Your Route
Pretoria → Polokwane → Soutpansberg → Beitbridge → Matobo → Bulawayo → Hwange → Victoria Falls
The extra night buys you Matobo, and Matobo is worth an extra night. Granite domes the size of cathedrals, balanced boulders that have not fallen in twenty thousand years, San paintings in the caves, and on the summit of one hill a plain brass plate over Cecil John Rhodes. It is one of the strangest and most affecting landscapes in southern Africa.
Rovos Rail run the Pretoria to Victoria Falls route in a three night and a four night version. The three night train covers the ground; the four night train stops properly. The addition is a full afternoon in Matobo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site south of Bulawayo, reached by a road transfer of about an hour from the railway.
This version also leaves Pretoria in the evening rather than the morning, at six o'clock, with dinner served as the train runs north to Polokwane. That makes the first day an easy one, and it means the second morning opens on the Tropic of Capricorn and the Soutpansberg mountains, which form part of the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve.
The train crosses into Zimbabwe at Beitbridge and reaches the Matobo hills on the third day. The rock here is some of the oldest exposed granite on earth, weathered into domes, castle kopjes and improbably balanced boulders. People have lived among them since the early Stone Age and the caves hold one of the densest concentrations of San rock art anywhere. Rhodes chose the summit of Malindidzimu, which the Ndebele call the hill of benevolent spirits, for his own grave, and the view from it goes on for ever.
The fourth day is Hwange, with the 114 kilometre straight between Gwaai and Dete and an afternoon game drive in Zimbabwe's largest wildlife reserve. The train reaches Victoria Falls Station at ten on the fifth morning.
The Zambezi drops into a chasm 1.6 kilometres wide at the end of the journey
Journey Highlights
Matobo National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site of balancing granite domes and whaleback hills that have been occupied by people since the early Stone Age. San rock art survives in the caves, and Cecil John Rhodes is buried on the summit of Malindidzimu, the hill of benevolent spirits.
The Game Drive in Hwange
Hwange National Park runs to 1.46 million hectares and shelters one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, along with lion, buffalo, giraffe and more than 400 recorded bird species. The drive is included and led by a qualified ranger.
The Grave of Cecil John Rhodes
Rhodes asked to be buried at what he called World's View, on the summit of Malindidzimu in the Matobo hills. The grave is cut into the rock itself and surrounded by a ring of granite boulders. Whatever you make of the man, the setting is extraordinary.
The Soutpansberg and Vhembe Biosphere
The second morning takes the train through the Soutpansberg mountains, part of the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve and one of the most biodiverse regions in South Africa, before crossing the Tropic of Capricorn.
One Hundred and Fourteen Kilometres of Straight Track
Between Gwaai and Dete the line runs dead straight for 114 kilometres along the eastern edge of Hwange National Park, one of the longest straight stretches of railway in the world.
An Evening Departure
The four night itinerary leaves Pretoria at six in the evening with dinner served on board, which makes for a relaxed first day and gives you the afternoon in Pretoria beforehand.
Day by Day
Evening Departure from Capital Park
Check in two hours before departure at Rovos Rail Station on Transnet Avenue in Pretoria. The station is Rovos Rail's own, built in the grounds of the Capital Park locomotive works, and there is a museum and a walking tour of the yard where the vintage coaches are rebuilt from bare frames.
The train leaves at six in the evening. Dinner is served in the dining cars at eight as the line runs north towards Polokwane. Dress is formal, and the first night is spent on board.
Dinner and all beverages on board. Station tour and museum at Rovos Rail Station. One night on board.
The Tropic of Capricorn and the Soutpansberg
Breakfast is served until ten as the train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn and runs through the varied landscapes of the Limpopo Province. The Soutpansberg mountains follow, part of the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve.
In the afternoon the train crosses the semi-arid Limpopo River valley, the great grey-green greasy Limpopo of Kipling's Just So Stories, all set about with fever trees. Border formalities take place at Musina and Beitbridge.
Dinner is served as the train travels on to Gwanda, and the second night is spent on board.
All meals and beverages on board. Border formalities handled by the train staff. One night on board.
The bushveld of the Limpopo Province on the second day
Matobo National Park
Breakfast from six as the train travels through baobab country, then lunch as the line runs towards Bulawayo, the second city of Zimbabwe and the capital of Matabeleland.
In the early afternoon guests transfer by road, about an hour, to Matobo National Park. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built on some of the oldest exposed granite on earth, weathered over two thousand million years into domes, castle kopjes and balancing boulders. It has been occupied by people since the early Stone Age and its caves hold one of the richest collections of San rock art in the world.
The excursion includes the summit of Malindidzimu, the hill of benevolent spirits, where Cecil John Rhodes is buried under a plain brass plate cut into the rock. Dinner is served on the return, as the train travels to Sawmills.
Guided visit to Matobo National Park with transfers and entrance fees, all meals and beverages. One night on board.
Hwange National Park
The train travels the 114 kilometre straight between Gwaai and Dete, running along the eastern edge of Hwange National Park, and in the afternoon guests leave the train for a game drive in the park.
Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest protected area at 1.46 million hectares. Its elephant population is among the biggest anywhere in Africa, and the park also holds lion, buffalo, giraffe, sable antelope and a bird list well over 400 species long.
Dinner is served as the train runs on towards Thompsons Junction, and the last night is spent on board.
Game drive in Hwange National Park with a qualified guide, entrance fees, all meals and beverages. One night on board.
The afternoon game drive in Hwange National Park
Arrival at Victoria Falls
Breakfast is served until half past nine. Have your luggage ready fifteen minutes before arrival and your passport to hand.
The train arrives at Victoria Falls Station on Mallet Drive at ten in the morning, a short walk from the falls and from the Victoria Falls Hotel. Helicopter flights over the gorge, sunset cruises on the upper Zambezi, white water rafting, game walks and golf can all be arranged, and we are happy to book them alongside your rail journey.
Breakfast on board. Arrival transfers, hotels and activities at Victoria Falls can be arranged by us.
What Is Included
All Accommodation
Four nights on board in your chosen suite, each with an en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, a safe and a dedicated host or hostess.
All Meals
Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner throughout, served in the wood-panelled dining cars. Dinner is a formal affair and the kitchen works from fresh South African produce.
All Beverages On Board
A curated selection of local and international wine, beer, cider, spirits, liqueurs, mixers, soft drinks and a cocktail menu. International sparkling wine may be pre-ordered at extra cost.
Guided Excursions
A guided visit to Matobo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a game drive in Hwange National Park, both with qualified guides, including transfers and entrance fees.
Room Service and Laundry
Twenty-four hour room service and a limited laundry service, both included in the fare. Each suite has a dedicated host or hostess who services it daily.
Entrance Fees and Taxes
Entrance fees as set out in the itinerary, preselected local wines, beers and soft drinks on excursions, and government tax.
Not included: all other beverages, international sparkling wine, gratuities, personal expenses, visas, travel insurance, and pre and post tour transfers, accommodation and flights.
Fares and Departures
We price every journey in sterling once your dates and suite are confirmed. The table below shows the suite category guide prices, but these are subject to fluid pricing and currency fluctuations. Call or email us for a confirmed sterling price.
| Suite | Per person sharing |
|---|---|
| Royal Suite | from £6,480 | /tr>
| Deluxe Suite | from £4,965 |
| Pullman Suite | from £3,475 |
Fares are per person, one way, and include everything listed above. Single occupancy carries a supplement. Please call for a confirmed sterling price for your chosen departure.
2026 Departures
| Month | Departure dates |
|---|---|
| November | 4, 11, 25 |
| December | 23 |
2027 Departures
| Month | Departure dates |
|---|---|
| January | 6, 13, 15, 20 |
| February | 3, 17, 26 |
| March | 2, 10, 24 |
| April | 7, 14, 28 |
| May | 5, 12, 19, 26* |
| June | 9, 23, 30* |
| July | 14, 21, 28 |
| August | 11, 18, 25 |
| September | 1, 15, 29 |
| October | 13, 20, 27 |
| November | 17, 24 |
| December | 22 |
2028 Departures
| Month | Departure dates |
|---|---|
| January | 5, 12, 26 |
| February | 16 |
| March | 1, 15, 29 |
| April | 12 |
| May | 3, 10, 24 |
| June | 7, 21 |
| July | 5, 19 |
| August | 2, 16, 23 |
| September | 13, 27 |
Departure dates are taken from Rovos Rail's published 2026 to 2028 schedules and are subject to change. Dates marked with an asterisk are sold in Pullman Gold, Deluxe and Royal Suites only. Please confirm your chosen date with us before booking flights.