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Review Itinerary
Summary
Checkout
Duration
12 DaysStarts In
PretoriaRoute
Matobo National Park, Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls , Pretoria, Kruger National Park, Maputo
There are few more thrilling ways to begin a journey than stepping aboard the Pride of Africa in Pretoria, knowing that Victoria Falls — one of the natural wonders of the world — awaits at the other end. This 12-day odyssey aboard Rovos Rail travels through five countries and some of the most extraordinary landscapes Southern Africa has to offer: the escarpment drama of the Panorama Route, the big-game wilderness of Kruger, the Portuguese-flavored streets of Maputo, the mountain kingdom of eSwatini, the ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe and the lion country of Hwange. On board, silver-service dining, fine Cape wines and the unhurried rhythm of the rails create an atmosphere of timeless elegance. Every mile brings the thunder of the Zambezi closer — and the anticipation is half the joy.
RAIL JOURNEY 12 Days / 11 Nights Aboard Rovos Rail Luxury Train from Pretoria to Victoria Falls, traveling through South Africa, Mozambique, eSwatini and Zimbabwe before finishing at the magnificent Victoria Falls. Includes private arrival & departure transfers, your choice of luxury cabin accommodations, room service, all meals, local beer, wine and soft drinks, onboard lectures and guided excursions as indicated in the itinerary.
Includes
- Accommodations as per itinerary
- Meals as per itinerary; breakfast (B), lunch (L), dinner (D)
- Sightseeing: per itinerary
- Train tickets as per the itinerary
- Special onboard entertainment per itinerary
- Keytours 24-hour emergency assistance
- Private arrival and departure transfers as per itinerary
- Group Manager/Guide with Group
Excludes
- Items of a personal nature
- All other items not mentioned as included
- Domestic flights; please inquire with your Keytours travel consultant
- Travel insurance; please inquire with your Keytours travel consultant
- Gratuities for drivers, guides, and escorts
Itinerary
Day
1
1
Day 1
Day 1: Departure Day — Pretoria to the Rails
Guests are warmly encouraged to arrive at Rovos Rail Station this morning at least an hour before departure — those wishing to tour the station and visit the museum are welcome to arrive two hours early. Passports should be handed to the Train Manager before the Pride of Africa pulls away from Pretoria, heading east through the coal-mining heartland of eMalahleni, where Rovos Rail was founded, and on through Middelburg — the stainless steel capital of Africa. The historic NZASM line, built between 1893 and 1895 to connect Pretoria with Lourenço Marques, carries the train through changing landscapes as lunch is served at midday and tea is taken in the observation and lounge cars this afternoon. A formal dinner this evening marks the beginning of a great adventure.
Day
2
2
Day 2
Day 2: Escarpment Wonders — The Panorama Route
After breakfast this morning, guests transfer to one of South Africa's most spectacular drives. Pilgrim's Rest — a living National Monument — preserves the fever of the 1873 gold rush in restored miners' cottages now serving as shops and restaurants. Bourke's Luck Potholes are otherworldly: deep cylindrical shafts carved by centuries of river erosion. The Blyde River Canyon viewpoints offer vertiginous panoramas over the Lowveld far below, where the great escarpment drops dramatically. At Graskop, a lift descends 51 meters into a gorge forest of wooden walkways and suspension bridges. Lunch is enjoyed before guests return to the train this afternoon, approximately 75 minutes away. A formal dinner is served this evening as the train continues toward Malelane.
Day
3
3
Day 3
Day 3: Into the Wild — Kruger and the Border Crossing
Breakfast is served before first light this morning as the train draws near one of Africa's greatest sanctuaries. Two million hectares of pristine bushveld, Kruger is home to 147 mammal species — the Big Five foremost among them — along with 507 bird species, 114 reptiles and 336 tree species. A world leader in conservation management, it is a place where Africa's wildness feels both vast and intimate. This morning's game drive offers the chance to encounter lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo before lunch and a browse through curio stalls. Tea is taken in the observation cars this afternoon as the train crosses into Mozambique and border formalities are completed. A formal dinner is served this evening as the train rolls toward Maputo.
Day
4
4
Day 4
Day 4: Colonial Contrasts — A Morning in Maputo
After breakfast this morning, guests explore Maputo — a city of beautiful contradictions where Portuguese colonial grandeur meets African vitality. Catholic churches face mosques, Victorian mansions stand near fortress walls, and the sound of marrabenta drifts through jacaranda-lined boulevards. The city's architecture tells centuries of trade, conquest and resilience, blending African, Portuguese and early colonial traditions into something entirely its own. Ornate iron buildings linked to Eiffel's office, lively fish markets and the Natural History Museum all reward exploration. Lunch is taken in the city before guests return to the train. Tea is served this afternoon as the train crosses into the Kingdom of eSwatini and border formalities are completed. A formal dinner is enjoyed this evening.
Day
5
5
Day 5
Day 5: Candles and Culture — Eswatini's Living Traditions
After breakfast this morning, guests transfer approximately 90 minutes to Swazi Candles, where artisans craft vibrant creations before your eyes alongside woodcarvings and brilliant textiles. Nearby, Mantenga Cultural Village — nestled in mountains above Execution Rock — is a living museum preserving Swazi traditions of the 1850s, where dancers, craftspeople and storytellers keep the old ways alive. Lunch is enjoyed at Mantenga Lodge before guests return to the train. The Kingdom of eSwatini covers just 17,000km² yet sustains two capital cities and a proud absolute monarchy, renamed from Swaziland in 2018 to mean 'place of the Swazi.' Tea is served this afternoon as border formalities are completed and the train heads toward Hoedspruit. A formal dinner is enjoyed this evening.
Day
6
6
Day 6
Day 6: Dawn Patrol — Kapama Reserve and the Endangered Species Centre
A continental breakfast is served before first light this morning as the train draws near Hoedspruit. Guests then enjoy a dawn game drive through Kapama Private Game Reserve — home to the Big Five and over 40 mammal species across its rich Limpopo bushveld, along with approximately 350 bird species. The morning continues at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, a moving encounter with Africa's most vulnerable wildlife, where conservation is pursued through breeding, rehabilitation, community education and anti-poaching work. Lunch is served on board as the train heads north toward Louis Trichardt this afternoon. Guests gather for tea in the observation cars before this evening's dinner, for which guests are invited to dress in 'Africa' theme or smart casual — a celebration of the continent the train is crossing.
Day
7
7
Day 7
Day 7: Baobab Country — At Leisure Through the Soutpansberg
Today is the journey itself. Breakfast is a leisurely affair this morning as the train climbs through the Soutpansberg mountains — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of extraordinary biological diversity — before descending toward the Limpopo. Limpopo Province is South Africa's northern gateway, home to five distinct cultural regions where Bapedi, Tswana, Vhavenda, Vatsonga and Ndebele peoples have lived for generations in harmony. This afternoon the train crosses the Limpopo — Kipling's 'great grey-green, greasy' river — and drifts on through baobab country, those sentinel trees standing over the red earth as the border into Zimbabwe is crossed. Tea is taken in the observation cars before guests dress formally for dinner this evening, the train heading deeper into Zimbabwe.
Day
8
8
Day 8
Day 8: Stone City — The Great Zimbabwe Monument
After breakfast this morning, guests transfer approximately 75 minutes to Great Zimbabwe — the largest precolonial monument south of the Egyptian pyramids. Built by the Rozwi people, this ancient city of stone was once the heart of a gold-trading civilization whose wealth flowed outward through Arabic and Portuguese merchants. The legends of King Solomon's Mines find their roots among these towering dry-stone walls, and forests of teak, mahogany and mukwa speak of a landscape long held precious. Guests explore the ruins at their own pace before a shared lunch at the site. This afternoon the return journey to the train takes in the sweeping central plateau before a formal dinner is served this evening as the train continues north toward Gweru.
Day
9
9
Day 9
Day 9: Pride Restored — Lions and Savannah at Antelope Park
After breakfast this morning, a short transfer of around 30 minutes brings the group to Antelope Park — 3,000 acres of open savannah and home to the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), Africa's first ethical program reintroducing captive-bred lions to the wild. Optional activities this morning and afternoon include canoeing, horseback game viewing, elephant interaction, and bird-watching cruises. After lunch at the park, guests return to the train for tea in the observation cars this afternoon as the train travels on toward Bulawayo — the second city of Zimbabwe, capital of Matabeleland and the country's industrial heart. A formal dinner is served this evening.
Day
10
10
Day 10
Day 10: Hill of Spirits — Matobo's Granite Kingdom
After breakfast this morning, guests transfer approximately one hour to Matobo National Park — named 'bald heads' by Ndebele King Mzilikazi, who is himself buried in these hills. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park shelters remarkable San rock art tucked among dramatic granite domes. At the summit of Malindidzimu, 'hill of benevolent spirits', Cecil John Rhodes' grave is carved from solid granite within a natural boulder amphitheatre — his chosen 'view of the world.' This afternoon the train travels on toward Kennedy as guests take tea in the lounge and observation cars, the kopjes of Matobo giving way to open bush. A formal dinner is served this evening, the excitement of tomorrow's destination — Victoria Falls — quietly building.
Day
11
11
Day 11
Day 11: Elephant Country — Sunrise Safari in Hwange
Breakfast is served before first light this morning as the train approaches Zimbabwe's greatest wildlife reserve. A dawn game drive takes guests deep into Hwange — 1.4 million hectares of northwest Zimbabwe sheltering extraordinary biodiversity, including one of Africa's most celebrated lion populations, alongside elephants, wild dogs and hundreds of bird species. A packed lunch is enjoyed in the bush before guests return to the train. This afternoon the train travels one of the world's longest straight railway lines — 114 kilometers between Gwaai and Dete — tracing the eastern edge of the park as the golden light shifts across the plains. Guests gather in the observation cars for tea before dressing this evening in 1920s elegance or smart casual for the penultimate dinner of the journey.
Day
12
12
Day 12
Day 12: Thundering Waters — Arrival at Victoria Falls
Guests are kindly asked to have luggage ready for collection this morning before the train arrives. A final breakfast is served as the Pride of Africa pulls into Victoria Falls Station — the little colonial halt first reached by railway in June 1904 — where guests step across to the legendary Victoria Falls Hotel, framed by bougainvillea and palm trees. This morning brings a walking tour of the village and the falls: one of nature's great revelations, 1.7km wide and 108m deep at Rainbow Falls, roaring with the force of the Zambezi. Lunch is enjoyed before the afternoon turns golden and guests gather this evening for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi — a magnificent farewell before transferring to the airport for departure. Please enquire for extended accommodation options.
Dates & Prices
14 of Jan, 2027
Thursday
11 of Mar, 2027
Thursday
13 of Apr, 2027
Tuesday
2 of Sep, 2027
Thursday
19 of Nov, 2027
Friday
20 of Jan, 2028
Thursday
10 of Feb, 2028
Thursday
2 of Mar, 2028
Thursday
13 of Apr, 2028
Thursday
24 of Aug, 2028
Thursday
21 of Sep, 2028
Thursday
26 of Oct, 2028
Thursday
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