Train travel in Namibia . . .

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Boarding a StarLine train at Windhoek. Photo courtesy of Ishizaki, Naoichi

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South Africa to/from Namibia by train+bus

Zimbabwe or Zambia to/from Namibia by bus

Train travel in Namibia

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Train travel in South Africa

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	Windhoek station at night, with the overnight 'Starline' train to Keetmanshoop about to depart.  Photo courtesy of Rashid Khan.

There are no international ferry links to Namibia, but it's possible to travel between Namibia and South Africa by train with only one relatively short section now sadly involving a bus.  It's also possible to travel between Namibia and Zimbabwe or Zambia by bus.

Cape Town or Johannesburg ► Windhoek

• From Cape Town: Step 1, travel from Cape Town to Kimberley by Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans-Karoo' Tourist class passenger train, departing Cape Town 12:30 on Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays, arriving Kimberley at 06:45 next day.  This is a comfortable and safe tourist class train, with 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers and restaurant car.  As you leave Cape Town you get great views of table Mountain, pass through Stellenbosch & Paarl wine country, then into the veldt up the Hex River pass, with great scenery!  Fare 210 Rand (£15 or US$30) including sleeper.  Stay a day or two in Kimberley (visit the mining museum!).  See the South Africa page for more information (and photos) about Shosholoza Meyl passenger trains, and book by phone as shown or at the station.

• From Johannesburg:  Step 1, travel from Johannesburg to Kimberley by Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans Karoo' passenger train, departing Johannesburg at 10:30 on Wed, Fri, Sun, arriving Kimberley at 19:07 the same day.  This is a comfortable and safe tourist class train, with 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers and restaurant car.  Fare 110 Rand (£8 or US$15).  Stay a night or two in Kimberley (visit the mining museum!).  See the South Africa page for more information (and photos) about Shosholoza Meyl passenger trains and book by phone as shown or at the station.

• Step 2, travel from Kimberley to Keetmanshoop by bus, as sadly things have degenerated so there's now only a bus link, no longer any civilised train.  The bus is run by InterCape, runs on Fridays & Sundays at 11:40 arriving Upington at 16:30 the same day, you need to switch buses departing Upington 18:30 and arriving Keetmanshoop 00:25 the same night.  Fare 390-500 Rand (£28-£36 or $56-$72).  Check times & book online at www.intercape.co.za.  Stay overnight at Keetmanshoop.

• Step 3, travel from Keetmanshoop to Windhoek by StarLine passenger train.  The train leaves Keetmanshoop daily except Saturdays at 18:50, arriving in Windhoek at 07:00 next day.  The train is modern & air-conditioned, with reclining seats in Business Class & Economy class,  also basic 6-berth sleepers on Tue, Thur & Sun, see photos & information below.  Fare around N$7 (£5 or US$10).  See the current StarLine timetable.  Note that a train used to run from Upington to Keetmanshoop twice a week to connect with this overnight train to Windhoek (and is till shown as running in the un-updated 2006 timetable on the StarLine website), but this train now only runs from Karasburg (just inside the Namibian frontier) to Keetmanshoop, so you may as well switch from bus to train at Keetmanshoop.

Windhoek ► Cape Town or Johannesburg

• Step 1, travel from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop by StarLine passenger train.  The train leaves Windhoek at 19:40 daily except Saturdays, arriving Keetmanshoop at 07:00 next morning, see the current StarLine timetable.  The train is modern and air-conditioned, with reclining seats in Business Class & Economy Class, also basic 6-bunk sleepers on Mon, Wed, Fri.  Fare around N$87 (£5 or US$10).  Spend the day in Keetmanshoop.

• Step 2, travel from Keetmanshoop to Kimberley by bus, as sadly things have degenerated and there's now only a bus link.  The bus is run by InterCape, departs Keetmanshoop on Wednesdays & Fridays at 23:15, you need to switch buses at Upington (arrive 06:15, depart 07:30), and you arrive arriving Kimberley at 12:40 on Thursdays & Saturdays.  Fare 390-500 Rand (£28-£36 or $56-$72).  Check times & book online at www.intercape.co.za.  Stay overnight at Kimberley.

• Step 3, travel from Kimberley to Cape Town by Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans-Karoo' passenger train, departing Kimberley at 19:07 on Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays, arriving Cape Town at 12:40 the next day.  This is a comfortable and safe tourist class train, with 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers and restaurant car.  You leave Cape Town with great views of table Mountain, passing through Stellenbosch & Paarl wine country, then into the veldt, with great scenery!  Fare 210 Rand (£15 or US$30) including sleeper.  See the South Africa page for more information (and photos) about Shosholoza Meyl passenger trains and book by phone or at the station.

• Alternative step 3, travel from Kimberley to Johannesburg by Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans Karoo' passenger train, departing Kimberley at 06:45 on Mon, Thurs, Sat, arriving Johannesburg at 15:18 the same day.  This is a comfortable and safe tourist class train, with 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers and restaurant car.  Fare 110 Rand (£8 or US$15).  Stay the night in Kimberley.  See the South Africa page for more information (and photos) about Shosholoza Meyl passenger trains and book by phone or at the station.

Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) or Livingstone (Zambia) ► Windhoek

• A bus run by www.intercape.co.za leaves Vic Falls at 11:00 on Wednesdays & Sundays or Livingstone at 12:00, arriving Windhoek 06:45 next day.  Fare 455-580 Rand (£32-£41 or $64-$84).

Windhoek ► Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) or Livingstone (Zambia)

• A bus run by www.intercape.co.za leaves Windhoek at 16:15 on Mondays & Fridays arriving Livingstone at 13:00 or Vic Falls 14:00 next day.  Fare 455-580 Rand (£32-£41 or $64-$84).

More information...

If anyone has any more information. photos or travel reports that would be useful for this page, please e-mail me!

StarLine passenger trains...  StarLine timetable

Regular passenger trains marketed as 'StarLine' are run by TransNamib, on the following routes:

• Windhoek to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay, runs daily except Saturdays, departs 19:55 , arrives next day at Swakopmund 05:20 & Walvis Bay 07:15.

• Walvis Bay & Swakopmund to Windhoek, runs daily except Saturdays, departs Walvis Bay 19:00, Swakopmund 20:45, arrives Windhoek 07:00 next day.

• Windhoek - Keetmanshoop, runs daily except Saturdays, departs 19:40, arrives at 07:00 next day.

• Keetmanshoop - Windhoek, runs daily except Saturdays, departs 18:50, arrives 07:00 next day.

• Keetmanshoop-Karasburg - see the StarLine timetable.

• Windhoek-Tsumeb  & Windhoek-Gobabis trains have been cancelled indefinitely as from January 2009.

The timetable at www.transnamib.com.na/Starline.htm hasn't been updated since 2006, but traveller Paul Carey has kindly sent in the latest StarLine timetable, valid for all of 2010.

Fares:  Windhoek-Walvis Bay costs around N$80 (£5 or US$10), Windhoek-Keetmanshoop around N$87 (£5.50 or US$11), in Economy Class.  Business Class costs N$20 extra.  However, fares vary from N$80-N$130 according to time of year and peak/off-peak.  Children under 2 free, children 2 but under 12 half fare.

How to buy tickets:  Call central reservations at Windhoek on +264 (0) 61 298 2032, or email paxservices@transnamib.com.na.

Business Class & Economy reclining seats:  StarLine trains have Business Class & Economy Class reclining airline-style seats in relatively modern, air-conditioned cars, complete with TV entertainment (but don't expect too much of the latter!).  There are vending machines but no restaurant or buffet car, so take your own food and drink.  These passenger trains also include freight wagons.

Sleepers:  There are generally no sleepers on these Starline trains, with one exception.  The Windhoek-Keetmanshoop train has a basic sleeping car attached on every second departure, theoretically Tue, Thur & Sun from Keetmanshoop, Mon, Wed & Fri from Windhoek.  This sleeper has 6-bunk couchette-style compartments in both Economy and Business classes, prices are the same as for a seat.  No bedding is provided, so bring your own as it can get cold in the desert.  See Rashid Khan's account of Starline sleepers in the travellers reports section.

A StarLine train at Windhoek railway station. Photo courtesy of Ishizaki, Naoichi		Business class reclining seats on a StarLine train.  Photo courtesy of Ishizaki, Naoichi

The Desert Express...

TransNamib also operate a weekly tourist-orientated train between Windhoek & Swakopmund called the Desert Express.  The train has sleepers (with en suite shower/toilet), a restaurant, bar & lounge.  See www.desertexpress.com.na for more details.

• Departs Windhoek 12:00 (13:00 in summer) on Fridays, arrives Swakopmund 10:00 next day.

• Departs Swakopmund 15:00 on Saturdays, arrives Windhoek 10:30 next day.

• Fares:  N$1,850 (£115 or US$230) sharing, N$2,400 (£150 or $300) single occupancy.

• Buy tickets:  Via their website, www.desertexpress.com.na

• Holidays to Namibia including the Desert Express:  www.railbookers.com

Outside Windhoek railway station. Photo courtesy of Ishizaki, Naoichi		Windhoek station platform. Photo courtesy of Ishizaki, Naoichi

Traveller's reports...

Traveller Luke Addis reports (2010):  "Despite many of the locals not knowing the existence of Namibian Starline night trains, we headed off to the charming German station at Windhoek to get tickets. Open from 3pm on a Sunday. Tickets easily bought for 116N$. Pretty amazed when we turned up that night to find that only one solitary carriage would take us to Swakopmund. A DVD player was brought 5 minutes before scheduled departure and we headed off into the night after a lot of shunting onto our freight train we would adjoin. The business class seats were ripped out of the Air Namib plane's first class section and come complete with 1989 In-flight magazines which is a quirk. Toilets are clean, a DVD shows and a vending machine provides snacks. Not many people on and the journey was slow but we arrived on time and well-rested. The Business class seats have an arm-rest in-between so if you don't think your service will be busy ( few are) then in economy you will get two seats to lie down on (adjustable armrests!).  Our return was only 66N$ from Walvis Bay. Different seats in business but we opted for economy this time and got a better sleep. Very friendly ticket attendants and doors can be opened for air as you pass through the mighty sand-dunes. Some Christian hymns were playing on the TV loudly but it put me to sleep eventually. Service arrived into Windhoek about 40 minutes late which isn't too bad. Some points - the waiting rooms at Walvis Bay and Windhoek are sheltered and safe, offer charging facilities as well as a place to rest if your trains arrives at an anti-sociable hour. Namibia is fortunately still enthusiastic about its railway heritage, and it's staff are friendly and its full of little quirks ( two trains per night with one carriage each on a freight train!). If you enjoy the experience, a visit to the Windhoek Rail Museum (top floor of station) is thoroughly recommended!"

Traveller Rich Perkons used StarLine from Walvis Bay to Windhoek in Feb 2009:  "Although there is only one train a day, Walvis Bay ticket office is open all day, but closes a couple of hours before the train leaves.  My train was a single coach attached to 22 petrol tankers, a few box cars and a couple of flatbed trucks.  Despite the slow speed, a two-hour delay in leaving and clunky-ness, the journey was fine and we arrived 30mins early.  Tickets get collected around 3am after the train crew switches so don't loose your ticket."

Traveller Alexander Bradley used StarLine from Windhoek to Swakopmund in June 2008:  We called the reservation line and they told us they couldn’t take our reservation and that we needed to go to a station and book.  Arriving at the German-inspired Windhoek Station we booked our ticket from Windhoek to Swakopmund for the following day and were told to arrive half an hour before departure.  Arriving at the platform there were three individual carriages lined up on the platform, the first to Walvis Bay and last to Keetmanshoop, the middle one had the lights switched off.  We climbed onboard the Walvis Bay carriage and walked down the aisle past the economy class seats, past the drinks and snacks machine and the toilets to the business class section. There were 12 business class seats in the section;  we occupied two with another lady behind us, the economy section was half full.  The seats were 4 across in both business and economy, but the business seats were larger, higher and more padded.  The engine coupled to the train at 19:45, ten minutes before departure.  The conductor came on board and checked our tickets before switching on the DVD player.  They showed two films before we all fell asleep, although the speakers were a little too soft with the clickety-clack of the train and it became too soft to hear, and too loud to not watch.  The lights were out for the DVD, but I could turn on my reading light.  The train departed at 20:05, ten minutes after the scheduled time and we were full steam ahead for five minutes before the train turned around and spent half an hour coupling to about 15 wagons including box cars, steel pipes and petrol between us and the engine.  There was space above our seats for our baggage and the conductor sat in business call behind us so we felt quite safe.  The seats were comfortable and the air con/ heater were keeping us at a good temperature during the night, although we brought out our own blanket to be extra warm. We woke at about 06:00 and became very worried that we had slept in and missed our stop at 05:20 and that we were continuing onto Walvis Bay.  We were relieved when we found that our train was running late. We arrived at Swakopmund 06:35, 1h15m late. The sun rose just as we arrived in Swakopmund and we were able to see the landscape for the first time during the trip.  Photo courtesy of Alexander Bradley.

Traveller Rashid Khan has used the Keetmanshoop-Windhoek train on many occasions:  "I've taken the Keetmanshoop-Windhoek "Starline" train close to 20 times now.  Pricing ranges from $N80 up to $N130 depending on class (business is $N20 extra) and time of year, off peak, peak and peak peak. School breaks are peak.  There is indeed a sleeper scheduled to be on that train every Monday, Wednesday & Friday.  In general, the Keetmanshoop to Windhoek train should have a sleeper every Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday. I say "in general" because this schedule, although printed on posters, is definitely not adhered to.  There will be often be no sleeper when there should be, and be one when there shouldn't be.  The likelihood of a sleeper seems to follow the school break schedule aka more likely around peak time. If you want a sleeper, and make no mistake, you definitely do, ask and then ask again, scheduled or not.

A bit about the sleeper: A sleeper bunk is the same price as a seat.  All compartments are the same size, with 6 berths arranged 3 bunks per side. None of the sleeper cars are air-con, no bedding is provided. The middle bunk folds down to become a back rest, with the lowest bunk being the bottom of the seat. The top bunk is fixed and always available for sleeping. The bottom bunk is flat with no real falling-off protection. The middle bunk, when raised, slopes in slightly, with a small bump of lip to keep you in. The top has a board to keep you in - I could see this being quite uncomfortable for a larger person. There are no assigned seats/bunks in the sleepers, only an assigned cabin, its first-come-first-serve from there.  My favourite bunk in any cabin is the top bunk closest towards the front. The bottom bunks get a very cold breeze. A blanket or sleeping bag is required on the train ANY time of year. Desert nights are cold.  There are a number of different sleeper cars that run, they're all similar, however there are 2 different classes of car.  Economy sleepers: These have padded bunks with a vinyl covering. In general the cabins do not have doors, though sometimes they do, but don't count on it. The doors in economy class are not maintained and can be difficult to open/close.  Business class sleepers: N$20 extra.  These have slightly thicker padding and a fabric covering. Business class has a small table and a ladder to reach the top bunk. The doors for these cabins are in better working order. Note that a door does not mean privacy. Staff does not knock before using the key to enter, and I've had security guards come in just to hang out, eat and talk at 3am when I'm trying to be fast asleep. The main benefit of the door is to keep out the noise and cigarette smoke from the hall. While there are lots of "No Smoking" signs the rule is not enforced.  Even if there isn't a sleeper you are welcome to "go upstairs" in the standard cars if there's room. Upstairs you say? Luggage rack. I've done this a few times, and while it isn't padded it is flat and sturdy. The staff suggested it and I find it more comfortable than the chairs.  Only business class, the front section of a chair car, is air-con. The movies shown in the chair cars tend to be be really really bad kung fu flicks, but if you bring your own DVD they'll put it in for you! Fun fact: They once showed a movie called "Lasko: Death Train".

More information:

If anyone has any more information or travel reports that would be useful for this page, please e-mail me!

Find a hotel in Windhoek or elsewhere in Namibia...

A good guidebook like the Lonely Planet or Rough Guides will point you at some good hotels in each town or city when you get there, or you can pre-book hotels using www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box below.  It's also a good idea to check the reviews on Tripadvisor.com's Namibia page.

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◄◄◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel booking websites at once... www.hotelscombined.com is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and others) to find the cheapest hotel rates.  Set up in 2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

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