Immerse yourself in the spirit of Africa as you experience the romance of the rails on board the opulent Rovos Rail, relish scintillating safaris, and witness the magnificent Victoria Falls.
Your adventure begins with a five-star hotel stay in Johannesburg before joining the luxurious Rovos Rail, relishing views of Africa’s diverse landscapes alongside exquisite service, luxury accommodation, and fine dining. Transfer to Livingstone for three nights at the five-star Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara. Experience spellbinding tours including a scenic Royal Livingstone Express journey around the immense Victoria Falls.
The stunning Ivory Tree Game Lodge then awaits for three nights in Pilanesberg National Park. Head out on twice-daily game drives in search of Africa’s Big Five*. Flying to cosmopolitan Cape Town, you’ll delight in a three-night stay with ample time to explore its highlights.
Your Imagine Holiday Includes
3 night all-inclusive luxury Rovos Rail journey from Pretoria to Victoria Falls with off-train excursions
Royal Livingstone Express train journey including a five-course dinner and drinks
Pilanesberg National Park game drives*
1 night five-star hotel stay in Johannesburg at the Sandton Sun & Towers with breakfast
3 night five-star stay in Livingstone at The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara with breakfast
3 night five-star hotel stay in Pilanesberg at the Ivory Tree Game Lodge with breakfast, lunch and dinner
3 night five-star hotel stay in Cape Town at The Westin Cape Town with breakfast
London departure – regional flights available
Overnight flight
Your Journey
Your Itinerary
Your holiday begins as you fly from the UK to your destination.
Check into the five-star Sandton Sun & Towers for a luxurious one-night stay. Admire the city’s stunning skyline, explore its lively arts scene, and discover important landmarks that honour South Africa’s past and future.
Overnight: Sandton Sun & Towers
You’ll transfer to Pretoria station to join the magnificent ‘Pride of Africa’, Rovos Rail, to begin your extraordinary three-night escapade to Victoria Falls. Watch as Pretoria fades into the distance and Africa’s majestic landscape blooms outside your window.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight: Rovos Rail
Wake in your lavish bedroom before joining your fellow travellers for a delicious breakfast. Then, after you’ve eaten, you could head to the Observation Car as you travel through more spectacular landscapes to Mpopoma.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight: Rovos Rail
Today, watch the world whizz past you on one of the longest stretches of railway in the world before enjoying a game drive at Hwange National Park, to try and spot any of the “Big Five*”.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight: Rovos Rail
As all good things, your journey from Pretoria to Victoria Falls must come to an end. Here you’ll transfer to Livingstone for a three-night hotel stay on the banks of the mighty Zambezi, placing you in prime position for unforgettable encounters with the breathtaking Victoria Falls.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara
Today, you’ll board the Royal Livingstone Express, a magnificent steam train that embodies the romance of rail travel. Savour fine dining and refined surroundings as you pass through Africa’s stunning wilderness and over the iconic Victoria Falls Bridge.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara
Relax with a day at leisure at your beautiful five-star hotel. You could lounge by the riverside pool as zebras gently graze in the resort’s garden. Alternatively, delve into the region’s history in Livingstone town.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara
Today you’ll transfer to the Ivory Tree Game Lodge to begin your three-night luxury stay within the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. During your stay, you’ll head out on twice-daily game drives with an expert guide in search of African wildlife.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight: Ivory Tree Game Lodge
Today you’ll fly to cosmopolitan Cape Town. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, with the splendour of Table Mountain looking over its shoulder, it’s a city set in impressive surroundings, which are matched by its myriad tourist attractions.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: The Westin Cape Town
Your holiday complete, today you’ll head to the airport for your flight home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your Tour Highlights
Rovos Rail
Crossing Africa’s most iconic landscapes in elegant style, this wonderful train and its beautifully restored carriages travel between Pretoria and Cape Town, the wide deserts of Namibia and the powerful tumbling morass of Victoria Falls, the vast plains of the Great Karoo and the battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal.
During the journey you’ll enjoy excursions, game drives and guided tours by historians to further illuminate your journey, as well as bush lunches and suppers under a million-tog duvet of African stars. The fleet of locomotives is rich in history, with even the oldest and smallest engine, called Tiffany, still seeing occasional use. Each carriage, cabin, kitchen car and locomotive has been painstakingly restored, and Rovos Rail now operate four trains across its fabulous choice of journeys.
Life on board Rovos Rail
Travelling on board a Rovos Rail service is like stepping back in time, while keeping the most comfortable technological additions of the 21st century with you.
Carriages
Each train is generally made up of a club lounge, an observation car with vast windows and an open-air platform for enjoying the views, two dining cars and 36 spacious cabin suites, with further upgraded accommodation available. The stunning Edwardian-era carriages have been painstakingly restored to showcase their elegant period details, while adding all the modern comforts that today’s travellers desire on cross-continental journeys. Put simply, it feels like stepping back into a bygone era, but with discreet luxury touches.
Even more beautiful are the pre-1940s dining cars, which were also restored into service with the addition of button-trimmed leather seats, wooden marquetry and other added embellishments. When the train was expanded from 42 to 72 guests, the addition of a lounge car provided a convivial space to come together and share stories of the day’s adventures over fine beverages. Today, the lounge cars still have comfortable wingback chairs and deep sofas for prime afternoon snoozing, and a small gift shop. Some of the train windows can be opened to let in the sights, sounds and smells of Africa in.
Dining
All meals on board are served over one sitting in the dining cars; it’s a sociable time of the day when all the guests come together to celebrate the diversity of dining across the continent, sampling delicious cuisine complemented by fine South African wines. A fleet of experienced chefs is tasked with creating innovative and beautifully presented meals for the maximum of 72 guests on board, with a focus on fresh, local ingredients including speciality game.
Breakfast is a leisurely affair and served until 10am, with lunch at 1pm, afternoon tea served in the late afternoon and your formal dinner service at 7.30pm. The bar service runs until 1am, but you might want to get an early night if you’re taking a game drive the following day. What’s certain on board Rovos Rail journeys is that you’ll never go hungry. That, and that every lunch and dinner service is announced with the sounding of a gong.
Off-Train Experiences
Pretoria to Cape Town (and reverse)
- Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and Big Hole
- Matjiesfontein historic village
Pretoria to Victoria Falls (and reverse)
- Game Drive at The Hide in Hwange National Park
Cabins
There are three cabin types on board, each one a luxurious suite with en suite facilities that is adorned in ornate wood panelling and period Edwardian features – you’ll find a writing area and personal safe, and amenity bags which are replenished on your request. For your comfort, there’s 24-hour room service and slippers and gowns in the suite.
Pullman Suites Prices from £5,799pp
Beginning at 7sqm, the Pullman Suites are fitted with a sofa-seat during the day, which converts to either a double or twin bed at night. They also have an en suite bathroom with a shower. A dedicated host or hostess is always available and services the suites daily.
- Double or twin beds
- Upper and/or lower bunk
- Daytime sofa setting
- En-suite with shower, toilet and basin
- Fold-up writing desk
- Luggage shelf
- Cupboards
- Safe
- Air conditioning
- Tea facilities
- Robes and slippers
- Hairdryer (fixed or plug-in)
- Shaver plugs (2-pin)
- USB ports
- Safety glasses
- Emergency torch
- Fire extinguisher
- Laundry bag
- Shoe bag
- Internal telephone system
- Room service
Deluxe Suites Twin Prices from £5,799pp
More luxurious still, the 11sqm Deluxe Suites have a separate lounge area and an en suite bathroom. A dedicated host or hostess is always available and services the suites daily. A bar fridge is filled with the on-board beverages of the passengers’ choice.
- Double or twin beds
- En-suite with shower, toilet and basin
- Small lounge area
- Writing desk
- Luggage shelf
- Cupboards
- Safe
- Air conditioning
Deluxe Suites Single Prices from £5,799pp
More luxurious still, the 11sqm Deluxe Suites have a separate lounge area and an en suite bathroom. A dedicated host or hostess is always available and services the suites daily. A bar fridge is filled with the on-board beverages of the passengers’ choice.
- Double or twin beds
- En-suite with shower, toilet and basin
- Small lounge area
- Writing desk
- Luggage shelf
- Cupboards
- Safe
- Air conditioning
Royal Suites Prices from Sold Out
The most luxurious option is the Royal Suites, of which there are four on board each service, with each taking up half a carriage. These offer 16sqm of space and have a private lounge area and a full en suite bathroom with a shower and Victorian claw-footed bathtub. With wood panelling and period Edwardian features, these air-conditioned suites are the epitome of elegance, where the original fittings combine with the addition of modern technology such as hairdryers and plugs. A dedicated host or hostess is available at all times and services the suites daily. A bar fridge is filled with the on-board beverages of the passengers’ choice.
- Double or twin beds
- En-suite with bath, shower, toilet and basin
- Small lounge area
- Writing desk
- Luggage shelf
- Cupboards
- Safe
- Air conditioning
- Fridge
Your Hotel Stays
Johannesburg
Sandton Sun & Towers (Or Similar)
The luxurious Sandton Sun and Towers stands proudly amidst South Africa’s business and financial hub. With its sleek and contemporary design, the hotel offers a sophisticated retreat boasting world-class amenities, elegant accommodations, exquisite dining options, and impeccable service. Its strategic location makes it convenient for exploring the vibrant city, including nearby upscale shopping centres and cultural attractions. Guests can relax beside the rooftop pool, check into the spa, and enjoy drinks around a firepit on the San Deck.
Livingstone
The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara (Or Similar)
Experience a sumptuous hotel stay within the heart of an African paradise at the five-star Royal Livingstone Hotel Victoria Falls Zambia By Anantara. With Victoria Falls and the Zambezi on its doorstep, this hotel is one of the most atmospheric in the world and exudes Victorian elegance and luxury travel from a bygone-era while echoing the stunning diversity of the African bush. Few hotels can claim to have zebras wandering around its manicured lawns, nor can they boast of being so close to one of the world’s great natural wonders. Comprising of 173 spacious en-suite rooms are lavishly furnished with freshly cut flowers, crisp white linen and come with a private veranda where you’ll savour a sundowner the sunset of a lifetime, with the spray of the Victoria Falls in the distance. Experience an authentic African feast by firelight, partake in a traditional high tea or take in magnificent sunsets and cocktails overlooking the Zambezi River.
Pilanesberg
Ivory Tree Game Lodge (Or Similar)
The five-star Ivory Tree Game Lodge offers a safari experience all with modern amenities for a home away from home. Situated in the crater of a long-extinct volcano, the Ivory Tree Lodge is the perfect location for a monumental safari experience. Rooms are tastefully decorated with African décor and offer spectacular views of the three concentric rings of hills across the Pilanesberg reserve.
Ivory Tree Lodge’s Amani Spa has been the Winner of 4 prestigious awards since its inception in 2006.
Cape Town
The Westin Cape Town (Or Similar)
The Westin Cape Town hotel is a luxurious accommodation option located in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa. With its modern design and stunning views of Table Mountain and the city skyline, it offers a truly unforgettable experience for guests. The hotel boasts spacious and elegantly appointed rooms, equipped with all the necessary amenities for a comfortable stay. Guests can indulge in a variety of dining options, including a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views. The Westin Cape Town also features a state-of-the-art fitness centre, a spa, and an outdoor pool, ensuring guests can relax and rejuvenate during their stay.
