basseni

Hi there,

we are planning to go to the above mentioned countries for 4 weeks in 2004. As we are devoted train travellers, the idea is to travel by train from Daressalaam to Jo'burg. I would be grateful for any advice on:

- whether it is possible to reach Jo'burg within a week, maximum 10 days and

- what is the best (safest) route: via Zambia, Zimbabwe or Malawie, Mozambique

Many thanks in advance

sandi

I'm a bit confused! Do you know that there is a train for the route (Dar to JNB) and it goes through all four of those countries?

Which train company? What schedule? Which stops? Length of time? Cost?

If you have all that information, then how can you choose which of the four countries you don't want to travel through? "Hey, conductor, we want to get off as we don't want to travel through (say) Zimbabwe, and we'll find our way, somehow, to JNB?"

Unless, some trains don't travel through some of the four countries?

Or are you looking for someone to provide information as to whether there is a train that travels this route, schedule, stops, length of time, costs, etc?

traci_local_in_sa

Check out this company: www.shongololo.com
They do train trips around southern Africa through SA, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Also, Rovos Rail have many routes through sub-Saharan Africa:
www.rovosrail.com

A caution, I would not recommend that you travel through Zimbabwe unscheduled and on your own. You need to be part of a train trip such as Rovos or Shongololo to afford you some security. A South African tourist was killed in Zimbabwe last week when the family stopped at a popular spot. It was a robbery where they shot the strong young man in the family first without a word, and then only proceeded to rob the group. I do not want to frighten anyone off Africa due to safety concerns - you really are safe almost everywhere. Tourists are the lifeblood of many communities and are therefore safe. However, what is indicative about this incident is that in Zimbabwe the criminal element has become so desparate that they will kill the person they perceive to be the threat - and the one most of us would have in the party as a deterrant - immediately. The end conclusion - I do not believe it is safe to travel through Zimbabwe anymore unless you are part of an "organised" group.

basseni

Thank you very much for your kind reply, expecially for the warning on Zimbabwe.

Sorry if my message was kind of confusing. I am indeed looking for information on whether there is a train between Dar and Jo'burg, schedules, rates etc. If there is a train which goes through all the 4 countries, the better. However, we don't want a luxury train such as the Blue Train in SA.

Zambezi

Take a look at Paul Theroux's new book, Dark Star Safari, for a description of his solo travels from Egypt to South Africa. He covered a lot of the territory that you are interested in. ZZ