15 Day Rovos Rail, Kruger & Victoria Falls

Upon arrival into Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB), make your own way to your hotel where the rest of the day is at leisure to explore.

Southern Sun O.R. Tambo International Airport hotel operates a free shuttle service to and from O.R. Tambo International Airport. This service is available 24/7 and the shuttle runs every 15 minutes. The pick-up point is situated behind the InterContinental Hotel at the bus / shuttle terminal. From the International / Domestic Arrivals terminals in the Airport, simply follow the “Public Transport” signage which will take you past the Car Hire section and onto the shuttle terminal.

Enjoy breakfast at leisure before check out and meet your driver in the lobby of the hotel for your short complimentary shuttle transfer to the airport.  Board your flight to Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport (HDS) where, on arrival, you will be transferred to your 5-star safari lodge in the heart of the Kapama Private Game Reserve. 

Combining an upmarket safari experience with luxury accommodation, the Kapama River Lodge is set on a bend of the Kapama River within the largest reserve in the Kruger National Park. A game-rich area, you can expect to see the Big 5 and more on multiple game drives and guided bush walks. Even from your private deck of this luxury lodge, game can be spotted at the nearby watering hole and along the dry riverbed. You can cool off in the beautiful swimming pool, relax in the spacious lounges and look forward to decadent bush dining in a variety of venues, from the Pan-African cuisine of the Rhino Boma to the fresh seasonal dishes of the Siyatla Lounge. An excellent wine cellar also provides fine wines to accompany meals. 

Depending on your arrival time, you may enjoy an afternoon game drive this afternoon (if arriving at the lodge by 3pm).

Enjoy twice-daily game drives across the 15,000 hectare Kapama Game Reserve, home to Africa’s most famous wildlife, the Big Five. Spot llions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos and leopards on both game drives and offered bush walks. This reserve doesn’t only offer a chance to get well acquainted with the wild spirit of Africa, it has a selection of luxurious safari lodges that offer decadent African spa treatments, romantic sleep-outs as well as mouth watering cuisine. This safari experience is all encompassing.

Between drives, enjoy sumptuous meals freshly prepared on site from local fresh ingredients as well as a wide selection of local alcoholic and selected premium beverages are all included during your entire stay.

Continue to explore the delights of Kapama Game Reserve with multiple game drives. Also available during your stay are interactive and personal bush walks with the camp’s professional guides. There are a few of the finer things of nature that can be missed on a game vehicle so putting on your walking shoes and stepping into the reserve will get you up close and personal to interesting aspects of the wild unseen from the safari vehicle.

Enjoy breakfast at leisure before checking out of the lodge for your transfer to Hoedspruit Airport and flight back to O.R Tambo International Airport (JNB). On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel located in the heart of Johannesburg’s Sandton area. Set in beautiful gardens, the Southern Sun Katherine Street hotel combines warm hospitality and service excellence with great amenities including a pool, gym and onsite dining.

This morning you are met and transferred by private vehicle to Park Railway Station (Rovos Rail) in time to board your luxury Pullman Suite. Expect wood-paneled sleeper coaches, remodeled and refurbished to mint condition, with every modern convenience and comfort with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. The Pullman Suites can accommodate one or two passengers and have an en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. During the day, the suites have a comfortable sofa-seat with a conversion to double or twin beds (side-by-side or upper and lower bunks) for the evening. A dedicated host/ess is available at all times and services the suites daily.

Today, travel across the goldfields of the Witwatersrand and the broad grassland plains of the Highveld. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travelers in the lounge and observation cars.

Enjoy a sumptuous lunch in the dining car, followed by an afternoon tea served in the lounge and observation cars, and end your day with a formal dinner as we head to Klerksdorp. All meals are complemented by a selection of fine South African wines. *Note: Formal dress is required for dinner, gentlemen required to wear a jacket and tie.   

Enjoy breakfast this morning on board as you watch the moving landscape before you, with time to relax on the train as we continue our journey to Kimberley. After lunch, disembark the train for an included excursion of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum, known as “the Big Hole”. Capital of the Northern Cape,  Kimberley is well known for the discovery of diamonds that led to its establishment in 1871. After our tour, we board the train where dinner is served in the main dining car accompanied by the finest of South African wines. *Note: Formal dress is required for dinner   

Enjoy another breakfast on board as the train travels through 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. Following lunch there is a chance to disembark the train at Whitehill Siding and walk the 5km into Matjiesfontein. 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.

Back on the train, enjoy afternoon tea in the lounge and observation cars before we pass through the first of four tunnels on the pass - the first an incredible 13.5km long! Dinner is served as the train climbs 750m down the escarpment towards Worcester. *Note: Formal dress is required for dinner

Enjoy your last breakfast on board as the train travels through the Hex River Valley and arrives into Cape Town around 10.00am.

On arrival at Cape Town Train Station, you will be met and transferred by private car to your hotel in the heart of the city center and just moments from the famous V&A Waterfront. Today is at leisure to enjoy all Cape Town has to offer. Utilize the hotel’s complimentary shuttle to the V&A Waterfront to explore the many restaurants, shops and local art installations.

Enjoy breakfast at leisure this morning at the hotel before meeting with your guide as you head off for your private half day city and Table Mountain tour. 

Today’s tour will showcase the best of the city of Cape Town, a center that is rich in history and culture and alive with the sights and sounds of a diverse people that call it home. This tour will take you to some of the most celebrated attractions from the Castle of Good Hope to the City Hall, where Nelson Mandela spoke to a crowd of hundreds of thousands after his release from prison earlier that day. 

You will also see the cobbled streets and brightly coloured houses of the Bo to Kaap. There is also a trip up Table Mountain, high above the clouds and on the revolving cable car (weather permitting). Table Mountain is an icon in Cape Town and is most likely the most photographed landmark in the country. Named as on the seven wonders of nature, it attracts millions over visitors from all across the globe. At the upper cable station, guests will find a restaurant and a curio shop as well as some footpaths for exploration.

Return to your hotel where the rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.

Today is a full day to do as you please. Relax at the hotel, venture out on your own, or choose to join one of the optional tours below.

Today you are transferred to Cape Town Airport for your included flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. 

On arrival, you are transferred to your hotel located in the heart of town and a mere eight-minute walk from Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Ilala Lodge Hotel is ideally located and it is very easy for guests to access all the historical sites, restaurants and activities available in Victoria Falls.

Enjoy breakfast at leisure before meeting with your guide for your included morning tour of Victoria Falls. Six hundred and fifty million liters of water from the Zambezi River crashes with great aplomb into the chasm below, which is why the locals call Victoria Falls, Mosi oa Tunya, the smoke that thunders. The smoke is the permanent mist which hangs over the falls and the surrounding forest, and the thunder? You will hear for yourself. The force and power of the Falls almost defies belief. We visit the falls from both the Zimbabwe and the Zambian sides, and when it's in full flow, you'll experience the showers from the crushing falls below. 

This afternoon, enjoy a high tea at the iconic Victoria Falls Hotel at Stanley’s Terrace. Make your own way to the hotel located only a short four minute walk from Ilala Lodge where you will be seated and served with old world charm enjoying a selection of freshly made pastries and scones as you take in spectacular views of the Victoria Falls Bridge and the spray from the Falls below.

Today you are free to explore the region on your own. Relax and take advantage of the many facilities of your hotel, or join one of the many activities available to book independently. On the river, there is white-water rafting, great picnic spots and even bungee-jumping. At the national parks on the river, visitors can see the majestic hippos and rhinos. Not to be outdone, the variety of birdlife in Zimbabwe is unparalleled and a bird-watchers paradise. 

This afternoon, celebrate your last evening with a spectacular sunset cruise along the mighty Zambezi River. Put your feet up, sip a sundowner as the light gently fades, and let our tranquil wildlife cruise float you along the Zambezi River above the Falls. You'll have the finest vantage point from which to watch hippos, crocodiles and other animals who come down to the river's edge in the early evening to slake their thirst. Enjoy your cocktail and canapes while captivated by the sun's dying rays as they cast a burnt orange glow which shimmers on the river - the perfect ending to a magical trip!

After breakfast you are transferred to Victoria Falls Airport for your included flight back to Johannesburg where your journey comes to an end on arrival at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport