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Train
operator: |
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Transnamib
(click 'Products' then Passenger services).
2010 timetable |
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Bus operator in Namibia: |
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Long-distance bus services: |
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Time: |
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GMT+1 (GMT+2 from first Sunday in Sept
to first Sunday in April) |
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Currency: |
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£1 = 12 Namibian dollars.
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Tripadvisor Namibia page |
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UK
citizens do not need a visa for stays up to 90 days, but must
have a return ticket or evidence of ability to return out of
Namibia. |
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Page last
updated: |
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17 August 2010
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Above: Boarding a StarLine train at
Windhoek.
Photo courtesy of
Ishizaki, Naoichi |
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On this
page...
South Africa - Namibia by
train+bus
Zimbabwe or Zambia - Namibia
by bus
Train travel in
Namibia
On other pages...
Train travel in South Africa
Train travel in Zimbabwe
Train travel in Tanzania & Zambia
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Above:
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
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From Cape Town: Step 1, travel from Cape Town to Kimberley by
Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans-Karoo' passenger train, departing
Cape Town 12:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays, arriving
Kimberley at 07:21 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.
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From Johannesburg: Step 1, travel from
Johannesburg to Kimberley by Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans Karoo' passenger
train, departing Johannesburg at 10:30 on Mon, Tue, Fri,
Sun, arriving Kimberley at 18:40 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Step 3, travel from Kimberley to Cape Town by
Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans-Karoo' passenger train, departing
Kimberley at 18:40 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays & Sundays, arriving Cape
Town at 12:41 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.
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Alternative step 3, travel from Kimberley to
Johannesburg by Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans Karoo'
passenger train, departing Johannesburg at 07:21 on Mon,
Wed, Thur, Sat, arriving Kimberley at 15:23 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
Windhoek ► Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) or Livingstone
(Zambia)
More
information...
If
anyone has any more information. photos or travel reports that would be useful for
this page, please
e-mail me!
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Regular
passenger trains marketed as 'StarLine' are run by
TransNamib, on the following routes:
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Windhoek
to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay, runs daily except
Saturdays, departs 19:55 , arrives next day at
Swakopmund 05:20 & Walvis Bay 07:15.
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Walvis
Bay & Swakopmund to Windhoek, runs daily except
Saturdays, departs Walvis Bay 19:00, Swakopmund 20:45,
arrives Windhoek 07:00 next day.
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Windhoek
- Keetmanshoop, runs daily except Saturdays, departs
19:40, arrives at 07:00 next day.
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Keetmanshoop - Windhoek, runs daily except Saturdays,
departs 18:50, arrives 07:00 next day.
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Keetmanshoop-Karasburg - see the
StarLine timetable.
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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.
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Above:
A StarLine train at Windhoek railway station.
Photo courtesy of
Ishizaki, Naoichi |
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Above:
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.
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Departs
Windhoek 12:00 (13:00 in summer) on Fridays, arrives Swakopmund 10:00
next day.
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Departs
Swakopmund 15:00 on Saturdays, arrives Windhoek 10:30
next day.
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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
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Above:
Outside Windhoek railway station.
Photo courtesy of
Ishizaki, Naoichi |
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Above:
Windhoek station platform.
Photo courtesy of
Ishizaki, Naoichi |
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!
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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. This is not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms,
Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many others) to
find the cheapest hotel rates on the net. Set up in
2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to
start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Also check the reviews on
Tripadvisor.com's Namibia page.
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