Rovos Rail Bird Hunting Safaris
- South Africa
- 8 Days
- June
Rovos Rail Luxury Bird Hunting Safaris
Suppose you enjoy upland game bird hunting and driven bird shooting accompanied by exotic locations and luxury accommodations. Then, consider Bird Hunting on Rovos Rail trip on The Pride of Africa train!
While traveling on the Pride of Africa, shooters and non-shooters will be treated to views of some of South Africa’s most scenic landscapes and exotic game species. It also offers some of the best upland game bird and waterfowl hunting in South Africa.
The South African Rovos Rail Pride of Africa train will serve as your mobile luxury hunting lodge as you travel from one bird hunting location to the next while enjoying fine dining on local cuisine and fine wines. Thus, Rovos Rail driven bird shooting safaris are a once-in-a-lifetime experience you don’t want to miss!
In addition, while traveling on the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa, shooters will have the opportunity to hunt a wide variety of South African gamebird species, which include:
- Doves
- Pigeons
- Partridges
- Guineafowl
- Francolin
- Ducks
- Geese
So, if you enjoy upland gamebird and waterfowl hunting, the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa bird shooting safaris will provide memories that will last a lifetime!
Click here to request the Rovos Rail Gamebird Hunting Price List and Brochure!
Rovos Rail Luxury Train Accommodations
Of course, while traveling on the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa, shooters and non-shooters alike will be treated to luxury accommodations in vintage, newly remodeled, wood-paneled sleeper coaches with plenty of room to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Deluxe suites provide passengers with 108 square feet of private space that will comfortably accommodate two people and are fully equipped with a lounge area, a private restroom, and other modern conveniences.
Plus, the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa provides other features to enjoy when you are not in your coach. These include an observation car designed to provide an unobstructed panoramic view of the passing South African landscape and the many game species that inhabit the South African wilderness.
There is also a lounge where passengers get treated to fine dining on local cuisine, fine wines, top-shelf cocktail beverages, and 24-hour room service.
However, these are not the only attractions the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa train has to offer its passengers. In addition to the luxury coaches, scenic landscape, and fine dining, the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa train also enables passengers to take a step back in time and become immersed in the atmosphere of a bygone era when luxury accommodations and personal service were a hallmark of the Elizabethan period.
Thus, passengers will be immersed in the look and feel of a vintage luxury train while also enjoying modern amenities such as air conditioning.
So, the Rovos Rail provides its passengers with some of the finest South African game bird hunting it has to offer and a complete immersion in a bygone era.
Rovos Rail Bird Hunting Safaris Include –
- Private Deluxe or Royal Suites
- Three gourmet meals per day
- Top-shelf liquor, wine, beer & soda
- 24-hour room service
- Limited laundry service
- Field assistants (excludes loaders)
- Shooting Accessories
- Shotgun ammunition
- Excursions with a professional tour guide
- Entrance fees to places of interest
Rovos Rail Bird Hunting Safaris Exclude –
- Shotgun rental or import permits
- Flights & airport taxes
- Passport or Visa fees
- Travel & medical insurance
- Spa treatments
- Staff gratuities
- Memorabilia
Rovos Rail British Style Driven Bird Shooting
Of course, the Rovos Rail’s main attraction is its British-style bird shoots for Orange River Partridge, Swainson’s Francolin, and Guineafowl, specifically designed to imitate classic English-driven bird shoots but with an African flair.
On these shoots, a team of 120 beaters will scour the South African bush and can cover as much as 3 kilometers to find and drive birds past the guns shooting stations. In addition, each day’s shoot will consist of 9 drives with a break for both elevenses and lunch and an afternoon break to give the guns a chance to rest and recuperate.
Plus, during each shoot, a field assistant will bring out your shotgun in a slip (aka sleeve), your ammunition, and any other items you may need for your shoot.
Then, before each shoot, each gun (aka shooter) will be allowed to draw a “peg” from a leather pouch or other container, which will designate their shooting station for each drive. Then, once each drive is complete, each gun will move up one peg so that each gun will have the opportunity to shoot from a different station during each drive.
In addition, guns get treated to the sight of various species of medium and large South African game, such as Warthogs, Blue Wildebeest, and Kudu. This happens when the beaters drive the game past the gun pegs as they scour the bush for Orange River Partridge, Swainson’s Francolin, and Guineafowl.
Last, lunch will get served by each estate where driven shoots take place, and each estate will set up tables and chairs with white linen tablecloths, fine china, and lead crystal glassware in the shade under the trees, where they will serve local gourmet cuisine, fine wines, and desserts. Also, non-hunters get invited to join the hunters for lunch on these occasions.
Rovos Rail Dove and Pigeon Hunting
However, English-style driven bird shoots are not the only upland gamebird hunting experience that Rovos Rail bird hunting safaris have to offer their passengers.
Thus, on the second day of the trip, hunters will be treated to a full day of hunting doves and pigeons in the Kloofeind area, situated in a dry grassland area well known for its lush wheat fields and corn.
Then, on the third day of the trip, hunters will again be treated to a full day’s hunt for doves and pigeons. Finally, on day 5 of the journey, after an early morning hunt for teal and ducks, hunters will again be treated to a mid-day hunt in the Warrenton area, where they will have the opportunity to hunt both doves and pigeons. Boxed lunches get served in the field on each day’s hunt.
Because both doves and pigeons have specific flight paths, many hours of scouting and careful planning are done well before the scheduled hunts. This ensures that shooters will be placed in the optimum positions as the birds fly into the feed so that each shooter will have plenty of birds to shoot.
Field assistants will be available during each hunt to carry out your shotgun and ammunition, provide you with any other items you may need for your hunt, and retrieve the birds you shoot.
Bird Species Include:
- Turtle Doves
- Red-eyed Doves
- Laughing Doves
- Rock Pigeons
Rovos Rail Waterfowl Hunting
Yet another attraction of Rovos Rail bird hunting safaris are luxury South African duck and goose hunts. These hunts get scheduled for the afternoon over harvested grain fields where the birds like to feed.
During each shoot, an assistant will bring out your shotgun in a sleeve, your ammunition, and any other shooting accessories you may need.
Once again, many hours of scouting and careful planning will be done months in advance to ensure that shooters will be positioned in the bird’s flight paths so that each shooter will have plenty of shooting opportunities.
Sometimes, decoys get placed in the fields to draw the birds in. Thus, hunters have shot as many as six duck and goose species in a single day. Plus, field assistants will aid each shooter in retrieving the birds they shoot.
Bird Species Include:
- Red-billed Teal
- White-faced ducks
- Yellow-billed ducks
- South African Shelducks
- Spur-winged Geese
- Egyptian Geese
Rovos Rail Bird Hunting Itinerary
Rovos Rail South African bird hunting safaris consist of an eight-day round trip starting in, and returning to, Pretoria, South Africa, and are designed for both hunters and non-hunters alike.
After departing the train station in Pretoria on the first day, the train will make a short stop in Germiston. An introduction about the shooting estates, rules and etiquette governing the shoots, and the activities for non-shooters is given.
After breakfast on day 2, shooters will disembark for a full day of hunting Turtle Doves, Laughing Doves, Red-eyed Doves, and Rock Pigeons in the Kloofeind area. Kloofeind is situated in dry grasslands and is well known for its golden fields of wheat and maize, as well as the hospitality of the game reserves and private farms. Boxed lunches will be served in the field.
Day 3 will repeat day two, so shooters will disembark after breakfast for a full day of hunting Doves and Rock Pigeons in the Kimberly area. Again, boxed lunches get served in the field.
Day 5 will begin with an early morning pre-dawn hunt for Red-billed Teal, Shelduck, Yellow-billed Duck, and White-faced Duck, after which hunters will rejoin the train for breakfast and departure at 10:00 AM.
Next, hunters will again disembark for a mid-day hunt in the Warrenton area, where they will hunt for Turtle Doves, Laughing Doves, Red-eyed Doves, and Rock Pigeons.
Boxed lunches get served in the field. Then, after lunch, hunters will be treated to a third hunt for Egyptian Geese and Spur-Winged Geese.
Then, on day 6, hunters will disembark after breakfast for a full day of driven bird shooting in the Kameel area. The morning drives will provide hunters with shots at Orange River Partridge, Swainson’s Francolin, and Guineafowl. Then, a break for a gourmet lunch is served in the field by the estate hosting the shoot, followed by one or two more drives in the afternoon before returning to the train.
On day 7, hunters will disembark after breakfast for a full day of driven Guineafowl shooting in the Mareetsane area, where they get treated to between 4 and 6 dives before a gourmet lunch is served in the field at 2:00 PM by the estate hosting the shoot.
However, although the Mareetsane area is mainly Guineafolw habitat, hunters may also get shots at Orange River Partridge and Swainson’s Francolin. Then, after lunch, shooters will be treated to one or two more drives before returning to the train.
Then, on day 8 of the trip, the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa will return to the Rovos Rail train station for disembarkation.
Last, while shooters are participating in the scheduled bird shoots, non-shooters will be treated to unique South African experiences which will provide memories that will last a lifetime. Plus, as you explore the far western reaches of South Africa by train, there will be ample opportunities to stop for a photo shoot.
Click here for a copy of the Hunting Safari Itinerary Rovos.
Rovos Rail Non-Hunting Passengers
For passengers not participating in the scheduled South African bird shoots that are the main attraction of the Rovos Rail bird hunting safaris, the Pride of Africa offers guided tours, informative lectures, and visits to local museums and art galleries that feature works by the old Flemish, Dutch, English, and French masters.
In addition, passengers will be treated to tours of Anglo-Boer War battlefield sites and Kimberly diamond mining sites.
Passengers are also provided with many opportunities to view and photograph the abundant wildlife that inhabits South Africa’s national parks and private game reserves.
Lastly, passengers can indulge in spa treatments and shopping trips in major South African villages and cities for memorabilia, antiques, and unique African arts and crafts.
Rovos Rail Bird Hunting Safaris Cost
For 2023, the cost for all hunting passengers is $30,875 per person and $15,470 for non-hunting passengers, and the single supplement fee for a single hunter is $4,095. Also, note that the cost for 2024 bookings will be slightly higher. To see 2024 pricing, please click here.
In addition, note that there are only two Royal Suites per carriage, and you can upgrade from a Deluxe suite to a Royal Suite for a cost of $15,000, depending on availability.
Last, note that due to the nature of driven bird shoots and the preparation they require, driven shoots for 2023 are scheduled for June 1st through June 8th, and driven shoots for 2024 are scheduled for June 6th through June 13th.
Book Your Rovos Rail Trip with Charity Safaris Today!
So, if you are interested in booking one of these unique South African luxury bird hunting safaris on the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa train, give Dick at Charity Safaris a call.
Dick’s phone number is 970-615-0856, and he is available between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. Dick will be happy to answer any questions and book your trip since he has personally experienced this unique South African luxury bird hunting safari. However, spots are limited, so call today!
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Charity Safaris is a US Agent for Rovos Rail. We specialize in luxury train vacations. Please contact Dick Kennerknecht at 970-615-0867 for more details and bookings. We are taking reservations for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Contact us today!
