A Rail Journey to Victoria Falls — Bradley Travelstore

The journey

Overview

A great rail journey through southern Africa, this tour carries you in luxury aboard the Rovos Rail, and includes sumptuously scenic excursions, and safaris in renowned national parks, on its route from Pretoria to Zimbabwe’s iconic Victoria Falls Hotel.

“The journey not the arrival matters” is a much-repeated quote of T.S. Eliot. You may find that each is equally rewarding on this meandering from South Africa to Mozambique, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe; on a journey aboard the prestigious Rovos Rail, to arrive at mystical landscapes, wildlife reserves, and cultural sites. With air-conditioned carriages and an open-air observation deck, the train’s contemporary comforts combine with classic wood-panelled design, to evoke the romance of African exploration in an elegant bygone age. Embarking in Pretoria, arrivals in South Africa include a tour of the scenically spectacular Panorama Route; a safari in the huge Kruger National Park, the Sable River crossing its wilderness miles; and a game drive in the much smaller Kapama Game Reserve, both boasting Africa’s Big Five animals. Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, sees us on the edge of the Indian Ocean, while mountains and valleys await in the Kingdom of Eswatini; and in Zimbabwe, we visit ancient ruins and the astounding landscapes of Matobo Hills; meet the wildlife of Antelope Park and revered Hwange; and conclude the tour with one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls.

Unforgettable moments

Highlights

The prestigious Rovos Rail Train

Unpack & Explore 4 countries

Safari at Kruger and Hwange NP

Panorama Route stunning scenery

Chobe NP huge elephant herds

Optional flight over the falls

Your itinerary

Day by day

Day1
Join tour in Pretoria+
Your tour starts in Pretoria. South Africa’s administrative capital: its broad streets lined with colourful jacaranda trees.
Check into the 4-star Capital Menlyn Maine Hotel for our overnight stay.
Your Tour Guide will meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome briefing before dinner. If you arrive later and miss this join time, they will catch you up at a later point.
MealsDinner
Day2
Embark on the Rovos Rail+
Embark on the Rovos Rail for 11 nights aboard.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day3
Enjoy a tour of the Panorama Route+
Enjoy a splendidly scenic tour of the aptly named Panorama Route, focused on the Blyde River Canyon, the third-largest canyon on Earth, its sheer cliffs plunging 800m to the riverbed; and including the old-world village of Pilgrim’s Rest, founded on gold-panning and now a national monument; the iconic ‘Three Rondavels’ trio of rounded mountains; and the breathtaking views from God’s Window, high on the Drakensberg escarpment. Return to the train for the journey to the farming town of Malelane.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day4
Explore Kruger National Park on a full day safari+
A fabulous full-day safari in Kruger National Park. One of the largest game reserves on the continent, its reputation goes before it, but nothing prepares you for a first Kruger experience, where habitats range from mountains and cliffs to bush and tropical forest, and are home to hundreds of species of mammals and birds, including all of Africa’s Big Five. Depart to cross the border into Mozambique.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day5
Discover Maputo city before crossing into Eswatini+
Discover the country’s capital and cultural hub, the Indian Ocean port city of Maputo, hemming the Santo Espirito estuary with a mix of modern structures and graceful colonial architecture. Cross into the third of the tour’s four countries, the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). At just 200km long by 120 wide, the diminutive kingdom punches far above its weight, with mountains and savannahs, rain forests and river canyons, thorn bush, grasslands, and wildlife reserves within its landlocked borders. The train overnights at Mpaka.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day6
Visit Ezulwini Valley and the local cities of Manzini and Mbabane+
Tour to views of the ethereal Ezulwini Valley, known as ‘the Valley of Heaven’, and home to several wildlife sanctuaries; and the Komati River, descending from a plateau to cut through a 900m-deep valley; and visit Manzini, the kingdom’s largest city, and Mbabane, the executive capital, set beside its namesake river. Re-join the train to return to South Africa, overnighting in Limpopo.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day7
Explore Kapama Game Reserve on a game drive+
Begin the day with a game drive to explore the 15,000 hectares of Kapama Game Reserve. A comparatively small reserve, its pristine bush landscape is nevertheless a Big Five park. Continue with a visit to the Wild Dog and Cheetah Project, dedicated to developing carnivore corridors to connect different ecosystems. Overnight at Louis Trichardt.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day8
Enjoy the day at leisure while travelling into Zimbabwe+
Relax and enjoy the scenery (and Rovos Rail service) for a full day on-board today, as the train makes its journey north into Zimbabwe, for rural Rutenga.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day9
Visit the three enclaves of the Great Zimbabwe ruins+
Drive to the Great Zimbabwe ruins of an ancient stone-built city. Founded in the 11th-century, abandoned in the 15th, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its three enclaves (the Hill, the Valley, and the fascinating, fortified Great Enclosure) formed the capital of the Bantu-speaking ancestors of the Shona peoples.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day10
Enjoy the day at Antelope Park with optional excursions+
Enjoy a full day at Antelope Park private game reserve, where zebra and wildebeest, giraffe and hartebeest share the savannah with 190 species of birds, from vultures to sunbirds and hornbills. Choose from optional activities, bookable locally, which include game drives and a bird-watching cruise. Evening departure for the busy city of Bulawayo.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day11
Visit Matobo National Park and the local rock art+
Visit Matobo National Park, at the heart of the UNESCO listed Matobo Hills, where wildlife vies for attention with legendary landscapes, strewn with giant boulders and evidence of Stone Age human habitation. Visit the ‘balancing rocks’ which mark the grave of Cecil John Rhodes, and see the rock art in well preserved San-Bushmen caves. Depart for Kennedy Siding for overnight.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day12
Spend the day exploring Hwange National Park+
A full day of exploration in Hwange National Park. The former royal hunting ground of Matabele King Mzilikazi, it is now the biggest, and arguably best, of Zimbabwe’s game reserves; regarded as one of Africa’s premier conservation areas, and teeming with wildlife including, including the Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and famed elephant herds.
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day13
Disembark at Victoria Falls for a walk and river cruise+
The Rovos Rail train reaches the end of its journey at Victoria Falls. Disembark and transfer, for a two-night stay, to the 5-star Victoria Falls Hotel, a member of the prestigious ‘Leading Hotels of the World’, and Zimbabwe’s grandest and oldest luxury hotel. The Falls are more evocatively known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the smoke that thunders’; their constant spray creates a thriving rainforest, which is buzzing with birds, insects, and small mammals. Enjoy a guided walk of the Falls and a sunset Zambezi River cruise.
MealsBreakfast
Day14
Enjoy a day at leisure with an optional helicopter excursion+
A day at leisure to relax in the hotel, the gardens gazing out to the rainbow-spray cloud of the Zambezi cataract. Take to the air for a bird’e-eye-view of the spectacular Falls with an optional helicopter flight.
MealsBreakfast
Day15
Tour ends in Victoria Falls+
Your tour ends this morning after breakfast.
Or why not extend your stay and add a fifth country to your holiday, with three nights in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, boasting the world’s largest population of elephants. Call us to discuss booking this extension.
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MealsBreakfast

Accommodation

Where you stay

The Capital Menlyn Maine Hotel

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls Hotel

One of the world’s great hotels, known as ‘The Grand Old Lady of the Falls’ and a member of the exclusive ‘Leading Hotels of the World’, this 5-star hotel is steeped in history and tradition. Fine dining and casual restaurants, afternoon teas on the terrace, pool and gardens, a short walk to the falls and WiFi (free). 161 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe and satellite TV.

Hotels are as planned; occasionally similar alternatives are used.

Peace of mind

What's included

✦11 nights’ train and 3 nights’ hotel accommodation
✦Meals Included: breakfast daily, 11 lunches and 12 dinners, all drinks on onboard the train
✦Itinerary as described
✦Services of train director, guides and local representatives
✦Flights from the UK can be added — ask your adviser