Taking The Rovos Rail Train From Pretoria To Victoria Falls

Four Days On The Rovos Rail Train From Pretoria To Victoria Falls

We enjoyed four days on the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria to Victoria Falls.  The Rovos Rail luxury train was branded as the “Pride of Africa”.  This was our first Rovos Rail experience and it gave us a small taste of luxury train travel. It was an interesting part of our African adventure. 

We boarded the Rovos Rail after our stay in Johannesburg. As the train moved through South Africa and into Zimbabwe we saw variety in the scenery that passed by.  On one day trip we left the train and visited Matobo National Park.  On a second day, we did a game drive in the Hwange National Park.  We departed the train in Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side.  It was an interesting way to do the transit to our next safari stop in Zambia.

Boarding The Rovos Rail Train In Pretoria

Our driver picked us up from our stay in Johannesburg.  The drive to the Rovos Rail Train station in Pretoria took under an hour.  We pulled up at the station and were greeted by uniformed train porters and checked in.  Wandering around the station, we found no train at the platform yet.  

We went and visited the Rovos Museum.  It was fascinating to see the train history.  There were large model train setups with complete villages and local settings.

Returning to the station, we went on a tour of the train yard facilities.  The tour was generally done by the owner Rohan Vos but he was unavailable for our trip.  We learned all about the history of Rovos Rail and the growth from an initial 3 cars to large trains that serviced many routes.  Rovos Rail searches for old used railway cars.  They are brought to this rail yard and are totally refurbished.  At least 2 used cars were needed to make a new Rovos Rail Train car.

At this station, major repair work was also done on the cars and locomotives. We were fascinated with the variety in the Rovos Rail locomotives we saw.

After we finished the tour, we found our train at the station and it was time to board.  We were called by name and escorted to our train car.  The Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls was on its way.

Staying On The Rovos Rail Train From Pretoria To Victoria Falls

There were 3 types of accommodations on the train – the large Royal Suites that came with a bathtub, the Deluxe Suite we booked and smaller Pullman Suites.  Our Deluxe Suite had a bed at one end between two walls.  We worried about getting in and out of bed.  But we ultimately figured out the right process the wiggle in and out.

The room had a small table with refrigerator and two side chairs.  In our cabin there were large windows that did not open.  Apparently they opened in other cabins.  The bathroom was decent sized with a shower.  Grab bars were available if we were silly enough to try showering when the train was in motion.

The cupboard had some room for hanging clothes and narrow shelves for folded clothes.  We quickly learned that the large suitcases of clothes we packed for our African adventure were not all being unpacked.  We took advantage of the laundry offer with a 2 day turnaround.  Pressing was also available.

The train ran most of the night several times.  We were happy we had lots of ocean cruising experience as the train bucked and screeched through the night.  When we finally stopped for part of the night, we caught up on some of our sleep.

We were glad we only booked 4 nights on the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls.  And it was good to have two day excursions for short breaks off the train.  By the time we got off train, we were a bit rattled and sore.  But we were still glad we booked this first Rovos Rail experience.

Facilities Onboard The Train

The train included all the facilities we needed to enjoy a luxury experience.  There were two dining cars in the middle of the train.  Tables were set for 2 or 4 people with white table cloths, full dish settings and crystal glasses.  Dress code on the train during the day was “smart casual”.  But at night, a much dressier attire was requested.  David travelled with his suit jacket and tie just for our 4 days on the train.

We found public spaces with large windows and watched the passing scenery.  There were two Lounge Cars – one ahead of the Dining Car and one at the back.  At the back of the train, we enjoyed many hours in the Observation Car.  

At the very back of the Observation Car there was a small open area.  This was the perfect spot for people to jostle for a spot for photos.  But we loved when we had the platform to ourselves for the amazing the night sky view we got from there.

For smokers there was a small closed room with a large window and outfitted with a large period-appropriate leather couch.  We rarely found it occupied!

On the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls, we found lots of ways to enjoy our time on this first Rovos Rail experience.

Eating Well Throughout Our Train Journey

When we planned our African adventure, we did our research on the Rovos Rail Train.  The sample menus ensured we would eat well.  Shortly after we boarded the train, we were visited by the culinary team.  They checked on any special dietary restrictions.  When we noted that we did not eat hot spicy food, they said we would have options for any spicy dishes and all sauces would be served on the side.  We were quite amazed through our journey to get dishes just as we wanted them.

We had coffee and tea available in our cabin.  And about 30 minutes before breakfast, we found cappuccinos served in the Observation Car.  Breakfast was open seating and the start time varied each day.  Fruit, cereal and yogurt was available each day. There was one special breakfast treat and other hot breakfast items on the menu.

Lunch and dinner were at a set time for all passengers. The time depended on what was on the agenda for the day.  We were offered 4 courses – an appetizer, main dish, cheese plate and then dessert.  There was one fixed menu with one alternate vegetarian option.  But the staff and chef were open to quite creative requests to mix the two menus or to even substitute items.

Lunch and dinner had local wine pairings for each course.  And these wines changed each day.  It was a good opportunity to sample a wide range of South African wines.  We even found a few of the wines we tasted on our wine tasting trip to Stellenbosch.  If we wanted something other than wine or beer, cocktails were available.

When we arrived back quite late from our day trip to Motobo National Park, the dinner hour start was pushed out to 8pm.  We knew this meant we would not finish eating until after 10pm.  This was far too late for us after a very long day.  Room service was generally not offered.  But we were delighted when we got a small sandwich with salad as an alternative in our cabin.

We sure ate and drank well on the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls.

Sightseeing On The Rovos Rail Train From Pretoria To Victoria Falls

We had many hours every day just travelling through South African and then Zimbabwe.  At many points, the scenery was dense trees that scraped at the train sides or wide open fields with little distinctive sights. Many times we passed small settlements.  The locals often came out to wave at the train.  But the small herds of livestock ignored our passage. 

On our first day, we passed through the  Drakensberg Mountains.  We found a large crowd at the back of the train that day enjoying the sight.

When we left South Africa, we crossed the bridge over the Limpopo River.  We were told to watch for alligators or hippos but we saw no wildlife as we passed.  We were surprised when we found large groups of people crossing the border on the bridge.

Several times we spotted wildlife from the trains.   One day we saw wildebeest and zebras in the fields. And on another day a large group of hippos were in the water. These animal sightings got us excited for our game drives in Zambia and later at Sabi Sabi Earth in South Africa.

We were entertained watching the passing scenery from the train windows on the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls.

Day Trip To Motobo National Park

On our 2nd day on the train, we stopped in the town of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.  All passengers were loaded into one large air conditioned bus for the 45 minute trip to Motobo National Park.  When we arrived at the park, we were moved into smaller jeeps.  

David took the spotter seat on the front of the jeep for a great advance view as we moved around the park.  We swivelled our heads and watched the scenery as we drove through the park.

Our first stop was a large rock setting with a set of hieroglyphics. We thought we were also visiting the bushman caves.  But this was the only stop we got to view the rock art.  Although the shopping stop at the community market was not missed!

While we were stopped one of the guides gave us some interesting information about the local bushman tribes.  A little later another guide provided a fascinating history of Cecil John Rhodes and his time in Africa.  We learned a little about his controversial role in African history.

As we travelled through the Motobo National Park we were on the lookout for rhinos.  The park had 60 white rhinos and 15 black rhinos.  We learned that “white” did not refer to the colour of “white rhinos”.  The word “white” actually came from the Afrikaans word for “wide” which reflected the very wide jaw of the “white rhinos”.

We saw fresh droppings several times but saw no rhinos.  Although we met a jeep and were told that rhinos were at that spot 10 minutes ago. We wondered how far they might travel in 10 minutes.  At one point there was a small deer in the rocks and a group of 3 deer hurried off into the bush.  We saw great rocks on our drive through the park but saw no other signs of animal life on this stop.

We stopped for our first “sundowner”.  Our train staff brought a complete cocktail setup to the park and we had a refreshment break – if not quite at sunset.

From this spot we walked up the hills of the National Monument at World’s View.  From one side we got an amazing view out over the Motobo National Park.  Climbing higher to the copse of rock was the actual burial site for Rhodes.  When Rhodes died he got special approval to be buried this site where he participated in historic peace talks.

By the time we got back to our bus the sun was down and the temperature had dropped significantly.  We headed back to our train after our visit to Motobo National Park on our Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls.

Game Drive In Hwange National Park

On our 3rd day, the train stopped after lunch.  The jeeps came right up to the train and we boarded for our game drive in Hwange National Park.  We had many other games drives planned for our great African adventure.  But we were excited for our first real animal encounters.

We were quite delighted when we found several groups of lions, even if they just lazed in the shade.  It was even more exciting when we saw elephants quite close to our jeep.  

In the distance we saw ostriches running in the empty fields.  A group of baboons stopped was we drove past.  And the zebras stayed back in the trees.

We joined the rest of the jeeps for a great Sundowner experience around fire pits.  The train staff brought drinks and some appetizers.  And we watched the sky change to a brilliant colour after the sunset.

We were excited about our first wildlife experiences on a day trip to Hwange National Park on this African adventure.  We knew it was just the start for us. 

It was a short drive back to the train.  We were again greeted by the staff with cold cloths and drinks.  Always a wonderful reception back onboard our Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls. 

Arriving In Victoria Falls

We packed early on the last day on our first Rovos Rail experience. After breakfast, we headed to the observation car for our arrival in Victoria Falls.  As we drew near, in the distance we saw the water plumes coming off of Victoria Falls.  We got excited about our coming opportunity to explore Victoria Falls.

The train stopped right by the Victoria Falls Hotel and our baggage was unloaded.  When we planned our African adventure, we considered staying for a few days at this hotel to see Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side.  But ultimately we could not work that into our itinerary.

A driver waited for our arrival and quickly transferred our bags to his car.  We were on our way to our next stop at the game lodge in Zambia.

A Busy Four Days On The Rovos Rail Train From Pretoria To Victoria Falls

We had a busy four days on the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls.  The days were filled with sightseeing from the train mixed with day trips off the train.  Our first Rovos Rail experience gave us a glimpse into luxury train travel.  And we were excited with the early wildlife sightings we got.  This was just a start to the game drive experiences we got on our African adventure.

Have you taken the Rovos Rail Train from Pretoria To Victoria Falls?  Did you have a favourite part of this itinerary or experience?

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