11h00 – Depart Cape Town Station on the Pride of Africa.
13h00 – Lunch is served in the dining car/s
16h30 – Tea in the lounge and observation cars
18h00 – Arrive in Matjiesfontein and explore the quaint village. Dinner and overnight on the train
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining car/s (LD)
Day 3 - Luxury Train Journey
07h00 – Breakfast is served until 10h00
10h00 – Arrive at Rovos Rail Station in Capital Park, Pretoria. Enjoy a walking tour of the station and locomotive workshops (weather permitting) followed by lunch on the platform and a city tour of Pretoria at 14h15.
18h00 – Depart for Zeerust in the North West Province.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining car/s (BLD)
Day 4 - Luxury Train Journey
07h00 – Breakfast is served until 10h00
11h00 – Disembark at Zeerust and transfer by coach to Madikwe Reserve for a two-night stay at TAU Game Lodge. Lunch is served upon arrival at the lodge. Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours).
Dinner and overnight at the lodge. (BLD)
Accommodation: 2 nights at Tau Game Lodge
Tau is a South African luxury safari lodge situated on the far northern border of South Africa, in malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve, the 4th largest game reserve in the country. Tau Game Lodge can accommodate 60 people in 30 luxury thatched chalets. Furnishings and décor of Tau Game Lodge are Africa-inspired. Each chalet has air-conditioning and ceiling fans, ensuite bathroom, open-air shower and viewing deck.
Day 5 - Luxury Train Journey
Enjoy an early morning game drive, afternoon game drive and other guest activities. Overnight at the lodge. (BLD)
Day 6 - Luxury Train Journey
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast until 09h30.
10h30 – Transfer to the train border formalities enroute to Gaborone, Botswana.
13h30 – Depart Gaborone and travel to Plumtree for border formalities and overnight.
19h30 – Dinner is served in the dining car/s (BLD)
Day 7 - Luxury Train Journey
Day at leisure on board. Lectures will be given during the course of the morning and/or afternoon by the on-board historian. The train passes Gwaai and Dete along one of Africa’s longest stretches of straight railway line – 114 kilometres – and along the eastern edge of the Hwange National Park where occasional sightings of animals can occur. The train heads for Thompson’s Junction for the overnight stop. (BLD)
Day 8 - Luxury Train Journey
12h00 – Arrive at the incomparable Victoria Falls and walk across to the hotel. Enjoy lunch.
16h00 – Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River.
Buffet dinner at Jungle Junction. (BLD)
Accommodation: 1 night Victoria Falls Hotel
One of the most popular hotels in town is the Victoria Falls Hotel. This is one hotel which can truly claim to be unique. For almost 100 years, visiting members of Royal families, international and local statesmen, and celebrities worldwide have stayed at the hotel. This hotel boasts an atmosphere steeped in history, combining the charm of the old with the comfort and convenience of today.
Accommodation includes 181 rooms and suites. The suites and rooms are all well appointed, cool and comfortable; furnished in traditional Edwardian style, all air-conditioned with every modern amenity, including satellite TV, personal safe, bathrobes and umbrellas for personal use when visiting the Falls (the spray is like rain). The hotel also has its own private pathway directly to the Falls, which are less than a 10-minute walk away.
Day 9 - Luxury Train Journey
Day at leisure in the Victoria Falls with activities (tour of Falls, helicopter over Falls, elephant-back safari, walk with lions, whitewater rafting, bungee-jumping, golf, etc).
16h00 – Depart Victoria Falls and cross the bridge to Livingstone, Zambia. (BLD)
Day 10 - Luxury Train Journey
Day at leisure on board. Lectures will be given during the course of the morning and/or afternoon by the on-board historian. The train travels across the Kafue railway bridge – a 477-metre long steel girder truss bridge of 13 spans each at 33 metres supported on concrete piers – towards Kapiri Mposhi and the start of the TAZARA railway line. (BLD)
Day 11 - Luxury Train Journey
Enjoy a day at leisure on the train. Lectures will be given during the course of the morning and/or afternoon by the on-board historian. The train passes through Serenje and Mpika to Kasama. (BLD)
Day 12 - Luxury Train Journey
08h00 – Disembark at Kasama for a morning excursion to Chisimba Falls.
11h00 – Depart from Kasama and travel towards the Tanzanian border (BLD)
Day 13 - Luxury Train Journey
09h00 – Arrive at Makambako where guests may enjoy a stroll through the town – time permitting.
10h30 – Depart and travel towards Mlimba. The train descends into the Rift Valley and through the Udzungwa Mountains as it negotiates the tunnels, switchbacks and viaducts of the escarpment.
Day at leisure on the train with lectures by the on-board historian (BLD)
Day 14 - Luxury Train Journey
Game visit in the Selous Reserve (time permitting).
Travel towards Gwata for an overnight stop. (BLD)
Day 15 - End of Rovos Rail Cape Town to Dar es Salaam
06h30 – Depart Gwata and travel in an easterly direction towards the coast.
07h00 – Breakfast is served in the dining car/s until 09h30.
10h00 – Arrive at journey’s end in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (B)