We are woken up at 06:30 by the persistent blowing of the trains horn. It could be for animals on the line or just wanting to make sure no one is late for breakfast. After breakfast, we explore the other end of the train and find two other lounges, one for smoking cigars, thats a blast from the past, a bar, and an observation carriage.

This area is partially open to the elements, so does not benefit from air-conditioning but it is a great place to watch the world go by. The landscape changes from forest to open fields with villages made up of different types of huts. The highlight of the morning ride is waving to the various groups of children who run out to chase the train and wave to us.

We start to travel through a game reserve and spot some hippo in a pond and various antilope. At 3 p.m., the train stops, and a number of vehicles arrive to take us on a game drive for three hours, where the highlight for us is when we see a male lion and a family of baboons.

At the end of the drive, we are taken to a clearing where the staff from the train have set up a bar, a buffet, and chairs arranged around open fires.  We are served sundowners and sit down to watch the sunset.

To accommodate this addition to the schedule, dinner is served later. As we were getting showered and changed, all the electrics went off, and without aircon and lights, we were in hot darkness. We pressed on by the light of the phone and made our way to the dining car. On the way (it is a very long train and our cabin is at the end), the lights came back on, and we found the dining car lit by candles.

During dinner, they announced that one of the train engines had failed, but they were hiring another from the Zimbabwe railway to get us to Livingstone, our destination. While all this is happening, we were invited into the observation car for a cocktail party. Rovos rail knows how to delight their customers.