Cape Town journey departed from our station and all went well. Sadly, on the return trip which you travelled, we were advised by Transnet that the newly opened line had been declared unsafe due to sink holes and, in fact, it is still not open (we have now been advised that 1 December is the new target for the line reopening).
We would categorise this incident as Force Majeure. I am not too sure what you would have liked us to have done but early disembarkation was the only option available to transfer our guests safely to Pretoria.
I sincerely apologise for your upset and assure you that if we could have avoided this disruption we most certainly would have.
Thank you for travelling with us.
Regards,
Brenda Vos
Communications Manager
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd
Very poor experience, not luxury, just average
Considering the cost of their experiences this company are not worth the money. However what is far worse is the response to feedback! Rovos Rail clearly do not like criticism and lash out at anyone who dares to give them an unfavourable review.
There are so many excellent experiences in South Africa with brilliant customer service to spend your money on - buyer beware when considering this one!
1 July 2022
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Dear Primrose
Our reason for being disappointed in reading this review is twofold.
First, it is always a cause for concern when a guest of ours has not had a good experience and even though I reached out to you (via Trustpilot) to try and get a better of understanding of your upset, I received no response. It would assist us a great deal if we knew which journey you travelled and why your time with us prompted you to leave this poor review.
Secondly, I have gone through every comment sheet and trip report from the last six months and cannot find any complaints that correlate with your name. It always baffles us when guests do not communicate their upset or report any problems on board the train so that our team can sort them out immediately. It is also disappointing when passengers do not reach out to us prior to discrediting us online as this immediately robs us of an opportunity to rectify a situation.
I have read through some of the other reviews you have left and I note that you give most companies one star too so I am not sure what to make of what you said about us.
Should you wish to contact me directly you are most welcome to do so - brenda@rovos.co.za
Thank you.
Regards,
Brenda Vos
Communications Manager
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd
Dreadful Dreadful Dreadful
Dreadful Dreadful Dreadful
Still have nightmares about our experience on Rovos Rail after 3 years!!
I have absolutely no idea how it gets it Luxury rating.
We’d been on the Rocky Mountaineer prior to our Rovos experience - that was superb. Since our dreadful Rovos experience we been on the Ghan again superb.
The carriages are lovely on Rovos rail as are the staff and service on the train.
But we didn’t travel very far out of Cape Town before spending the night stationary - waiting to be bused back to Cape Town the next day.
It was the most miserable experience and certainly not one I would recommend.
This was supposed to be the highlight of our SA holiday ‘what a joke’
18 December 2021
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Good morning to you Ms Harben
I remember you well as I was on this trip with you as management.
Thank you for your review albeit it a disappointing read. Disappointing for two reasons - we obviously regret when our guests have a "miserable" experience and two, some facts have been misconstrued.
The abrupt and upsetting end to your journey was not due to faulty locomotives (as stated in your initial review) - it was because of a flat wheel. We had been given the green light to proceed with the journey out of Cape Town by the Rail Safety Regulator and through the required Transnet (South African Railways) inspection but unfortunately the wheel did not maintain.
As I explained on board, respectfully, mindfully and more than once, it was obviously unsafe to continue on with the trip which is why we were forced to bus guests back to Cape Town.
All passengers were offered a refund for their journey as well as discounted travel on a future trip should they choose to travel with us again. The termination of this trip was upsetting for all on board but we are pleased that our offer was taken up by some of your fellow passengers because it gave us the opportunity of redeeming ourselves. We have in fact had one couple travel with us twice more making them members of our Rovos Club.
We have our luxury star-rating because we have earned it over our 33 years. We are a small, family-owned and operated business with a very loyal and determined staff complement. We offer 13 journeys across Southern Africa travelling through countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Namibia. Our suites on board are some of the largest in the world and one of the things that makes us stand out is that there are no shared facilities on board - all of our guests have their own en-suite bathrooms unlike some of the other luxury trains across the globe.
Operating trains within Southern Africa is extremely challenging with the safety of our guests and staff always coming first which is why we opted to end your journey. It was a bitter pill for us all to swallow because we know that many of our guests had been looking forward to this journey with us for a long time.
We have respect and loyalty in our industry, a reputation we have earned, and the fact that we have survived a global pandemic says a great deal about our business smarts and dedication.
We respect and appreciate that our guests have the right to express themselves online but we also have the right to correct misconstrued facts and defend our business when it has been unfairly discredited.
Thank you again and wishing you a lovely week further.
Regards,
Brenda Vos-Fitchet
Communications Manager
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd
The Rovos Rail Experience.
My wife and I were celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary and decided to travel on the Rovos Rail for two and a half days from Cape Town to Pretoria it was very expensive but we thought it would be a great way of ending our tour of South Africa. My wife had always wanted to travel in style on a train and we did think of the Orient Express but after reading that the Rovos Rail is the worlds most luxurious train we thought this would be perfect. I retired last year after spending almost all of my working life working with steam and especially liked the thought of being on a train being pulled by a steam engine even though it was going to be for a very small part of thr journey. The service and food on the train were exceptional but the journey itself was at times violently jerky and the brakes on our carriage screamed every time they were applied which lasted several minutes at a time day and night. As we neared the end of the journey the train stopped and we waited for the Steam Engine to arrive and pull us to our last stop, the steam engine never appeared, we were puled by a diesel train. When we got off I asked where the steam engine was and was told that it had broken down and was unavailable. We were also supposed to meet Mr Rowan Vos the owner of Rovos Rail and drink champagne with him but this didn't happen either. We did meet Mr Vos by chance walking around whilst we were on a guided tour of the station and I managed to catch up with him and ask him what had gone wrong and he just said it was operator error. I attempted to tell Mr Vos how upset I was but he just said there was nothing that could be done, I asked him why there was no back up and he just shrugged his shoulders and walked off. Not being pulled by the train was bad enough but to not even get sight of it or get a picture of it was frustrating. I cannot for one minute believe the Orient Express would have been so violently jerky or as noisy as the Rovos Rail. I wrote a letter to Mr Vos a couple of months ago telling him of my displeasure but neither he or his company have had the decency to acknowledge or reply to me.
This was a very expensive two and a half days on Rovos Rail and certainly not worth the money, it's such a shame as this was meant to be a very beautiful memory celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary but instead it is tainted with the memory of noisy brakes a very jerky ride and no steam engine. What a shame, this could have been so much better.
9 June 2018
Unprompted review
Reply from Rovos Rail Tours
Dear Mr Brown
Thank you for your review on Trustpilot.
We have not received your letter, not by e-mail or post, which is why there has been no formal response from our side. My team is pedantic about letters of disappointment or complaint so please be rest assured that if it had been received there would have been a reply. If it’s any consolation, today we collected a letter from the post office that was posted to us on the 28th of January this year so our postal service leaves a lot to be desired.
We currently have five steam locomotives of which only two are kept in steam. We have been working hard at sourcing the parts we need for repairs but for the 1894 6 Class these parts have to be manufactured. We have nearly completed the re-tubing of the 19 Class (60 tubes) and hope to have her back in action in the next two weeks. This is a big job and was tackled while the 6 Class was operational. Regrettably the 6 Class ran low on water, dropped a fusible plug with the resultant wrinkling of the crown and sheering of stays. I presume if you did a tour of the property you would have seen the two locomotives in the workshops. My apologies for your disappointment.
I am not sure who told you that I would be on hand to drink champagne with you but it's not something I do. However, I do my best to meet and greet all of my guests on departure and arrival, and most times lead the tour of the property, but often enough my business either has me travelling extensively or tied up in day-to-day issues.
We market ourselves as a vintage train with coupled coaches so are not a sealed vessel like other trains. We also operate on an infrastructure that is not first-world and despite all of our attempts, it is a rail network which could not maintain or repair ourselves. We are 100% reliant on Transnet (South African Railways) for our traction and service which means we use their locomotives and drivers. I apologise for your discomfort and assure you of our continued perseverance in our quest to haul our trains with our own locomotives and drivers.
Out of the 16 comment sheets received, out of 18 suites occupied, the trip received a pleasing overall rating with our food scores receiving 9 Excellent, 6 Good and 1 Average with no Fair or Poor ratings given. I note that your comment sheet marked all excellent so I thank you for that. I thank you for your kind words about the service and staff on board.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for the disappointment you did experience.
Thank you for travelling with us.
Sincerely,
Rohan Vos
Owner & CEO
Rovos Rail Tours
A great experience with a couple of cautions.
Rovos Rail has a wonderful, attentive staff and provides a genuine 1920's train trip experience. The dining cars are luxurious and the meals are way above average. Lunch and dinner is 4 course and includes fine South African wines. The train is all inclusive including the mini bar in the suites. Caution number 1 is that smart casual is anything you care to wear except for dinner. Anyone who can afford this train doesn't have any clothes that will offend. A jacket and tie are mandatory for dinner but any suit will do. Caution number 2 is that the train cars are rebuilt to the exact standards of a 1920's train. No modern suspensions or modern sound deadening. You get the genuine experience. My wife and I had a wonderful time on the trip and would recommend it to our friends,
8 March 2018
Unprompted review
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