This epic 5530km train journey takes you through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania and is one of the most famous in the world. The adventure begins in Cape Town, from where guests will travel to the historic village of Matjiesfontein, the diamond city of Kimberley and the capital of Pretoria for short tours, before spending two nights at the Madikwe Reserve.
Then, through Botswana, the train goes to Zimbabwe, where guests stay overnight at the Victoria Falls hotel. Crossing the mighty Zambezi River, the train joins Zambia's Tazara Line and continues to Chisimba Falls, where guests enjoy a bush walk.
The route continues to the border with Tanzania and then descends into the Great Rift Valley, passing through tunnels, switchbacks and railway bridges in a spectacular gorge. Climbing through the Selous Reserve - the largest on the continent and a symbol of timeless Africa - before reaching Dar es Salaam the next day.
16:30 – Check-in at Rovos Rail Lounge, 1 Adderley Street, Cape Town.
18:00 – Departure from Cape Town Station towards the Hex River Valley.
19:30 p.m. – Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress code: formal,
07:00 – Breakfast in the dining cars until 10:00. Break in Matjiesfontein, where you will have the opportunity to walk around the historic village. Worth seeing is the museum on the platform and the collection of historic cars and railway carriages to the right of Lord Milner's Hotel.
10:00 – The train passes through the Karoo, a vast desert that was once a vast inner sea. Over millions of years, volcanic material was abraded and deposited as mud on the seabed, creating the so-called Karoo system.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress code: formal.
07:00 – Breakfast in the dining cars until 10:00.
12:30 – Lunch is served in the dining cars. Visit to the Kimberley Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape, is famous for the discovery of diamonds, which led to its founding in 1871.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars on the way to Klerksdorp. Dress code: formal.
07:00 – Breakfast in the dining cars.
08:30 – Transfer (approx. 60 minutes) to Pretoria for a city tour, followed by lunch on the Rovos Rail station platform. Possibility to visit stations and locomotive workshops (depending on weather conditions). Return (approx. 60 minutes) to the train.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars on the way to Zeerust. Dress code: formal.
Please pack a small bag for your overnight stay in Madikwe.
07:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
11:00 – Transfer (approximately 90 minutes) to one of the hotels in Madikwe for a two-day stay. Lunch is served upon arrival.
Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours).
19:00 – Dinner at the hotel. Dress code: Casual
Madikwe is a nature reserve where you can meet the Big Five, and it is also a malaria-free area bordering Botswana. It is located in the transition zone between the savannah of the Northwest Province and the Kalahari Thornveld with large volcanic intrusions, wide plains and a riverine environment along the Marico River. As a result, the region is home to an incredible diversity of species from both ecosystems, a rich diversity of vegetation and over 300 species of resident or migratory birds.
Morning safari (approximately 3 hours).
07:00 – Breakfast is served at the hotel until 9:30.
12:30 – Lunch at the hotel. Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours).
19:00 – Dinner at the hotel. Dress code: Casual
Early morning car ride (approximately 2 hours).
07:00 – Breakfast served until 09:30. Please ensure your bags are ready for collection at 10:00 and proceed to check-out.
10:30 – Departure from the lodge. Transfer to the train in Gaborone, Botswana. Border formalities will be carried out en route and guests must present themselves to border officials (luggage may be searched).
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn and the eastern edge of the Kalahari Basin. The Kalahari (which covers an area of 900 km000 and includes many areas of Botswana, parts of Namibia and South Africa) is not a true desert as it experiences little rainfall, with some areas receiving as much as 2 mm. The surrounding Kalahari Basin covers over 250 km2 and extends into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and extends into parts of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is partly desert, partly plateau. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into the delta in the northwest, creating wetlands that are rich in wildlife.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19:30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. Attire: Formal.
Victoria Falls: It's a good idea to check out the list of available activities: Victoria Falls Tour; helicopter flight over waterfalls; rafting; bungee jumping; rappelling; walks among animals; golf, etc. These trips can be booked at the hotel or in advance with the historian on board - today between 16:30 p.m. and 18 p.m. Cash payments are accepted.
07:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Border formalities are taking place.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16:30 – Tea in the living room and observation car. Passing through Gwaai and Dete, you traverse one of the longest straight railway lines in Africa - 114 kilometers - and along the eastern edge of Hwange National Park.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars. Attire: formal.
07:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
12:00 – Arrival at the incomparable Victoria Falls. Lunch at Jungle Junction. Luggage will be delivered to your rooms.
15:45 WINTER / 16:15 SUMMER Meet in the hotel lobby before departure for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.
19:30 p.m. – Dinner at the Victoria Falls Hotel. Attire: elegant casual (safari clothes, shorts, sandals and sneakers are strictly prohibited)
Victoria Falls is the largest volume of water falling on Earth. The mighty Zambezi River, the fourth longest river in Africa, is approximately 2 km wide above the falls and drops dramatically through a 1,6 km long and 108 m deep chasm, compressing a huge volume of water into a 50 m wide gorge. The sound can be deafening, and an amazing and unforgettable view. In autumn the fog is so thick that it makes taking photos difficult, while in spring the seasonal flow reduces significantly, revealing large slabs of brown basalt at the rim.
06:30 – Breakfast is served at the Jungle Junction restaurant until 10:00. Day off at Victoria Falls.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch at Jungle Junction.
15:00 – Meeting at the station platform for departure to Zambia.
16:00 – Crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge. Tea in the lounge and observation cars. Border formalities.
19:30 p.m. – Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress code: Formal.
07:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. After breakfast, the train crosses the Kafue Railway Bridge - a 477-meter-long steel lattice girder, consisting of 13 spans, each 33 meters long, supported on concrete pillars.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train passes through the capital of Zambia, Lusaka.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars on the way to Kapiri Mposhi. Dress code: Africa Theme or Smart Casual
07:00 – Breakfast is served until 10:00. The train traverses the TAZARA railway line, an engineering marvel and one of Africa's best kept secrets.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars on the way to Kasama. Dress code: Formal
06:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until the train departs.
08:00 – Enjoy a visit to Chisimba Falls, where guests can walk down to the rocks at the base of the waterfall or admire it from various viewpoints.
11:30 – The train rises on the border, almost exactly in the middle between the two lakes of the Great Rift Valley.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation car. Border formalities are carried out.
19:30 – Dinner is served. The train passes through baobab forests and descends down the African Rift Valley towards Mbeya. Attire: formal.
Chisimba Falls consists of three waterfalls named Mutumuna, Kaela and Chishimba (Chisimba), which are separated by a distance of 300 meters along the Luombe River. According to Bemba tradition, the nature spirit "Chishimba" lives in a cave behind the waterfall, so inappropriate behavior (including fighting, insulting, and arrogance) is not allowed in this area. Although the Bemba people arrived here in the XNUMXth century, they were not the first, as the land around the falls is dotted with traces of Iron Age activities, including furnaces, steel-making pipes and iron ore deposits.
07:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
09:00 – Arrival in Makambako and a walk around the city (if time allows).
11:00 – The train travels towards the Udzungwa Mountains, cutting through dramatic switchbacks, viaducts and tunnels in the mountainside.
13:00 p.m. – Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16:30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress code: Formal
07:00 – Continental breakfast is served in the dining cars until 08:00. The train descends into the mountains and crosses the fertile areas of Tanzania towards Selous.
10:30 – Brunch is served in the dining cars until 11:45.
12:00 – Visit to the Selous Reserve, the largest in Africa with an area of 55 km000 (time permitting).
18:00 – Back to the train.
19:30 – Dinner is served in the dining cars during the journey to Gwata. Dress code: "20s." or Smart Casual
07:00 – Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Traveling east towards the coast.
11:00 – Arrival at the destination – Tazara station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
License No. 756 for tour operators issued by the Voivode of Masovia
Signal Iduna Certificate – M 525404 (DOWNLOAD PDF)
