Pretoria · Bulawayo · Hwange · Victoria Falls
Luxury Rail & Falls Escape
Three nights aboard Rovos Rail from Pretoria to Victoria Falls, a night at Fairlawns before you board and three at the Palm River Hotel when you arrive. No flights are included — not international, not internal. This is a trip you travel overland, on purpose.
Why this trip
The distance is the point
You could fly Johannesburg to Victoria Falls in two hours. This itinerary takes three days, and that is the entire proposition.
Rovos Rail runs rebuilt wood-panelled coaches from its own station at Capital Park in Pretoria. Seventy-two guests, thirty-six suites, no televisions and no telephones. Dinner is formal. The train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn on the first evening, the Limpopo into Zimbabwe overnight, and on the third day runs the Gwaai–Dete stretch — 114 kilometres of dead-straight track along the edge of Hwange — before stopping for a game drive at The Hide.
Then three nights at the Palm River Hotel on the Zambezi, four kilometres upstream of the Falls, with the falls tour, a sunset cruise and a jet boat run through the Batoka Gorge.
Who it suits: people who like the idea of arriving slowly, and who would rather spend three days watching Southern Africa go past a window than three more days somewhere. It does not suit anyone in a hurry, anyone who needs to stay connected, or anyone who would find a formal dinner every night a chore rather than a pleasure.
Trusted African travel expertise
Your itinerary
Your Rovos Rail journey, day by day
Every transfer is included, from the moment you land at O.R. Tambo to the moment you are dropped at Victoria Falls International. The flights either side are yours.
Day 1Arrive — Fairlawns, Johannesburg+
You are met at O.R. Tambo and driven to Fairlawns in Morningside, about half an hour, and roughly six kilometres from Sandton.
The afternoon is yours. Transfers within a five-kilometre radius of the hotel are included, so dinner in Sandton is straightforward if you want it — though the meal itself is on your own account. Bed and breakfast tonight.
Day 2Board Rovos Rail — Pretoria to Beitbridge+
Breakfast, check out, and a transfer to Rovos Rail's own station at Capital Park in Pretoria. Boarding is unhurried; you settle into your suite, then the lounge and observation cars as the train pulls out.
Lunch is served in the dining cars as the train runs through Bela-Bela and Modimolle, past the edge of the Highveld escarpment. Tea in the afternoon, and the train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn.
Dinner on board, then the Limpopo crossing into Zimbabwe at Beitbridge overnight. Dinner is formal dress.
Day 3Baobab country to Bulawayo+
Breakfast is served until 10:00 as the train travels through baobab country. Lunch in the dining cars en route to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city.
Tea in the lounge and observation cars. Dinner on board as the train runs on to Mpopoma. Formal dress again.
All meals and all local-brand spirits, wine and beer are included on board.
Day 4Hwange — the long straight and a game drive+
Breakfast until 10:00. Lunch is served as the train runs the Gwaai–Dete stretch, 114 kilometres of the longest straight railway line in the world, along the eastern edge of Hwange National Park.
The train stops and guests transfer for a game drive at The Hide in Hwange — Zimbabwe's largest national park, and one of the great elephant reserves in Africa. This is included.
Back on board for dinner en route to Thompsons Junction. Formal dress.
Day 5Victoria Falls — Palm River Hotel, and the Zambezi at sunset+
Luggage out by 09:45 with your passport to hand; breakfast until 09:30. The train arrives at Victoria Falls station and you are transferred to the Palm River Hotel, four kilometres upstream on the Zambezi.
Late afternoon, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi with drinks and snacks on board — hippo, crocodile and often elephant along the banks.
From tonight your rate is bed and breakfast, and drinks are no longer included.
Day 6The Falls on foot+
Breakfast at the hotel, then a guided tour of Victoria Falls — the rainforest paths and the viewpoints along the Zimbabwean side, which holds about three quarters of the falls' width. Expect to get wet.
Lunch is included, at the Lookout Cafe on the lip of the Batoka Gorge, looking down at the river and across at the bridge.
Afternoon and evening free.
Day 7Jet boat through the Batoka Gorge+
After breakfast, a white-water jet boat run of about two and a half hours. The boat takes you through the rapids and in under the Falls to the Boiling Pot, then out at speed through the Batoka Gorge.
Back to the hotel to freshen up. Photographs and video of the run are sold on board and are not included.
Afternoon tea at the hotel and the Boma dinner are both included in your package; Ranger Buck will confirm which evenings they fall on when your itinerary is finalised.
Day 8Departure+
Breakfast, then time to walk the riverbank or find something in town before check-out. You are transferred to Victoria Falls International for your onward flight, which you arrange yourself.
Day 1 · Johannesburg
Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa
A single night in Morningside before you board, on a bed and breakfast basis. The rate books a Grand Chateau Suite — 48 square metres, in a twenty-suite wing with its own lounges and sandstone fireplaces.
If your international flight lands late, this night is what makes the itinerary work — you board the train rested rather than straight off a long-haul. If it lands very late, ask about adding a second night; it is a small change and it is often the right one.
Days 2–5 · South Africa to Zimbabwe
Three nights aboard Rovos Rail
Thirty-six suites, seventy-two guests, and about 1,600 kilometres of track. Everything on board is included — all meals, and all local-brand spirits, wine and beer. There are no televisions and no telephones in the suites.
Where you spend the days
The suite question, answered honestly. Rovos has three categories. This rate books a Pullman at roughly 7 m² — the most compact, five to a carriage, with a daytime sofa that converts. A Deluxe is about 10 m² with a small lounge area and a writing desk, three to a carriage. A Royal is about 16 m², two to a carriage, with a Victorian bath. The photographs above show Rovos suites; if the size matters to you, ask us to quote the Deluxe before you book rather than after you board.
Watch — the rail journey
Rovos Rail
Rovos Rail's own film of the train, the suites and the dining cars. This is the operator you travel with for three nights of this itinerary.
Watch on YouTubeDays 5–8 · Zimbabwe
The Palm River Hotel, Victoria Falls
Seventy-three rooms on the bank of the Zambezi, four kilometres upstream of the Falls, under indigenous trees. Bed and breakfast, in a Deluxe Room with its own river-facing balcony.
The three days at the Falls
One visa, possibly two, and both are yours to arrange. You enter Zimbabwe by train at Beitbridge on the second night, so your visa must be sorted before you leave. Neither the Zimbabwe visa nor the KAZA UniVisa is included in this price, and Ranger Buck does not apply on your behalf. Check what your passport needs well ahead.
Watch — Victoria Falls
The Palm River Hotel
Palm River's own film of the hotel and its grounds on the Zambezi, where you spend the last three nights.
Watch on YouTubeThe company we keep
A wider world of safari stays
Ranger Buck works with leading camps and lodges across Southern Africa, giving your safari specialist more ways to shape the right journey around you.
A selection from Ranger Buck’s lodge network. Your final itinerary will list the specific properties included in your trip.
Where you stay
What the rate actually books
All three are entry-level categories at their properties. That keeps the quoted price honest and makes an upgrade a real choice rather than something you discover you needed.
Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa
- Room
- Grand Chateau Suite, 48 m²
- Nights
- 1
- Basis
- Bed and breakfast
- Where
- Morningside, Sandton, Johannesburg
Rovos Rail
- Suite
- Pullman, approx. 7 m²
- Nights
- 3
- Basis
- All inclusive — all meals, and all local-brand spirits, wine and beer
- Route
- Capital Park, Pretoria to Victoria Falls
The Palm River Hotel
- Room
- Deluxe Room, river-facing balcony
- Nights
- 3
- Basis
- Bed and breakfast
- Where
- Zambezi River, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
The upgrade that changes this trip most is the Rovos suite. Going from a Pullman to a Deluxe roughly doubles your floor space for the three nights you are aboard, and it is the one thing guests mention afterwards. Ask for both quoted and decide with the numbers in front of you.
Indicative package price
From US$5,602 per person sharing
8 days / 7 nights · Fairlawns, Rovos Rail and the Palm River Hotel · single from US$7,962
Included
- Private transfer from O.R. Tambo International Airport to your hotel
- One night at Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa in a Grand Chateau Suite, bed and breakfast
- Transfers within a five-kilometre radius of Fairlawns on your first day
- Transfer to Rovos Rail's Capital Park station in Pretoria
- Three nights aboard Rovos Rail, Pretoria to Victoria Falls, in a Pullman Suite
- All meals on board, and all local-brand spirits, wine and beer
- Game drive at The Hide, Hwange National Park, on day 4
- Transfer from Victoria Falls station to the Palm River Hotel
- Three nights at the Palm River Hotel in a Deluxe Room, bed and breakfast
- Afternoon tea at the hotel
- Sunset cruise on the Zambezi with drinks and snacks on board
- Guided tour of Victoria Falls with lunch at the Lookout Cafe
- Jet boat experience on the Zambezi through the Batoka Gorge
- Boma dinner experience
- Transfer from the hotel to Victoria Falls International Airport
Not included
- All flights — international and regional. There is no air travel in this itinerary at all; you arrive in Johannesburg and depart from Victoria Falls under your own arrangements
- All beverages off the train, including at Fairlawns and the Palm River Hotel
- Lunches and dinners other than those named above — both hotels are bed and breakfast
- Visa fees, and the KAZA UniVisa — visas are your own arrangement
- Photographs and video from the jet boat, sold on board
- Any activity not listed under Included, including helicopter flights over the Falls and Chobe day trips
- Staff gratuities on the train, at the hotels and on tour
- Suite and room upgrades above the categories listed
- Personal expenses, laundry and items of a personal nature
- Travel insurance — strongly recommended
Indicative rate — your final price is confirmed on quotation and varies with season, availability and group size. Per person sharing, 8 days / 7 nights. Single supplement applies; the single rate is from US$7,962. Updated August 2026.
What guests said
From people Ranger Buck has sent by rail to the Falls
“We booked the Rovos Rail, Victoria Falls and Safari with Ranger Buck and it was all perfectly organised. One of the staff even met us at the airport in Johannesburg, just to say hello and give us some gifts. Really great company to deal with, so helpful and responsive at all points of the booking process and during our trip.”
Mike
September 2024 · Rovos Rail and Victoria Falls
“Ranger Buck organized everything — overnight stay at a wonderful hotel in Victoria Falls, evening sunset cruise on the Zambezi river, next morning visit to Victoria Falls. The level of detail that Ranger Buck provided in the itinerary was wonderful, detail down to daily snack times, dinner times.”
Krish
June 2024 · Victoria Falls and Botswana
“From the start of planning our trip to the date of departure, Ranger Buck Safaris moulded our lifetime trip to precision. We changed our options to suit our requirements therefore the service received on a continual basis was exceptional. A superb trip all round!”
Rodger
November 2024 · Southern Africa
Make it yours
Most people change something
These are the five changes Ranger Buck is asked for most often on this itinerary, and each one can be priced before you commit.
- Upgrade the Rovos suite from a Pullman to a Deluxe or a Royal — the single change that alters this trip most
- Add a second night at Fairlawns if your international flight lands late
- Add a helicopter flight over the Falls, the Flight of Angels, on a free afternoon
- Add a full day in Chobe National Park across the Botswana border
- Extend at the Palm River Hotel, or add a safari leg before you board the train
Good to know
Rovos Rail to Victoria Falls — common questions
Clear answers to the questions travellers ask before choosing this experience.
How much does this trip cost?+
From US$5,602 per person sharing for 8 days and 7 nights, and from US$7,962 travelling single. Because every trip is tailored, your final quote may come in above or below that figure — the Rovos suite category moves it most, followed by season. Remember that no flights are included, so add your own airfare when you compare this against other quotes.
Are any flights included?+
No — none. This itinerary contains no air travel of any kind. You arrive at O.R. Tambo in Johannesburg on your own ticket and you fly home from Victoria Falls International on your own ticket. Every transfer between those two points is included, and the long leg between them is the train. Ranger Buck can advise on routings, but the tickets are yours to book.
How small is a Pullman suite, really?+
About 7 m², five to a carriage. By day it is a sofa seat with a table and a window; at night the staff convert it to a side-by-side double or to upper and lower twin bunks while you are at dinner. It has its own shower, toilet and basin. It is comfortable and beautifully made, and it is genuinely small. A Deluxe is about 10 m² with a lounge area and a writing desk; a Royal is about 16 m² with a Victorian bath. If you think the size will bother you, upgrade before you book — you cannot do it once the train has left.
Can we bring children?+
Yes, with some conditions worth knowing before you commit. Rovos charges children 75% of the adult sharing rate. Children under five are not permitted to share a Pullman, so a family with a young child moves up into Deluxe suites — a category change rather than a small surcharge. A child over five who needs their own space is booked into a second Pullman. And Rovos does not permit children under five in the dining and lounge cars, so meals for a young child are taken in the suite. On a journey where the dining car is much of the pleasure, that is worth weighing up rather than discovering on the first evening.
Do I need a visa for Zimbabwe?+
Almost certainly, and it is your own arrangement. You cross into Zimbabwe by train at Beitbridge on the second night, so it has to be sorted before you leave home — there is no scope to fix it en route. Neither the Zimbabwe visa fee nor the KAZA UniVisa, which also covers Zambia, is included in the price. Requirements depend entirely on your passport, so check with the embassy well ahead.
Is there really a dress code?+
Yes. Dinner aboard Rovos Rail is formal every night — jacket and tie for men, and the equivalent for women. Breakfast and lunch are relaxed, and daytime dress is smart casual. Pack for it; it is part of the character of the journey rather than a rule imposed on you, and most guests enjoy it. There are no televisions or telephones in the suites either, which is also deliberate.
Is this a malaria area?+
Parts of it. Johannesburg and Pretoria are malaria-free. Northern Limpopo, Hwange and Victoria Falls are low to moderate risk, and the risk is seasonal — highest in the wet summer months, lowest in the dry winter, which is also the better time to travel. Speak to a travel clinic or your doctor about prophylaxis for this routing, and use repellent and long sleeves at dusk.
When is the best time to go?+
April to October is the strongest window. The dry season means better game viewing on the Hwange drive, more comfortable temperatures on the train and lower malaria risk. The Falls peak in volume between March and June and are at their lowest around October and November. May and June do both well — high water at the Falls and dry-season conditions in Hwange — which makes them the months to aim for if you can.
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