Rovos Rail: Cape Town to Dar Es Salaam Long Journey 15 Nights/16 Days - Pullman

A trip aboard Rovos Rail is a journey like no other. Experience the opulent elegance of rail travel on one of Rovos Rail’s exceptional safaris through the heart of Africa. Combining some of the most magnificent scenery with the glamour and excitement of the golden age of rail travel, Rovos Rail will delight the most discerning traveller. With discreet and friendly service, five-star cuisine and a selection of South Africa’s finest wines, Rovos Rail harks back to a simpler, more elegant era – encompassing the timeless grace and high romance of African exploration. Trains depart regularly from Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria for Cape Town, Durban and Victoria Falls with longer journeys operated on an annual basis. These include two golf itineraries, of nine days, each with delightful programmes for non-golfers. There is another nine-day safari to Swakopmund as well as the two-week adventure to Dar es Salaam.

Day 1: Depart from Cape Town Station.
14h30 Check-in at Rovos Rail Lounge, 1 Adderley Street, Cape Town.
16h00 Depart from Cape Town Station. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travellers in the lounge car or observation car for tea at 16:30. The train travels towards the Hex River Valley.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Day 2: Off Board Excursion
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
Disembark at Matjiesfontein for an opportunity to stroll through the historic village. Of special interest is the museum on the platform and a collection of historic cars and railway carriages to the right of the Lord Milner Hotel.
10h00 The train traverses the Karoo, a vast semi-desert region that was once an enormous inland sea. Over millions of years, volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as silt upon the seabed to form what geologists call the Karoo system.
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars. 16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars. 19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Day 3: Off Board Excursion
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
12h30 Lunch is served in the dining cars.
Enjoy a tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Capital of the Northern Cape, Kimberley is well known for the discovery of diamonds that led to its establishment in 1871. 16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars. 19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Klerksdorp. Dress: Formal
Day 4: Off Board Excursion
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars. 08h30 Transfer (±60 min) to Pretoria for a city tour followed by lunch on the Rovos Rail Station platform. Enjoy a walking tour of the station and locomotive workshops (weather permitting). Return (±60 min) to the train. 19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Zeerust. Dress: Formal
Day 5: Off Board Excursion
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay in Madikwe. Tog bags have been placed in your suite for your convenience. See below for inclusions/exclusions. Spa facilities available (own account). Payment in ZAR or by credit card only. Times of meals and activities confirmed on arrival.
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. 11h00 Transfer (±90 min) to a lodge in Madikwe for a two-night stay. Lunch is served on arrival. Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours). 19h00 Dinner at the lodge. Dress: Casual
Madikwe is a prime malaria-free Big 5 wildlife reserve bordering Botswana. It lies within a transition zone between the North-West Province bushveld and Kalahari thornveld with enormous volcanic intrusions, wide open plains and the riverine environment along the Marico River. As a result, the region is host to an incredible diversity of species from both ecosystems with a rich assortment of vegetation and more than 300 resident and migrant bird species.
Day 6: Off Board Excursion
Early morning game drive (approximately 3 hours). 07h00 Breakfast is served at the lodge until 09:30. 12h30 Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours). 19h00 Dinner at the lodge. Dress: Casual
Day 7: Off Board Excursion
Early morning game drive (approximately 2 hours) 07h00 Breakfast is served until 09:30.
Please ensure your bags are ready for collection at 10:00 and proceed to check-out.
10h30 Depart the lodge. Transfer to the train at Gaborone in Botswana. Border formalities will take place en route and guests are required to present themselves to the border officials (luggage may be searched).
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn and the eastern edge of the Kalahari Basin. Known as ‘Kgalagadi’ in Botswana, the Kalahari (which extends to 900 000km2 and covers much of Botswana, parts of Namibia and South Africa) is not a true desert as it does experience small amounts of rain, with some areas enjoying up to 250mm. The surrounding basin covers over 2 500 000km2 extending farther into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is part desert, part plateau. The only constant river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest forming marshes that are rich in wildlife.
16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Dress: Formal
Please ensure the Train Manager or Administration Deputy is in possession of your passport. Victoria Falls: It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the list of activities available: Tour of Victoria Falls; helicopter over the falls; whitewater rafting; bungee-jumping; zip-lining; game walks; golf etc. You may book these excursions at the hotel OR beforehand with the on-board historian – today between 16:30-18:00. Cash accepted.
BORDER: KOPFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA / TLOKWENG, BOTSWANA
Day 8: At Leisure on Board
Lectures will take place throughout the journey during the morning and/or afternoon in the lounge car. Please consult Lecture Sheets for details. Victoria Falls: If you have decided to book activities through the on-board historian, please ensure you have done so before lunch. Cash accepted.
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Border formalities take place.
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars. Pass Gwaai and Dete along one of Africa’s longest stretches of straight railway line – 114 kilometers – and along the eastern edge of the Hwange National Park.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars.
Dress: Formal
BORDER: FRANCISTOWN, BOTSWANA / PLUMTREE, ZIMBABWE
Day 9: Off Board Excursion
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay at Victoria Falls Hotel. See below for inclusions/exclusions. Meals are taken at the Victoria Falls Hotel. Currency exchange is available at the hotel (passports not required); there is a business centre and WiFi available throughout. If you are crossing the border into Zambia during your stay, please obtain your passport from the Train Manager or Administration Deputy.
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
12h00 Arrive at the incomparable Victoria Falls. Disembark with an overnight bag and walk across to the hotel.
Welcome address on the lawn followed by lunch at Jungle Junction. Luggage will be delivered to the rooms.
15:45 WINTER / 16:15 SUMMER Meet in the hotel foyer before departure for the sunset cruise on the Zambezi.
19h30 Dinner at the Livingstone Room, Victoria Falls Hotel.
Dress: Smart Casual (strictly no safari-wear, shorts, sandals or sneakers)
Plunging over the lip of the Victoria Falls is the largest body of falling water on earth. The mighty Zambezi, fourth longest river in Africa, is about 2kms wide above the falls and cascades dramatically over a precipice 1.6km in length and 108m at its deepest, compressing the vast volume of water into a chasm 50m wide. The sound can be deafening, the aspect magnificent and the memory indelible. In autumn, the spray is so great it inhibits photography while in spring the seasonal flow considerably reduces leaving large slabs of brown basalt exposed on the lip.
Day 10: Off Board Excursion
Check-out time is normally at 10:00 (to be advised). If you have organised morning activities, please ensure you have checked out. Luggage storage at reception is complimentary until afternoon departure. Please call the front desk and they will send a porter to collect your luggage.
06h30 Breakfast is served at the Jungle Junction Restaurant until 10:00. Day at leisure in the Victoria Falls.
13h00 Lunch at Jungle Junction.
15h00 Meet on station platform for departure to Zambia.
16h00 Cross the Victoria Falls Bridge. Tea in the lounge and observation cars. Border formalities take place.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Please ensure the Train Manager or Administration Deputy is in possession of passport.
BORDER: VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE / LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA
Day 11: At Leisure on Board
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
After breakfast, 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.
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars. The train passes through Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Kapiri Mposhi. Dress: “Africa” Theme or Smart Casual
Day 12: At Leisure on board
07h00 Breakfast is served until 10:00. The train travels the TAZARA railway line, an engineering tour de force and one of Africa’s best-kept secrets as it passes through remote territory.
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Kasama. Dress: Formal
Day 13: Off Board Excursion
06h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until departure.
08h00 Enjoy a visit to Chisimba Falls where guests can take a pleasant walk down to the rock pools at the base of the falls or admire them from various viewpoints.
11h30 The train climbs to the border, almost exactly the midpoint between Africa’s two Great Rift Valley lakes.
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars. Border formalities take place.
19h30 Dinner is served. The train passes Baobab forests and descends the Rift Valley towards Mbeya. Dress: Formal
PLEASE PUT YOUR WATCHES FORWARD AN HOUR BEFORE RETIRING FOR THE EVENING.
Chisimba Falls is a series of three waterfalls named Mutumuna, Kaela and Chishimba (Chisimba), which are separated over 300m along the Luombe River. According to Bemba tradition, the nature spirit “Chishimba” lives in a cave behind the falls therefore no bad behaviour (including fights, insults and arrogance) is allowed in this area. Though the Bemba people arrived here in the 17th century, they weren’t the first as the land surrounding the falls is dotted with evidence of Iron Age activities including kilns, smelting pipes and iron ore deposits.
BORDER: NAKONDE, ZAMBIA / TUNDUMA, TANZANIA
Day 14: Off Board Excursion
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00.
09h00 Arrive at Makambako and enjoy a stroll through the town (time permitting).
11h00 The train travels towards the jungled Udzungwa Mountains and negotiates the dramatic switchbacks, viaducts and tunnels of the escarpment.
13h00 Lunch is served in the dining cars.
16h30 Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Day 15: Off Board Excursion
07h00 Continental breakfast is served in the dining cars until 08:00. The train descends into the highlands and traverses the fertile lands of Tanzania towards the Nyerere.
10h30 Brunch is served in the dining cars until 11:45.
12h00 Enjoy a game visit in the Nyerere National Park, the largest in Africa at 30 000km2 (time permitting).
18h00 Return to the train.
19h30 Dinner is served in the dining cars en route to Gwata. Dress: “1920s” Theme or Smart Casual
Day 16: Disembark the train
Please ensure that your luggage is ready for collection 15 minutes before arrival and that you have your passport.
07h00 Breakfast is served in the dining cars until 10:00. Travel in an easterly direction towards the coast.
11h00 Arrive at journey’s end at Tazara Station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.