HIGHLIGHTS
GREAT FOR
Honeymooners – a romantic journey across scenic Africa in your private rail compartment
AVAILABLE ACTIVITIES
Game drive
Cultural tours
BEST TIME TO GO
High Season⊕: April to August
Green Season⊕: November to March
OVERVIEW
Can there be a more leisurely, romantic and memorable way to see the world’s biggest waterfall, the spectacular wildlife of Zimbabwe, the world’s biggest man-made hole and one the most famous mountains on the planet than by Rovos Rail? Add travelling through the Cape Winelands, visiting a preserved historic Victorian town and seeing one of South Africa’ capital cities through fresh eyes and you have a trip that seamlessly combines nature, history and culture.
You will go back in time to a world of dressing for dinner, passing the afternoon on the open-air observation car and having the chance to simply switch off as much as you like. This is a wonderful way to end a Botswana, Zambia or Zimbabwe safari.
TRIP SUMMARY
DURATION
8 Nights / 9 Days
DESTINATIONS VISITED
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Pretoria, South Africa
Kimberley, South Africa
ACCOMMODATIONS VISITED
Rovos Rail
The Sheraton Pretoria Hotel
DAILY ITINERARY
The Victoria Falls are one of Africa’s many masterpieces and the wider setting for your departure on Rovos Rail in the late afternoon. Depending on your previous arrangements, you could spend the day touring the Falls, shopping in the markets or perhaps even testing your mettle with a bungee jump into Batoka Gorge.
After embarkation, you will wave goodbye to the Falls, enjoy a sundowner and then put on your best clothes to be summoned by traditional dinner gong for supper.
Why we love Rovos Rail:
- Arguably the world’s most luxurious train
- Well-appointed compartments with en suite bathrooms
- Interesting guided excursions along the route
- Truly gracious living with formal dinners and high tea
Overnight you will have crossed northern Zimbabwe into Hwange National Park, the country’s flagship conservation area. You will disembark for an exciting early morning game drive with The Hide, a longstanding and well-established safari lodge, to seek out elephant, lion, buffalo, wildebeest and more.
Back on the train, you can continue to enjoy spotting game as you chug along one of the world’s longest stretches of straight track, which runs 114km / 71mi between Dete and Gwaai in the park.
After the fun of Hwange, you have a day to do as you please: read, nap, play board games, sort your photos, sketch, chat and just watch the world go by. The landscape changes gradually, leaving behind soaring baobabs for classic Highveld bush.
You will cross from Zimbabwe into South Africa, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn. The beauty of Rovos Rail is a self-contained world with all your gourmets taken care of and drinks on tap thanks to gracious and discreet staff.
Gradually the high-rises of Pretoria come into view and you disembark for two nights at The Sheraton Hotel. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa with an important history: it houses the state Union Buildings, several monuments and, in summer, is transformed into a sea of purple thanks to flowering jacaranda trees.
You can opt for guided city tours and see a lively and cosmopolitan African city of the 21st century. In the evening, we can help you with dinner reservations.
Why we love Sheraton Pretoria Hotel:
- View of the iconic Union Buildings
- Outdoor pool and gym to workout
- Classic South African cuisine
- Upscale spa with steam room
After two nights at The Sheraton and sightseeing in Pretoria (also known as Tshwane), it is off the Rovos Rail departure lounge and, if time permits, a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into keeping these locomotives and carriages on the tracks. This is a fascinating glimpse into the secret world of the railways.
Then it’s time to settle in and start your journey south, passing the historic goldfields – upon which so much of South Africa’s tumultuous history is predicated – of the Witwatersrand.
Yesterday you were amid gold mines; today you pass into diamond fields. After breakfast, you will pull into Kimberley, a town built on the discovery of diamonds in the early 1870s. Such was the global frenzy to exploit the rich seam that countless men dug claims by hand, eventually digging the biggest man-made hole in the world, 215m / 702 ft deep with a perimeter of 1.6km / 1mi!
Tour the jaw-dropping hole and explore the fascinating diamond museum before re-embarking.
Again, you will notice the scenery gradually changing from the big-sky country of the Karoo and its famous sheep farms to greener and more fertile valleys that support citrus orchards and vineyards.
Today your excursion is to Matjiesfontein, a historic town that is like stepping back in time with a well-preserved Victorian hotel, several residences, a working railway station and the atmosphere of a bygone age that is enhanced with a large collection of vintage cars and locomotives.
After a final dinner in your finery and a last night’s sleep to the gentle rocking of the train, you’ll be nearing Cape Town – first detected as you catch a glimpse of Table Mountain. Pulling into the station, you’ll have travelled a huge distance in complete comfort, without a wisp of jet-lag.
Let us put together the next leg of your journey, whether it is a few days in the Mother City or time on the famed Garden Route.
INCLUDED*
EXCLUDED*
* Subject to change. Your personal consultant will confirm all the details with you while helping you plan your safari to Africa so you have a full understanding of costs with no surprises.
WHY BOOK WITH BIGGESTLEAF TRAVEL
