Rovos Rail Southern Cross: An 11-Night Luxury Train Journey from Pretoria to Victoria Falls

It is an eleven-night rail journey that begins in Pretoria, South Africa, and ends at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe on day twelve. The train works east into the coal-mining heartland, south to the coast, then north across the Limpopo and up through Zimbabwe. You keep the same suite throughout, so packing and unpacking happens once.

The route crosses four countries: South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. Border formalities take place at Komatipoort and Ressano Garcia into Mozambique, at Goba and Mpaka into Eswatini, back into South Africa at Komatipoort, and at Musina and Beitbridge into Zimbabwe. Your passport is needed at each one, and the train team guides you through the process.

The train leaves its private station in Pretoria, at 1 Transnet Avenue, Capital Park, at 10:00 on day one. Check in at least an hour before departure, or two hours ahead if you would like to join the station and museum tour first. Passports and any visas are required at check-in; no vouchers are needed, and your tagged luggage is taken straight to your suite.

There are three major game-viewing days: Kruger National Park on day three, Kapama Private Game Reserve on day six, and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on day eleven. Day six also includes the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, which focuses on breeding and conservation of threatened species. Entrance fees for the scheduled parks and attractions are included in the fare.

It is an early one: breakfast is served at 05:00 and the game drive begins at 07:00, with lunch and time for curio shopping included. Kruger spans two million hectares and is home to the Big Five, along with 147 mammal species, over 500 bird species and 336 tree species. You are back on board for tea, and the train then heads for the Mozambique border.

Day four brings a tour of Maputo, a city layering African, Portuguese and early colonial traditions, where churches, mosques, fortresses and Victorian mansions stand side by side. Day five crosses into the Kingdom of Eswatini for Swazi Candles and the Mantenga Cultural Village. Later, day eight visits the Great Zimbabwe Monument, and day ten explores Matobo National Park with its bushmen rock art and the grave of Cecil John Rhodes.

The train reaches Victoria Falls Station at 10:00 on day twelve, and you check out and walk across to the Victoria Falls Hotel. At 11:00 there is a walking tour of the village and the Falls with lunch, and at 16:00 you meet for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, returning to the hotel at about 18:30 for journey's end. Have your passport ready and luggage out for collection fifteen minutes before arrival.

Three suite grades are offered: the Pullman Suite, the Deluxe Suite, and the Royal Suite, which occupies half a carriage and adds a private lounge area. All have en-suite bathrooms, double or twin beds with soft and hard mattress sides, daily servicing, luggage storage and cupboards, and some Royal and Deluxe Suites include a room divider. The grades open on your departure are listed on this page.

The fare covers accommodation on board, all meals in the dining cars, all beverages on board including selected local choices on excursions, room service, and limited laundry of up to ten items a day with a 48-hour turnaround. Guided excursions as per the itinerary, entrance fees to the parks and attractions listed, and government taxes are included. The exact fare for each suite grade on this departure is shown on this page.

Beverages outside the included selection, personal expenses, visas and travel insurance are excluded, as are pre- and post-tour transfers, accommodation and flights. Gratuities are suggested at around $25 per guest per night on board and about $25 per guest per day at the game lodges. Travel insurance is compulsory for this journey, so budget for it from the outset.

Yes, suites can be held for a single traveller, and a single-occupancy rate applies rather than the per-person sharing fare. The applicable rate for each suite grade on this departure is shown on this page. With a limited number of suites on board, ask early so we can confirm what is open before you arrange flights.

Child pricing is based on the traveller's age on the departure date, with one band for children under five and another for ages five to under twelve. An eleven-night itinerary with pre-dawn game drives, formal dinners and multiple border crossings suits older children considerably better than small ones. Email travel@palacetours.com or call 786-408-0610 and we will price your family exactly.

A valid passport is required at check-in and at every border crossing, and the train team will ask you to present yourself to officials at each one. Visas are not included in the fare and remain your responsibility; requirements depend on your nationality and on all four countries the route crosses. Check with the relevant authorities well ahead, because several visas cannot be arranged at short notice.

Dinner is a formal occasion on most evenings, so pack accordingly - a jacket and tie for gentlemen, and the equivalent for ladies. Two evenings are themed instead: an Africa theme or smart casual on day six, and a 1920s theme or smart casual on day eleven. Daytime and excursions are relaxed, with neutral colours, closed shoes, a hat and sun protection for the game drives.

Meals are served in the dining cars on a set schedule, with lunch at 13:00, tea at 16:30 in the lounge and observation cars, and dinner at 19:30. Breakfast times shift with the excursion, from a 05:00 start before Kruger and Hwange to a leisurely service until 10:00 on days at leisure. Between excursions, the lounge and observation cars are where the journey happens.

Room service and a limited laundry service of up to ten items per day with a 48-hour turnaround are included in the fare. Suites offer en-suite bathrooms, a writing desk, cupboards, a luggage shelf, air conditioning and a minibar, and are serviced daily. The observation car, with its open-air balcony, is the best seat on the train for the long scenic stretches.

The days off the train are long and several start before dawn, with game drives in open vehicles and transfers of an hour or more to some sites. Balanced against that, day seven is entirely at leisure on board and most excursions can be skipped if you would rather stay put. Uneven ground at the rock-art sites and at Great Zimbabwe means sturdy shoes matter more than fitness.

The journey departs Pretoria on 19 November 2026, arriving at Victoria Falls on 1 December. That is the date currently on sale, and the departure list on this page shows it with the suite grades still available. With only one departure on the list, cabins are finite and do not reopen later in the season.

A deposit of 25 percent of the total fare confirms your suite, and the balance falls due 65 days before departure. Bookings made inside 65 days are payable in full at the time of booking. Travel insurance is compulsory on this journey, so arrange it as soon as your deposit is paid.

Email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610, or message us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/17864080610, and you will reach a travel specialist or our AI assistant. The departure list on this page is bookable directly, so you can choose your suite grade and confirm online. If you want help planning the nights before Pretoria or after Victoria Falls, we can arrange those too.