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Victoria Falls Luxury Train, Rovos Rail: South Africa + Zimbabwe + Botswana

Rovos Rail Train: Pretoria to Victoria Falls + Botswana (3-nts)
Victoria Falls Luxury Train Rovos Rail South Africa Zimbabwe Botswana
10 NIGHTS FROM:
$4,615
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
9ZYA10J
• Luxury Train, Rovos Rail South Africa
• Capital Park Station, Pretoria
• Beit Bridge
• Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
• Hwange Safari
• Victoria Falls, Luxury Train
• Zambezi Cruise
• Chobe Game Reserve
• Lions & Elephants
• South Africa, Zimbabwe & Botswana

Travel to Victoria Falls by luxury train with Rovos Rail, journeying northwards from Pretoria in South Africa to Zimbabwe & Botswana. Visit the iconic waterfalls, view wildlife by boat on the Zambezi & enjoy a safari in Chobe Game Reserve, with river-based & land-based game viewing. Regular departures in both directions (Pullman, Deluxe or Royal cabin). All transfers & game drives included.

Day 1
You will be met at Johannesburg Airport and transferred 1-hour to Pretoria (now called Tshwane).
 
This city is the administrative capital of South Africa and is renowned for its jacaranda trees that flower from September to November. Check into your hotel and relax under warm blue African skies.
Day 2
This morning enjoy a half day private tour of the highlights of Pretoria.
 
We visit the Voortrekker Monument and historic Church Square, where we visit the home of Paul Kruger who was the president of the old Transvaal Republic at the time of the Anglo Boer War. We also drive past the City Hall and stop for photos at the beautiful Union Buildings - the official residence of the South African president, designed by Sir Herbert Baker. Here there is an impressive statue of Nelson Mandela.
Day 3
Transfer from your hotel to Capital Park Station arriving by 09.00, in good time to board the luxury Rovos Rail Pride of Africa departing 10.00 for Victoria Falls.
 
Relax and enjoy the elegance of luxury 5-star train travel of a bygone age as you settle in to your wood-panelled coach for your 3-night rail journey, enjoying fine cuisine and outstanding personal service as you travel nearly 1,000 miles through South Africa and Zimbabwe to the mighty Victoria Falls.
 
Lunch is served as the train travels north through Warmbaths and Nylstroom. We cross the Tropic of Capricorn, with dinner served as the train heads towards Messina for border formalities.
 
Note: Dress code on the train during the day is smart casual, with comfortable walking shoes for the off-train excursion. Evenings are generally more formal, with most guests enjoying the opportunity to dress up (gentlemen are asked to wear a collar & tie, but jackets are optional).
 
Please be aware you may experience delays on your journey, due to issues with the local railway network. Rovos Rail will do its best to mitigate these, but they do sometimes occur. For this reason you should not book your flight home on the day your journey ends.
Day 4
We enter Zimbabwe at Beit Bridge and enjoy a full day of luxury train travel, as we head northwards through baobab country.
 
We pass Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe and the capital of Matabeleland. Then enjoy the spectacle of an African sunset and dinner aboard the train, as we heads towards Mpopoma.
 
Note: The train may be re-routed via Botswana, in the event of any problems along the line.
Day 5
Today we continue northwards from Mpopoma, travelling along one of Africa's longest stretches of straight railway line (114 km) between Gwaai and Dete and along the eastern edge of Hwange National Park.
 
In the afternoon we disembark for an open-top game drive in Hwange, the most famous national park in Zimbabwe, with its huge herds of elephants and many predators.
 
Afterwards dinner is served on the train, en route to Thompsons Junction.
Day 6
After breakfast we arrive at our journey's end – the incomparable Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River.
 
Located in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), where the borders of five African countries converge, the sheer scale of this vast international conservation project is difficult to comprehend. It encompasses a bewildering range of experiences, ranging from the mighty Victoria Falls to the lifeforce of the region, the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers.
 
Arrive at Victoria Falls Station around 10.00, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Check in, settle in and relax whilst you catch your first glimpses of the magnificent Smoke That Thunders first discovered by Dr. David Livingstone and still one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. The flow of water over the Victoria Falls is greatest during the wet months (February to June) but the falls are a magnificent sight at any time of year.
Day 7
Today enjoy a shared tour exploring on foot the mighty Victoria Falls and its rainforests, which offer magnificent views.
 
Afterwards you may wish to visit Elephants Walk, a small crafts complex where you can see talented local artists and sculptors at work and support them by buying one of their items. Alternatively you can participate in various optional activities, such as a helicopter flight over the falls.
 
In the late afternoon enjoy an included shared cruise on the Zambezi River where you may see hippos, crocodiles and abundant birdlife.
 
Note: Take light rainwear for use when the falls are full.
Day 8
This morning take a 2-hour shared transfer to the Botswana border at Kasane. After completing immigration formalities, connect with your onward transfer to your lodge situated near the Chobe River.
 
Chobe National Park is Botswana’s premier wildlife reserve and is uniquely situated at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers, where four African countries meet – Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Chobe River is the life-giving force of this region and provides a border between Botswana on the southern banks and Namibia on the northern banks. The river has extensive grassy floodplains on either side, which disappear under the annual floodwaters, making boats the best way of getting around.
 
After checking in to your lodge, enjoy a boat ride on the Chobe River, which is home to some of Botswana’s most spectacular wildlife, as well as abundant bird life. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately in this vast game sanctuary and hopefully you will see elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, antelope and other river-based wildlife today. Afterwards dine in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide.
 
Note: Most transfer vehicles do not cross the border, so you may be dropped off on one side of immigration control and collected on the other side by a different vehicle. As a precautionary measure against foot and mouth disease, at the Botswanan border you may be required to have any footwear you plan to wear in Botswana treated by officials, so please carry at least one pair of shoes in your hand luggage for this treatment.
Days 9 To 10
Rise at dawn to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day and enjoy thrilling game viewing in Chobe National Park. Activities vary by lodge, but usually focus on shared open-top game drives in the national park and boat rides on the Chobe River, which gives you a different wildlife perspective. Seasonal tiger fishing is also offered by many lodges.
  
Chobe National Park is home to vast herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as numerous other species which roam in profusion and diversity. During the dry season, vast elephant herds migrate from both south and north to congregate in their thousands along the Chobe River – the largest concentration of elephants in the whole of Africa. This migration of wildlife is possibly due to the creation of protected wildlife corridors, which allow the elephants to travel between the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Park (KAZA) countries safely. Also hope to see lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodiles, antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons and many other interesting animals before returning to your lodge.
 
Bird life along the river is also plentiful and you can hope to see a Fish eagle, Tawny eagle, African openbill stork, Marabou stork, Sacred ibis, Pied kingfisher, Cattle egret, Great egret, Spur-winged goose and much more, including the glorious Lilac-breasted roller.
 
It is also possible to book an optional excursion to a Namibian village across the river to see their culture and way of life - with immigration formalities at Kazangula and in Namibia. Each African culture within KAZA has its own particular traditions with regards to song, dance and dress. However the one thing they all have in common is their staple diet of a maize meal porridge. In Botswana this is called 'sadza' but in Namibia it is known as 'inkoko' or 'pap'.
 
In the afternoon, enjoy another game drive or boat ride on the Chobe River. After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way – including the spectacular Southern Cross.
 
 
Day 11
Transfer to Kasane Airport for your flight home.