Rovos Rail: Southern Cross
- 17
- £7,999
- South Africa
- Fly into Johannesburg and transfer to Pretoria
- Enjoy an 11-night rail cruise aboard the Pride of Africa by Rovos Rail
- Experience game drives, cultural visits and city tours in South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland
- Spend 2 nights at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, before flying back home
- Decide when you would like to travel
- Upgrade hotels and rail journeys
- Add extra nights, destinations and/or tours
- Return flights from London to Johannesburg (with connecting return flight from Victoria Falls) in economy class
- 3 nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast
- An 11-night journey aboard the Pride of Africa including all meals, drinks and excursions (some optional excursions payable locally)
- Transfers to and from the hotel in Pretoria and Victoria Falls to Johannesburg Airport
- Despatch of tickets by email, post or collection from our London office
Itinerary
Fly overnight from the UK to Johannesburg. On arrival, you’ll be met by a private transfer driver who will take you to Pretoria for your overnight stay at the Southern Sun Hotel (or similar).
There’s time this afternoon to head out for an exploration of South Africa’s administrative capital, famous for its historic landmarks and jacaranda trees which decorate the city with a profusion of blossom in October and November.
After breakfast this morning, transfer to the Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria and check in for your 10am departure.
Once onboard, you can settle into your suite before joining your fellow travellers in one of the lounge cars as the train starts its journey towards Zimbabwe. Enjoy lunch onboard as you travel through the eMalahleni coal-mining area and Middelburg, known as the “stainless steel capital of Africa”. This rail line between Pretoria and Lourenço Marques (Maputo) was built by the Dutch railway building company between 1893 and 1895. Your first sumptuous dinner is served in the dining cars this evening.
Breakfast is served in the dining cars this morning before you disembark for a full-day tour which takes in the gold rush town of Pilgrim’s Rest where gold was discovered in 1873, the otherworldly Bourke’s Luck Potholes and stunning Graskop with lunch. The Graskop viewing lift (payable locally) descends down the face of the gorge into the forest below where wooden walkways and suspension bridges meander along a trail through the indigenous forest.
Rejoin the train in Mbombela and leave for Malelane. Dinner is served onboard.
Your first game drive of this wonderful journey starts at 7am today as you disembark the train for Kruger National Park. This world-famous park contains an unrivalled diversity of birds, reptiles, amphibians, trees and mammals, including the Big Five. Enjoy a full-day tour here with lunch before returning to the train for afternoon tea, served in the lounge and observation cars.
The train crosses the border into Mozambique as you head into the restaurant cars for dinner this evening.
Enjoy breakfast in the restaurant cars this morning before arriving into Mozambique’s capital city, Maputo where you have a city tour with lunch. Maputo offers a fascinating mix of cultures with architecture influenced by African, Portuguese and early Colonial traditions.
Back aboard the train, tea is served in the lounge and observation cars. The train arrives at Mpaka, eSwatini, where border formalities take place. Enjoy another memorable meal in the dining cars this evening.
Welcome to the tiny kingdom of eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Disembark at Mpaka and visit Mantenga Cultural Village, a living museum demonstrating local traditions from the 1800s. Enjoy lunch at Mantenga Lodge, nestled in the mountains and overlooking Execution Rock, a historic and beautiful peak where ancient Bushmen once lived.
After lunch, you’ll be taken back to the train for an onward journey towards the South African border at Hoedspruit, where there are more border formalities. Why not enjoy tea in one of the stunning observation cars before dressing for dinner this evening?
Prepare for an early start today with a continental breakfast available until 5:30am, followed by a thrilling game drive in Kapama Game Reserve where you may be lucky enough to spot the Big Five amongst 40 different species of mammal and 350 bird species. After this, you’ll visit the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre which provides a sanctuary for rare, vulnerable and threatened species including rhinos and cheetahs.
For dinner this evening back onboard the train, there’s an ‘Africa’ theme or you can opt for smart casual dress.
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning and then spend today onboard, travelling through Limpopo Province to Rutenga in Zimbabwe. The landscape of Limpopo varies from mountains to flat prairie and tropical forests, bush and shrubs to arid, semi-desert areas with small trees and bushes.
Aboard the train, you can socialise with other guests in one of the lounge or observation cars, buy a souvenir in the onboard gift shop or simply relax and enjoy the passing scenery.
Today, your journey takes you through sweeping granite hill country to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Zimbabwe Monument, the largest colonial monument south of the pyramids in Egypt. This former palace was at the centre of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country’s Late Iron Age. You can find out how these ancient people lived and mined gold and silver, which were ultimately taken out of Africa by Arabic and Portuguese traders.
Enjoy lunch here before returning to the train at Oreti Siding. Dinner is served back onboard.
After breakfast today, you’ll disembark for a full day at Antelope Park, a game reserve and home to the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) lion rehabilitation programme. You can choose from a host of payable optional extras here including horseback game viewings, canoeing and game drives.
Return to the train this afternoon for tea in the lounge and observation cars as your journey continues towards Bulawayo.
Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Today, enjoy a full-day tour of Matobo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including lunch. You’ll visit the grave of Cecil John Rhodes on the summit of Malindidzimu – ‘hill of benevolent spirits’ and there’s also the opportunity to see one of the more accessible bushman caves complete with rock art, of which there are many hidden amongst the hills.
After breakfast today, head out for a full day of game viewing in Hwange National Park, including a packed lunch. This park covers 1,462,000 hectares, making it the largest wildlife area in Zimbabwe. There are a variety of animals and bird species to see here but it’s also known for its large lion population.
For dinner this evening, there’s a 1920s dress theme, or you’re free to just go smart casual.
There’s a leisurely breakfast available in the dining cars this morning before you arrive into the little station at Victoria Falls.
Check out of train and walk across to Victoria Falls Hotel (or similar) where you have a 2-night stay.
Later this morning, regroup for a walking tour of the village and Falls including lunch. Then this evening, the end of your tour will be marked by an unforgettable sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.
Today is yours to do whatever you would like. Simply relax and enjoy the facilities at your hotel or spend some more time admiring the great Victoria Falls.
The Victoria Falls are one of the world’s great natural wonders and have existed here in some form or another for two million years. Although just over a mile long (1.7km), the falls are broken up by various small islands, including Livingstone Island. At their deepest, the falls are 108m deep at Rainbow Falls.
Check out of your hotel today and meet your transfer driver who will take you to the airport for an internal flight to Johannesburg and a connecting flight back to the UK.
Typical hotels on this itinerary
Pretoria
The Southern Sun Hotel is situated between the Union Buildings and the Breytenbach State Theatre in the financial district of Pretoria. Bedrooms come with flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning and Wi-FI access. There is an a la carte retaurant, a bar, a gym and an outdoor pool surrounded by landscaped gardens. Eastwood Shopping Centre is within easy walking distance.
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls Hotel occupies a grand Edwardian building within in the Victoria Falls National Park. The bedrooms and suites embody the history of the hotel with canopied beds, individual climate control, mini bar, safe and an ensuite with hairdryer. The hotel also features a choice of restaurants and an outdoor swimming pool with pool bar, a gym, a library, a garden and a terrace.
