In Spring, we usually go to the southernmost part of Sweden, for the apple trees and for the charm of the old villages.
And, for the sea – we seldom see the sea and this is a brilliant opportunity to enjoy it. No tourists! This beach is totally closed since some 5 years now because climate change has made the sea sweep away the sand and the banks around the bay. Some houses fall down into the water.
This time we decided to visit an old village that was moved from its original place because of new building plans. The typical houses were placed along a new village road, but kept their charm – and some their thatched roofs as well.
The village is called Knäbäckshusen, and such a name is easily remembered…
We also drove into some neighbouring villages, there are plenty of old fishing villages along this coast. Here I totally fell in love with this pink house. maybe you did too?
We had a lovely outing, and finished it off with Glimmingehus, the best-preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. Never rebuilt.
Built in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand, it worked as a luxurious house as well as an advanced fortification. We went here with my class when I was a child, and I can still recall how cold it was inside those walls…so now we stayed outside.
Some facts: the walls are up to 2,5 m. thick, the building is 30 meters long and 26 meters high. It has details made by the well kown German sculptor Adam van Düren. For more: http://www.glimmingehus.se
On our way home – we loved seeing the typical flat landscape of Österlen, the colouful fields and the blue sky with cotton clouds. Mountains and hills are lovely, but this too is beautiful – in its own way.
We had read much about Rovos Rail, and dreamt of making this trip as a once in a lifetime event. In February this year, 2026, we finally did. We are not getting younger – so, we are happy we made it.
Founded in 1989 by Rohan Vos, Rovos Rail began as a hobby-turned-business, transforming antique carriages into a premier luxury train experience, the ”Pride of Africa.” The company, based in Pretoria, restores historic coaches to operate opulent, vintage, and multi-day journeys across Southern Africa, serving destinations like Cape Town, Victoria Falls, and Dar es Salaam.
We were lucky to pull into his private station – and get a guided tour- from Mr. Rohan Vos himself! (He turned 80 this March )We learned that he is usually greeting his travellers with a handshake, every one of them, when they step off the train in Pretoria. And he did this time as well. It was an honour to meet this gentleman.
When reading the history of the company, I wasn’t surprised that it was a combination of influences and events that led to the purchase of the first coach, the start of what would become Rovos Rail. A Wilbur Smith heroine with her own private railway coach, a man called Phil Acutt with a passion for trains and the presence of the Witbank Steam Railway in the coal-mining town where Rohan Vos ran his successful auto spares business, all played a part.
According to his wife, Anthea Vos, Rohan had always been obsessed with things mechanical. “In fact, he started his first business with the capital derived from the sale of a 1940 Packard and a 1928 Austin that he had rebuilt. Rohan was involved in so many ventures, but I didn’t see this one coming.”
The train is a dream from days gone by, an era well restored – no phones, wifi, radio or TV. Meticulously handmade details for every coach. Rohan pointed out that of all the things he had done, he was most proud of the workers who made every piece in his Pretoria factory. He had picked them out himself ”from the street” and taught them how to restore and build the trains.
We were served delicious food every meal, every day – I hadn’t thought of the problem of not getting any walks or excercise…but we struggled along the narrow corridors through 17 coaches twice a day. Getting bruised arms against the handrails as the train was moving.
The observation car and its outdoor ”deck”.
The farewell gifts in our suite.
To understand this kind of man, we should listen to his wife! (As always,,,) In 1985, Rohan and Anthea took up a last-minute invitation on a Magaliesberg train trip for business suppliers. “I became a train widow on that day,” said Anthea. “I sat all dressed up by myself; Rohan spent most of the time in the engine with the driver. The irony was that we should have seen then how difficult it would be – the train broke down and we were bussed back to town.”
Despite all the obstacles and difficulties: “Consisting of a locomotive and seven carriages, the train was launched on 29 April 1989, and with four paying passengers, friends and press we set off for the Eastern Transvaal. So, with a four-night Lowveld experience and in 1991 the Pretoria to Cape Town run, the business began to find direction.
1985–1986 (The Idea): Rohan Vos, a car spares businessman, conceived of restoring a private train carriage for family holidays with his wife, Anthea.
1987–1989 (Development): The hobby grew into a business, acquiring old SAR coaches and steam locomotives, notably naming them after their children: Brenda, Bianca, Tiffany, and Shaun.
1989 (Launch): On April 29, 1989, the first train, with seven carriages and four paying passengers, was launched to the Eastern Transvaal.
1990s (Growth): Despite early financial struggles, the company expanded. The iconic Pretoria-to-Cape Town trip was established in 1991.
2000s–Present: The company added Rovos Air (2001) for fly-safaris, acquired the Shongololo Express (2016), and continues to operate as a premier, family-owned luxury train company.
Key Facts & Operations:
The Fleet: Rovos Rail owns steam locos dating back to 1893, alongside diesel/electric engines for longer trips, maintaining a strict, pre-war, and colonial-era aesthetic.
The Experience: Trains carry a maximum of 72 passengers in fully restored wood-paneled suites and feature a signature observation car at the rear.
Base: The company runs its own workshops and station at Capital Park in Pretoria, which serves as the hub of operations.
I have no siblings, but as a child and young woman, this didn’t bother me. I loved being on my own – whether it was reading, sketching, painting, writing, collecting stones or walking in the forest or in my grandmother’s garden. But as a grown up, and now aging – I would have loved to have a sister or brother to share memories with and consult about our old parents.
So, where am I going with this? Well…in South Africa we met two beautiful brothers, cheetas, where the first photo is from our first meeting, the day we arrived.
The second meeting was three days later, and luckily we found them resting in the same place again.
Our ranger, Charles, told us their story, how they had lost two partners and also their cubs, to lion attacks.
This led to them being monitored – and the pack of lions as well, in an attempt to protect them. I read that 90% of all newborn cheetas are killed by other predators, such as lions. If they survive the first critical months, they can reach 15 years of age.
I wondered if the reserve was going to find new mates for these two and give breeding another try. Charles had no answer to that, and stated that nature works things in its own way.
In my opinion these cats are one of the most beautiful creations in nature – their agility, their speed, their beauty. They hunt daytime and cheetas are the fastest, now living land mammals, with a short distance record of 104.4km/h in 200m.
Charles clearly spoke with affection when he told us their story, because he had been following them since their first day. And, it was not only Charles who had tears in his eyes when we left them resting in the evening sun. Their story touched my heart, and I felt some comfort in knowing they at least had each other. I wish them good luck in the future – may they be lucky in hunting and may they find new mates and be blessed with little ones.
We had been waiting for the lions for several days-
– and finally, they unveiled themselves. The wheat coloured high grass offered a perfect place to hide.
They were resting together in a group of five, and we were allowed to see them close-up. Beautiful, majestic animals. They did not seem to notice us at all, only the male in the header – who leaned his head backwards to look at our jeep. A rare meeting for me.
There were two females and three males. They looked young all of them.
Lions don’t have many enemies, but they too are afflicted by ticks, and we were warned before we did the savanna walk. In Sweden many of us are vaccinated, as the TBE is a widely spread tick-borne disease and can severely afflict your brain. You can even die from it.
Lions are such beautiful big cats, our respect for them is great. They looked so calm and relaxed lying there together in the grass,
…but only some days before, this zebra must have had a narrow escape, maybe from a lion. I guess he had defended his heard. Successfully…I hope.
Living on the savanna is not easy. For us, short visitors, it is an adventure. Thank you for coming along today, meeting the big cats – and their prey. I find zebras mezmerisingly beautiful, like pieces of art, and I think scientists still don’t exactly know why they have their stripes or how they use them.The leading theory seems to be Biting Fly Repellent. Flies cannot easily land on striped things as the pattern disturbes their ability to navigate properly.
Next week I will tell you about the two cheetah brothers. We met them twice.
Impalas were a common sight, both in Zimbabwe and in South Africa, but I never got tired of watching them. Their gracious rushes and jumps, their colours and beautiful faces.
These are early morning shots, where they are mock fighting. Nature’s clever way to prepare them for the real fights.
Every day brought new adventures, new wonders to behold. The safari tours were at least twice a day and lasted for several hours. I wished they would go on forever. Africa, I am so grateful I finally got there. Unforgettable memories.
But, we were still waiting for the lions…so illusive.
On the reserve where we stayed, they had a powerful program to save the rhinos from poachers. According to the ranger who checked them up every day, driving around in her jeep, they had only lost two rhinos the last years, which is amazing. Instead of taking away their horns, they use radioactive isotopes – that do not harm the animal.
One of the rhinos was a bastard with a white rhino as the mother and a black rhino as the father. In fact, he is the only one in the world – according to the rangers. As he cannot have any offspring, he might be the last one ever.
On top of this mountain, they raised the orphans – before releasing them into the reserve again. They do not reveal how many rhinos they have in the reserve…which is good.
We were lucky to see quite some of them, both white and black ones, going about their daily chores as well – such as scrubbing their stomach against termite stacks and mud rolling.
Finishing off with the wonderful ranger who had dedicated her whole life to the rhinos, and a phone photo from our guide, taken while passing by our outdoor picnic place…(where we used to sit peacefully at the tables – luckily without rhinos!) Thank you, Conni, for sending me those spectacular shots!
Among the many African treats were the beautiful birds. Here is a collage of: Striated Heron, Hadada ibis, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Lesser Blue-eared Starling, European Roller, Bee-eaters, Magpie Shrike, Egyptian Goose and Lilac breasted Roller.
The glossy starlings were everywhere – shining beauties. Bee-eaters were also frequent.
I really loved all the birds, for their colours and for them being easily spotted in trees and on twigs on the savanna. I’ll finish with two charming couples that caught my heart:
The Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills (flying bananas according to our ranger…) and the Southern Carmine Bee-eaters. The Hornbills came very close and seemed to seek our company, and the bee-eaters flew through the soft air like sparkling jewels.
April is the month when our migrating birds return to nest. I am looking forward to welcoming them – their nesting boxes are ready for new families! In fact the last two or three years we’ve had bee-eaters too in Skåne, the southernmost part of Sweden. At least something good with the warmer climate.
The Zambezi River flows gently above the Victoria falls. We spent a delightful evening on a small boat slowly admiring the wildlife there.
The white clouds all come from the falls, and luckily we did not go too close…
Bee eaters and cormorants were relaxing after a day’s hard work, and the occational crocodile swam by. There were many hippos, and we were lucky to arrive in the middle of a love affair. A heavy male was courting and I wonder how she managed to breathe at all…but obviously she did ”survive”.
It was a delightful tour with good food and many interesting sights and photo ops, and
– we all slept well through that soft African night.
On our African adventure, the jeeps took us out on the savanna at least twice a day – early mornings and evenings. There are of course a multitude of beautiful antelopes here, and the Gnus are frequent. They have such funny, long faces and they eye you very closely before they turn away. I love the look of their satin skin and soft stripes at the neck.
The African Buffalo herds are matriarchal and the large herds can sometimes consist of more than 1000 individuals. The buffalo is one of the Big Five, very heavy weight and strong, and considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.
They are good swimmers and can stay for a long time just enjoying the water.
Their young are brown coloured to make it easier for them to hide in the grass.
Such thick and heavy horns are almost impossible to deal with – even for a lion.
I would not want to stand in their way when the herd is running.
Another beauty is the large waterbuck with its long, spiral horns curving first backwards, then forwards. The horns are 55-99cm. This couple was watching us from afar.
I wished time stood still and we didn’t have to leave…but it was time to slow down and return to the camp before dark. Thank you for joining the tour today!
I love the idea of wild animals being so close to humans all the time. And the animals down here naturally feel more wild than those at home…( I guess the Africans feel the same when they visit us.)
Around Victoria Falls Hotel, there were these electric fences set up,
but before they were there – this sign was even more relevant.
Baboons roamed the streets and the forest, and the hotel had a guard to chase them off.
He told us he had a lot to do every day…
There were also many guenon monkeys around. A bit more slender and agile than the baboons.
Banded Mongoose was a new aquaintance to me. They are 12-18 inches, weight 3-5.5 pounds. They are one of few species that use tools – they throw eggs against rocks to break them.
This one had captured a snake – a fairly long one…
..and feasted on it for a long time. It was interesting to watch them. The mongooses are known for their agility, speed and resistance to venom. They can survive a bite from a cobra.
The Mongooses live in colonies and have a complex social system. They take care of their young together, which is rather unusual – only the banded Mongoose live in colonies though, the others are loners. I liked to watch them eat, play and taking care of their young. Fascinating animals.
Leya 
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