Rovos Rail is a privately owned South African company, established in 1989.
Their luxury trains take passengers through the wonderfully diverse countryside,
towns and cities of South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, and Egypt and passengers get the
chance to experience world class rail travel.
It really is the definitive way to travel. So take a tour with a difference from
Pretoria to Victoria Falls and/or the other way. This Victoria Falls - Pretoria trip
with Rovos Rail is great as a send-off from Victoria Falls into South Africa, or
as an awesome start to a Victoria Falls holiday from South Africa, if you are
going one way. Experience the romance of a by gone era as a couple on a
honeymoon, celebrating an anniversary, or as a family wanting to explore the
beautiful African landscape.
"1,000 miles of unforgettable African scenery from Pretoria to Victoria Falls."
The Rovos Rail itinerary (described below) has to be one of the most
iconic, as it travels its way through some 1 600 kilometres of Southern
African scenery from Pretoria to the town of Victoria Falls,
home to one of the seven wonders
of the world. Your luxurious journey takes you
through Bela Bela (formerly Warmbaths) and Modimolle (formerly Nylstroom)
before crossing the Tropic of Capricorn. The train continues its stately
pace heading up to Beitbridge for the border crossing with Zimbabwe. Here you
complete the usual border formalities and then you are in Zimbabwe, where
you continue through some beautiful landscape en route to Bulawayo; then
it’s on to Kennedy Siding, and the vast
Hwange National Park – where you have the chance to do some game viewing
with a notable safari camp. The last leg of
this fascinating itinerary takes you to Victoria Falls, where the station is
adjacent to the wonderful Edwardian building that is the
Victoria Falls Hotel (it was original built as a railway hotel in 1904).
Victoria Falls has a lot to offer the visitor, with Victoria Falls activities
such as tours of
he largest
waterfall in the world, to
Sunset
Cruises, and the more adrenalin pumping activities such as
white water rafting on the
Zambezi River;
as well as some excellent game viewing in the
Zambezi
National Park. A visit to Victoria Falls is full of
photographic opportunities!
The Journey
The adventure of the Rovos Rail train between Pretoria and Victoria Falls goes as
follows:
Pretoria to Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls to Pretoria
Day 1 The trains departs the private Rovos Rail Station towards Warmbath and Nylstroom. Lunch is served during this leg, and then
dinner is served en-route to the Beitbridge border.
Day 1 The Rovos Rail train leaves
Victoria Falls in the late afternoon (17:00) towards
Hwange National Park, and makes an overnight stop at Kennedy
Siding. Dinner is served along the way to Hwange.
Day 2 This day starts with the border crossing and then
the train makes it's way towards Bulawayo through Rutenga and
Somabhula. The
train makes an overnight stop in Mpopoma.
Day 2 The day starts early with a 5am wake up call for
guests to take a game drive at
The Hide.
Guests return for brunch and the journey continues on a long stretch
towards the Beitbridge border.
Day 3 The train departs Mpopoma towards
Hwange and makes a stop at
The Hide
after lunch for a game drive. After that, the train heads to
Thompsons Junction for an overnight stop. Dinner is served en-route.
Day 3 The journey continues out of baobab country and
lunch is served as the train makes its way towards Warmbath and
Nylstroom. Dinner is served before the overnight destination.
Day 4 After breakfast, the train departs from Thompsons Junction
towards Victoria Falls where it makes its final stop in the morning.
Day 4 The train makes its last leg to Pretoria where it
arrives in the morning.
Note: 4 Night Itineraries are available, with an additional day spent exploring The Ranch Conservancy and Nylstroom.
There is an option to ride the Rovos Rail train between Victoria Falls and
Durban or Cape Town, South Africa - a longer affair of luxury accommodation in the Rovos
hotels and the Pride of Africa train.
The Rovos Rail train is made up of different
sections/cars:
Lounge cars are air conditioned non-smoking areas furnished with sofas
and comfortable chairs and a small gift shop;
Observation cars are refurbished from dining cars with large windows and
a balconies, best for sight seeing;
Club cars, with large glass walls on both sides of the train, are an
extension of the Observation cars and the only smoking areas allowed on the
train; Dining cars date back to the 1940’s but have been restored to
maintain quality. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the dining cars,
while afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation cars.
Accommodation
Luxury suites with a maximum capacity of 72 passengers
• Royal Suites are top of the range with private lounge and full bathroom
• Deluxe Suites are either twin (L shaped) or double, have been refurbished
• Pullman Suites are entry level, either twin or double and also have been refurbished
All rooms have:
• Air conditioning
• En-suite bathroom with shower and sink (plus bathtub in Royal Suites only)
• Hair dryer and shaver plugs
• Telephone
• Safe
• 220V power supply
• Mini bar
Other Facilities
• 24 hour room service
• Limited laundry service
• Lounge with board games, playing cards and books
• Dining car serving breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Observation car serving tea
Rate Includes
• Accommodation (on and off train)
• Limited laundry service
• 24 room service and bar
• Planned excursions
• 3 meals plus beverages, and meals, water and wines taken off the train
• Entrance fees to various places of interest along the journey
• Government tax
• In the spirit and in going along with the ambience of class and
sophistication aboard the Rovos Rail train, guests are to dress smart casual
during the day, and formally in the evening. However, when taking trips off the
train, guests are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses,
sunscreen and a hat for the outside activities. Warm clothing is essential for
the games drives as those are conducted early in the morning when it is still
quite cold.
• Make sure that you have your valid passport with you with a
valid visa
(if applicable). Be sure to check your itineraries so that you know which
countries you will pass through, and arrange for visas as required. Make sure
that you have at least 3 blank visa pages in your passport for border stamps,
and that your passport will be valid for at least six months from your
return-home date.
• Anti-malarial
preventions medication is recommended if you are travelling to Swaziland, Kruger
Park, Northern Botswana, Zimbabwe (especially
Victoria Falls and Hwange),
Zambia and Tanzania and
yellow fever vaccinations may be required if you are
coming from Zambia and Tanzania (See list of countries that are required to have
Yellow Fever vaccinations when travelling to/through Botswana).
Don't expect to get full mobile phone coverage, especially while the train is
in motion or stopped in the remote game parks. Children are admissible for this Rovos Rail trip, but parents are asked to keep them close and well disciplined.
Video
Here's a sneak peak of the Victoria Falls journey:
Other Epic Train Journeys to Victoria Falls
For a longer four country journey through southern Africa to Victoria Falls
by train, try the Shongololo
Express!
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Brilliant service and so helpful by Sally (Blisworth, U.K.)
I stumbled across Victoria Fall Guide by accident, but I am so glad I did. Tony and Boo were so helpful, advising us on the best activities for us as I have mobility issues, and arranging our itinerary and booking everything.
I had no worries about using them, or sending a very large payment to someone I didn’t know. Everything they booked for us was so well organised, pick ups on time, knowledgeable and friendly guides, clean transport. We did the walking tour of the falls, the sunset dinner cruise, full day at Chobe, the team, lion encounter and the helicopter and every single one was faultless.
We were also due to do the lunar rainbow but unfortunately it was cancelled, however boo arranged the refund immediately. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone. We are so grateful to them for making our special holiday even more so.
