Luxury Train Journey to Victoria Falls and Okavango Delta Safari

You are met at Johannesburg International Airport for the transfer to your hotel. Time at leisure to relax after your long flight, or we can book you an optional day tour. Meals are for your own account and overnight at The Residence Hotel.

Breakfast and transfer to Pretoria Station on time for the train departure at 10h00.

Lunch is served in the dining cars. Travel through Warmbaths (Bela-Bela) – so named for its mineral waters – and Nylstroom, christened by the Voortrekkers as the source of the Nile River as the town’s river happened to be north flowing. Pass the edge of the escarpment where the Highveld drops precipitously. Tea is served in the lounge and observation cars. The train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn. Dinner is served in the dining cars. The train crosses the Limpopo River to Beitbridge.

Today is a day at leisure on board of the Rovos Rail. Have a slow start with breakfast and watch the scenery go by while the train travels through the countryside. Travel towards Bulawayo: second city of Zimbabwe, capital of Matabeleland and industrial capital of the country. Meals and tea time is served in the lounge and observation cars. Overnight en-route to Mpopoma.

Breakfast and lunch are served on board the train. The train travels between Gwaai and Dete along one of the world’s longest stretches of straight railway line – 114 kilometres – and along the eastern edge of Hwange Park. This afternoon you will enjoy a game drive at The Hide in Hwange National Park and return to the train for dinner and night. Overnight on the way to Thompsons Junction.

We have arrived in Victoria Falls. Breakfast and depart the train. You will be met by our representative for the road transfer to the hotel. The Victoria Falls Hotel is your home away from home for the next 2 nights. Chat to us to book additional day excursions as per your preferences, or choose to relax in the gardens or by the pool. The Victoria Falls Hotel is a grand Edwardian-era hotel that was built in the early 1900’s ,during the time when Cecil Rhodes famously attempted to link Cape Town to Cairo by rail. A ten-minute stroll, via a private footpath, leads to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World: the Victoria Falls. The hotel is surrounded by carefully tended tropical gardens, lily ponds and century-old shade trees.

Road transfer to Kasane, Botswana on time for the scheduled charter flight to the Okavango delta and Shinde. Transfer to camp, meet with your safari guide and appreciate the raw wilderness around you.

Shinde is situated on a private concession which allows guided walks, Mokoro excursions and night drives in addition to game drives and motorboat trips. Shinde’s excellent location in the Okavango Delta ensures a combination of permanent water access for year-round water activities and large dry areas for game drive routes. This blend of environments provides the habitat for a consistently wide variety of wildlife, including the elusive sitatunga antelope and a healthy population of leopards.

Last morning in the bush, after breakfast you are transferred to the airstrip for the flight to Maun. Time at leisure until your own flight back home, or contact us to extend your trip.