Pretoria to Lilongwe (16 nights) on Rovos Rail
Day 1: Departure from Pretoria
After enjoying a complimentary night at a 5-star hotel in Pretoria, a free chauffeur transfer takes you from your hotel to the private Rovos Rail Station in Capital Park to check in at 08h00. Enjoy a station tour and a visit to the railway museum. At 10h00, the train is scheduled to depart the station (do not panic if it is late to get moving; this is common as it must wait its turn to join the main line), with lunch served in the dining cars at 13h00. The train travels on the Pretoria to Maputo line, built in 1895 to facilitate trade for the then Boer republics, through the coal-mining area of eMalahleni (Witbank - a little piece of trivia is that before starting his luxury train line, Rohan Vos ran a successful auto spares business in Witbank). Dinner is served at 19h30. Dress code is formal.
Day 2: At Leisure on Board
Enjoy a day at leisure on board with lectures taking place in the lounge car. Breakfast is served until 10h00 as the train rolls through the hills of eMakhazeni (Belfast) and Emnothweni (Dullstroom), an area renowned for trout fishing. After lunch at 13h00, the train descends the spectacular Drakensberg Mountain escarpment, travelling towards Malelane. Do not overdo things in the evening, as Day 3 is an early start.
Day 3: Kruger National Park
Following an early 05h00 breakfast, disembark at 06h30 for a game drive in the world-famous Kruger National Park, which covers 2 million hectares and is home to an unrivalled diversity of wildlife including the Big Five. Lunch and an opportunity for curio shopping are included. Return to the train for afternoon tea and a formal dinner as the train travels towards the border towns of Komatipoort and Mpaka. To route the train through Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the journey uses tracks originating from the Goba Railway, opened in 1909 to allow the landlocked territory to export its natural resources through Maputo.
Day 4: Mountainous Kingdom of Eswatini
After breakfast and border formalities, transfer at 08h30 to Swazi Candles where guests can interact with local artisans making colourful candles, textiles, and woodcarvings. Continue to the Mantenga Cultural Village, a living museum of old traditions representing the classic Swazi lifestyle of the 1850s, followed by lunch at Mantenga Lodge. Return to the train for a formal dinner and onward border formalities.
Day 5: Maputo, Mozambique
Breakfast is served until 10h00. Disembark for a city tour of Maputo, Mozambique's vibrant capital, exploring its mix of African, Portuguese, and early colonial architecture. Enjoy lunch at the historic Polana Hotel before returning to the train for afternoon tea and a formal dinner.
Day 6: At Leisure on Board
Enjoy breakfast until 10h00 and spend a relaxing day on board as the train traverses the humid and swampy interior of Mozambique. You will cross the famous Limpopo River before travelling towards Chicualacuala. Dinner is served at 19h30 with an "Africa" Theme or Smart Casual dress code. During the Mozambican Civil War (1977-1992), this part of the line suffered near-total degradation due to ambushes and sabotage. While it was restored in the 1990s, the railway had to be practically rebuilt from scratch in 2004 after devastating floods in the Limpopo and Incomati river valleys washed much of it away.
Day 7: Gonarezhou National Park
After border formalities and breakfast, the train traverses the 5,053-square-kilometre Gonarezhou National Park, the "Place of Elephants", which forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. Pass the spectacular Chilojo Cliffs, standing over 180m high. Travel through attractive granite hill country towards Oreti, followed by a formal dinner.
Day 8: Great Zimbabwe Monument
Following breakfast, embark on a transfer to the Great Zimbabwe Monument for an educational visit. This impressive site is the largest precolonial monument south of the Egyptian pyramids. After the tour and lunch, return to the train and travel towards Gweru.
Day 9: Antelope Park
After breakfast, transfer to Antelope Park, a 3,000-acre haven of tranquillity and home to the ALERT lion rehabilitation programme. Optional extras (own account) include canoeing, game drives, horseback viewing, and bird-watching cruises. Enjoy lunch at the park before the train continues to Harare.
Day 10: Harare
Enjoy breakfast until 09h00, then depart for a tour of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Visit local galleries and bustling street flea markets to experience the artistic talent of the locals. Return to the train for lunch and travel through a varied landscape of farmlands and msasa trees towards Mutare.
Day 11: Mutare
After breakfast, visit the charming Mutare Museum, which features collections of archaeology, ethnography, natural history, and vintage vehicles. Return to the train for lunch and border formalities as you cross back into Mozambique and travel towards the port city of Beira.
Day 12: Beira
Breakfast is served until 09h00. Enjoy a tour of Beira (in a somewhat ruinous state having been battered by the civil war and cyclones), Mozambique's second-largest port, including a visit to the 1904 red-and-white-striped Macuti Lighthouse (decide to climb to the top of this derelict 28-metre-tall structure at your own risk!) and the Macuti shipwreck (a tugboat intentionally run aground in 1985 to serve as a breakwater). The railway from Beira to Bulawayo was built by the Portuguese and opened in 1899 (and defended by Zimbabwean troops during the Mozambican Civil War so trade could continue), and Beira became a favourite holiday spot for Rhodesians (the derelict Grande Hotel is a stark reminder of this). The initial construction through tropical swamps and forests was brutal; outbreaks of malaria claimed the lives of thousands of labourers working on the tracks. Return to the train as it travels towards Inhamitanga.
Day 13: The Dona Ana Bridge
Enjoy a day at leisure traversing the undulating interior of Mozambique. This part of the line harks back to British investors in 1901 wanting to connect the Protectorate of Nyasaland (Malawi) to the coast. The Sena line remained Malawi's primary transport link to the sea until 1979, when it was destroyed during the civil war. The line has since been rehabilitated to support modern coal exports, which (fortuitously for us!) also allows luxury passenger trains to safely travel the route once again. The train crosses the historic Dona Ana Bridge from Vila de Sena to Mutarara. At 3.67km long, it is the longest railway bridge to span the mighty Zambezi River. Dinner is served as the train travels towards Moatize.
Day 14: Moatize & Tete
After breakfast, embark on a coal-mine tour in Moatize. Return to the train for lunch, then enjoy a driving tour of the riverside city of Tete, a mining hub featuring the iconic Samora Machel Suspension Bridge and the bustling Feira Market. Conclude the day with sundowners on the banks of the Zambezi River before returning to the train for an overnight stay.
Day 15: Lake Malawi
Pack a small overnight bag (flight luggage is restricted to 15kg in soft bags; surplus luggage stays securely on Rovos Rail). After breakfast, transfer to Chingozi Airport in Tete for a 60-minute charter flight to the palm-fringed southern shore of Lake Malawi. Check in at The Makokola Retreat, where you can enjoy lunch and an afternoon of leisure with optional watersports, swimming, and tennis. Overnight at the retreat.
Day 16: Liwonde National Park
Enjoy breakfast and a morning at leisure. At 09h15, transfer by road to Mvuu Lodge ("mvuu" meaning hippopotamus in Chichewa), nestled under fever trees on the banks of the Shire River in Liwonde National Park. Enjoy lunch followed by a late afternoon boat safari with sundowners. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 17: Arrival in Lilongwe
Start the day with a 06h00 morning game drive and breakfast. If lucky, you may spot elephant, cheetah, lion, black rhino, and wild dogs in the woodlands and floodplains. Check out and proceed to the airstrip for a 60-minute flight to Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe. Arrive at journey's end at 11h00, where you will be reunited with your main luggage and transferred to your city hotel. Enjoy a free chauffeur transfer and a complimentary night at a hotel in Lilongwe, courtesy of luxurytrainholiday.com.