Rovos Rail 'Pride of Africa'

Flight to Tanzania (departure the evening before if necessary). On arrival at Dar Es Salaam airport, your tour guide will greet you and accompany you to your comfortable hotel, a quiet oasis in the hustle and bustle of the big city. (A)

Those who wish can take part in an excursion to Bagamoyo (incl. lunch). Once an important port for the slave and ivory trade and the capital of German East Africa, the Arab, Indian and European influences of the past are still immortalised in the architecture here today. There is evidence of early Islam as well as Christian missionary work. In the evening, welcome dinner at the hotel with introduction of the tour guide team. (FA)

On the way to the train station, you will explore the bustling centre of Dar Es Salaam, whose port is the second largest in East Africa. Your long train journey across southern Africa begins at midday at the TaZaRa railway station, built in the modern Chinese style. Dar Es Salaam forms the northern end of the almost 6,000 km-long Cape Trail, on which you will travel through five countries to the south-western tip of the continent. Make yourself at home in your comfortable compartment suite or enjoy an aperitif in the observation car as the landscape changes from the sandy coastal plain adorned with palm trees to denser tropical forest. A three-course dinner awaits you in the elegant restaurant car. (FMA)

Your journey becomes a true train safari when you pass the Nyerere National Park, formerly known as the Selous Game Reserve. At 31,000 km², the park is one of the largest and most game-rich reserves in Africa and yet a real insider tip. You go on an extensive game drive with open off-road vehicles directly from the tracks. The lush green slopes of the Udzungwa Mountains then dominate the scenery. The railway line runs steadily uphill on the way to the barely accessible south of Tanzania. (FLA)

The route continues past volcanic mountain ranges and baobab forests through one of the most geologically exciting regions in the world, the Rift Valley. Your train winds along steep slopes, travels through 23 tunnels and passes countless bridges. The Great Rift Valley is a huge fissure in the earth that stretches from Jordan through the Red Sea to East Africa. During a stop in the small town of Makambako, you can look around the local market and marvel at the lively bustle. After sunset, you can admire the constellations of the southern hemisphere in all their splendour if the sky is clear. (FMA)

You reach the border at Tunduma and now pass through the vast, almost uninhabited bushland in the north of Zambia. Due to its altitude of 1,300 metres, the inland plateau has a dry, temperate climate, which is why Zambia is often referred to as an air-conditioned state. The next destination on your journey is Kasama, where an excursion to the Chisimba Falls of the Luombe River awaits you. (FMA)

The journey continues through vast miombo woodlands to Kanona. It was in this region, where the Congo River rises, that David Livingstone once lost his heart to Africa. Literally, because his faithful servants Sussi and Chuma buried the most important muscle of the missionary and African explorer in Chitambo in eastern Zambia in 1873. In Kapiri Mposhi, your train switches from the TaZaRa line to the old colonial railway line, which Rhodes had once planned to build as far as Cairo. It was not until the 1970s that Chinese engineers extended the line in order to give the copper producer Zambia access to the harbours on the Indian Ocean. (FMA)

After a stop at the railway station in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, your train crosses the almost 500 metre long railway bridge over the Kafue River. On its onward journey to the south of Zambia, it crosses the fertile Batoka Plateau. (FMA)

Today you arrive in Livingstone, which was the capital of what was then Northern Rhodesia until 1935. After a short, winding drive, a highlight of the journey awaits you: the drive over the spectacular Victoria Falls Bridge, which connects Zambia with Zimbabwe. The highest bridge in the world when it was completed in 1905, it was built on Rhodes' instructions at a point where trains would be touched by the spray of the falls. Your train stops for an exit over the 120 m deep gorge of the Zambezi River, with the rising steam of the Victoria Falls as a picturesque backdrop! In Victoria Falls, you take a walk on small paths through the rainforest to the edge of the falls, where the thundering spray rushes down. The local Kololo people refer to the most powerful waterfalls on earth as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya', 'thundering smoke'. In 1855, David Livingstone was officially the first white man to see them on his expedition from the Cape to Luanda. From Victoria Falls, it is a two-hour bus journey across the border into Botswana to a safari lodge idyllically situated on the Chobe River. The national park named after the river is home to huge herds of elephants. Up to 120,000 elephants have been counted in the region. At sunset, take a boat trip and keep an eye out for the pachyderms, as well as hippos, antelopes and water birds that gather on the riverbanks in the cooler evening hours. Alternatively, you can spend a night at the traditional Victoria Falls Hotel for an extra charge. This option also includes a boat trip at sunset, where you may be lucky enough to get close to elephants, hippos and crocodiles. (FLA/ FMA)

On another safari by boat, you will experience how the wildlife awakens in the game-rich Chobe National Park. Afterwards, enjoy the view from the lodge terrace over breakfast before travelling back to Victoria Falls by bus. If you have stayed overnight at the Victoria Falls Hotel, the morning is at your leisure. A scenic helicopter flight over the impressive Victoria Falls is certainly a highlight (can be booked locally, even if you are staying overnight at the safari lodge). Your train will then leave the Victoria Falls railway station with traditional Shangaan dances. (FMA)

You pass Bulawayo, the capital of Matabele Province and the second largest city in Zimbabwe. Finally, your train reaches the border with Botswana. Border formalities are conveniently completed directly on board. Your journey continues across the Tropic of Capricorn to the vast plains of the Rand Kalahari. (FMA)

After the train arrives in Botswana's capital Gaborone, you say goodbye to the crew for two days and cross the nearby border to South Africa by bus. In the afternoon, a first safari in open vehicles awaits you in the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve. You will stay in a comfortable safari lodge for two nights. In the meantime, your large luggage remains safe and sound in your train compartment. Madikwe, South Africa's fourth largest game reserve, covers 75,000 hectares of game-rich bush and grass plains and is still one of southern Africa's insider tips due to its location off the beaten track. (FMA)

Today is at your disposal for extensive game viewing. With a bit of luck, you may spot lions, elephants, rhinos, wild dogs and perhaps even the rare leopard. The crowning glory of your afternoon safari is a sundowner stop in the middle of the wilderness - with an African sunset as a picturesque backdrop ... (FMA)

After breakfast at your lodge, you will travel by bus to the small town of Zeerust, where the friendly train crew will welcome you back on board Rovos Rail. Through the vastness of the 1,500 metre high South African Highveld, you now head towards the gold mines of the Witwatersrand, which laid the foundations for South Africa's economic strength. (FMA)

A short drive through the capital of South Africa awaits you. You will see the Union Buildings and enjoy a marvellous view of the city from this seat of government situated on a hill. Nelson Mandela was sworn in here in 1994 as the first black president of his country and greets visitors as a larger-than-life sculpture. At the stylish Rovos Capital Park railway station, whose charm is reminiscent of the era of steam locomotives, you can marvel at the original, lavishly restored steam locomotives and the heart of Rovos Rail: the workshop where the elegant dark green saloon and sleeper carriages are made by hand from old, decommissioned carriages. (FMA)

The small town of Kimberley experienced a veritable diamond rush towards the end of the 19th century, which gave rise to the De Beers diamond empire, which is still run by the Oppenheimer family today and was once founded by Cecil Rhodes. You will visit the lovingly restored original buildings from the Belle Époque of Kimberley and take a look inside the Big Hole. Between 1871 and 1914, diamonds totalling almost 15 million carats were mined from this, the largest hole ever dug by human hands. Your train then sets off on its last major leg to Cape Town. Enjoy your farewell evening on board your rolling hotel as the sun bathes the barren yet fascinating Karoo semi-desert in red evening light. (FMA)

You arrive in the small Victorian town of Matjiesfontein, where there is time to visit the historic Lord Milner Hotel. Today of a more tranquil character, the small town was once a fashionable meeting place for high society, where even Churchill and Kipling sought relaxation. After your train has passed through the tunnels of the Hex River Mountains, you are now in graceful, lush green wine country. South Africa's winemakers have gained an international reputation in recent years: some of the best wines in the world are produced here and also served on board Rovos Rail. (FMA)

Today your train reaches the destination of its journey: Cape Town. Here it's time to say goodbye to your beloved crew before you get to know the metropolis at the south-western tip of Africa on a city tour. Afterwards, you move into your room in the deluxe hotel near the Waterfront. (FA)

The morning is free for you to explore the city and shop for souvenirs. If the weather is good, don't miss the cable car ride up Table Mountain (own responsibility). You return to Switzerland overnight. If you wish, you can extend your stay in Cape Town individually or as part of an after-programme. (F)