ROVOS TRAIN From Cape Town, South Africa, as seen in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, in September, 2018. Photo Credit: Tanzania Information Services (MAELEZO).
By TZ Business News Staff and Agencies.
German’s love for Tanzania might be the kind song writers describe as unbreakable! In 1884, the Germany spy Carl Peters liked what he saw in Tanganyika (now Tanzania); it was love on first sight. Tanganyika was taken and the rest is now history!
Today, almost a century and a half later, it turns out Carl Peters was not the last German to fall in love with Tanzania. Some 64 German tourists left Cape Town, South Africa, on August 18, 2018 aboard a luxurious holiday train called the ROVOS Train. Holiday destination? Dar e Salaam, Tanzania.
The love seems unbreakable!
The tourists were on a 14-day epic journey on the luxurious train which travels through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia to conclude the ‘cruise’ in Tanzania. The company which operates this train ‘safari’ describes the journey as “one of the most famous train journeys in the world.” The tourist enjoys the best Africa offers in terms of leisure through this trip conducted several times during the year.
The tourists spoke to reporters in Dar es Salaam after their tour of the famous Selous Game Reserve, Zanzibar and other tourist attractions and were virtually all awash with praise of the country—praising particularly the people of Tanzania and President John Pombe Magufuli.
A tourist named Monica Rieder told reporters she’s been to Tanzania14 times. “I have visited Pangani, Zanzibar and the Kenya border,” Monica said adding that she hopes to come back for more…. A tourist identified only as Hegel said “Tanzania is a good country. I like the country side.” Anne Marie thinks Tanzanians a wonderful peole: “I love Tanzanians…they are good people.”
German tourist Linde Erdmann shouts in joy as she arrives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Photo Credit: Tanzania Information Services (MAELEZO).
The Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam train journey is not only a wonderful itinerary for Train enthusiasts it is also a unique Safari experience according to a promo pitch published by the company operating the train service that cuts across the SADC region. “Your luxury train journey takes 14 days, as you traverse stretches of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania,” the company says on their website “Your epic journey begins in Cape Town, and takes you to historic Matjiesfontein, then onto the diamond town of Kimberley, before continuing to Pretoria.
“From here you travel to the Madikwe Game Reserve, for a relaxed 2 night stay. Then it’s your first border crossing as the train takes you into Botswana, and then on to the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, home of the magnificent Waterfall.
ROVOS Restaurant
“Next you cross the [famous] Zambezi River, over the bridge that was part of the route intended to link the Cape to Cairo, at the beginning of the 20th Century. During your leisurely trip through Zambia, you have the chance to enjoy a bush walk and a visit to Chisimba Falls.
“Then you climb upwards to the border with Tanzania, which is close to the mid-point between two of the Great Rift Valley lakes. Next is the descent into the Great Rift Valley itself… and on your last day of the Safari you pass through part of the vast Selous Game Reserve, before arriving at the coastal town of Dar es Salaam – the gateway to Zanzibar and beyond.”
German tourists are received with music by the Tanzania Police African Jazz band
The epic journey is possible because Tanzania Zambia Railway (TAZARA) tracks are built of narrow gauge similar to those of other areas in the SADC region. Fuad Abdallah, the TAZARA General Manager on the Tanzania described the ROVOS Train Dar es Salaam trips as profitable to TAZARA because they operators pay a fee for using tracks.
The arrival of the ROVOS train was also profitable to other businesses in Tanzania including hotels where guests spend their nights when in the country, to tour operators providing vehicles and to the national parks visited.
