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Tailor Made Rail · Tailor-made rail holiday

Rovos Rail: Southern Cross

Eleven-night luxury train journey from Pretoria to Victoria Falls through Southern Africa

Illustration of Rovos Rail: Southern Cross

Tailor Made Rail's Southern Cross is a 17-day luxury rail journey departing London and ending at Victoria Falls. After an overnight flight to South Africa and one night in Pretoria, you board Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa for an 11-night crossing of Southern Africa. The train travels from Pretoria through Kruger National Park and into Mozambique, eSwatini and Zimbabwe, stopping for game drives in three national parks, cultural visits including a traditional village in eSwatini and the UNESCO monument at Great Zimbabwe, and city tours of Maputo and Bulawayo. Meals are served in the dining cars throughout, and the journey concludes with two nights at Victoria Falls, where you take a walking tour of the falls and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River before flying back to London. This package suits couples and repeat rail travellers seeking luxury accommodation and structured excursions through wildlife reserves and heritage sites.

What to know before you look closer

  • Some activities carry optional extras payable locally, including the Graskop viewing lift and activities at Antelope Park (horseback riding, canoeing, additional game drives)
  • Hotel accommodation in Pretoria and Victoria Falls is listed as 'or similar', meaning the final property may vary
  • The package includes return flights from London in economy class; rail fares are built into the inclusive price

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Overnight flight to Johannesburg

    London to Pretoria

    Fly overnight from the UK to Johannesburg.

  2. Day 2overnight: Pretoria

    Arrival in Pretoria

    Met by a private transfer driver and taken to Pretoria for an overnight stay at the Southern Sun Hotel (or similar). Explore South Africa's administrative capital, known for its historic landmarks and jacaranda trees which blossom in October and November.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Depart Pretoria aboard the Pride of Africa

    Transfer to Rovos Rail Station in Pretoria for a 10am departure. Lunch is served travelling through the eMalahleni coal-mining area and Middelburg ('the stainless steel capital of Africa'), on a rail line built by a Dutch railway company between 1893 and 1895. The first dinner is served in the dining cars.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Panorama Route

    Breakfast onboard, then disembark for a full-day tour taking in the gold rush town of Pilgrim's Rest, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and Graskop for lunch, including the Graskop viewing lift (payable locally). Rejoin the train at Mbombela for Malelane; dinner served onboard.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Kruger National Park

    A game drive from 7am in Kruger National Park, with its diversity of wildlife including the Big Five, and a full-day tour with lunch. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge and observation cars as the train crosses into Mozambique; dinner served onboard.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Maputo, Mozambique

    Breakfast onboard before arriving into Maputo for a city tour with lunch, exploring its mix of African, Portuguese and Colonial architecture. The train arrives at Mpaka, eSwatini, for border formalities; dinner served onboard.

  7. Day 7overnight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    eSwatini

    Disembark at Mpaka to visit Mantenga Cultural Village, a living museum of local traditions from the 1800s, with lunch at Mantenga Lodge overlooking Execution Rock. Onward towards the South African border at Hoedspruit for more border formalities; dinner served onboard.

  8. Day 8overnight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Kapama Reserve & Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre

    An early continental breakfast (available until 5:30am) before a game drive in Kapama Game Reserve (potentially the Big Five among 40 mammal species and 350 bird species), then a visit to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, a sanctuary for rhinos, cheetahs and other threatened species. Dinner onboard has an 'Africa' theme (smart casual optional).

  9. Day 9overnight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Limpopo Province

    A leisurely breakfast, then a day travelling through Limpopo Province towards Rutenga in Zimbabwe, with time to socialise in the lounge and observation cars or browse the onboard gift shop.

  10. Day 10railovernight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Great Zimbabwe Monument

    A journey through granite hill country to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Zimbabwe Monument, the largest colonial-era monument south of the pyramids in Egypt, with lunch, before returning to the train at Oreti Siding; dinner served onboard.

  11. Day 11overnight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Antelope Park

    A full day at Antelope Park, home to the ALERT lion rehabilitation programme, with payable optional extras including horseback game viewings, canoeing and game drives. Afternoon tea onboard as the journey continues towards Bulawayo; dinner served in the dining cars.

  12. Day 12overnight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Matobo National Park

    A full-day tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Matobo National Park, including lunch, visiting the grave of Cecil John Rhodes on Malindidzimu ('hill of benevolent spirits') and bushman caves with rock art.

  13. Day 13overnight: Aboard the Pride of Africa

    Hwange National Park

    A full day of game viewing in Hwange National Park, covering 1,462,000 hectares and known for its large lion population, including a packed lunch. Dinner onboard has a 1920s dress theme (smart casual optional).

  14. Day 14railovernight: Victoria Falls

    Victoria Falls

    A leisurely breakfast onboard before arriving at Victoria Falls station; check out of the train and walk to the Victoria Falls Hotel (or similar) for a 2-night stay. A walking tour of the village and the Falls with lunch, followed by a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.

  15. Day 15overnight: Victoria Falls

    At leisure in Victoria Falls

    A free day to relax at the hotel or spend more time admiring the Victoria Falls, one of the world's great natural wonders, just over a mile long and up to 108m deep at Rainbow Falls.

  16. Day 16overnight: Overnight flight to London

    Victoria Falls to London

    Check out and transfer to the airport for an internal flight to Johannesburg and a connecting flight back to the UK.

  17. Day 17

    Arrival in London

    Arrive back in London on the connecting flight from Johannesburg.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 4Day 4: Full-day Panorama Route tour including the gold rush town of Pilgrim's Rest, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and the Graskop viewing lift overlooking the escarpment
  • Day 5Day 5: Early morning game drive in Kruger National Park viewing the Big Five, followed by afternoon tea in the observation cars as the train crosses into Mozambique
  • Day 10Day 10: Full-day excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Zimbabwe Monument, the largest colonial-era monument south of the Egyptian pyramids
  • Day 12Day 12: Full-day tour of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Matobo National Park including the grave of Cecil John Rhodes and bushman caves with rock art
  • Day 14Day 14: Walking tour of Victoria Falls village and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River before a two-night stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel

Included

  • Return flights from London to Johannesburg (with connecting return flight from Victoria Falls) in economy class
  • 3 nights' hotel accommodation with breakfast
  • An 11-night journey aboard the Pride of Africa including all meals, drinks and excursions (some optional excursions payable locally)
  • Transfers to and from the hotel in Pretoria and Victoria Falls to Johannesburg Airport

Questions travellers ask

Is the train travel included in the price?
Yes. The 11-night journey aboard Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa is fully included, with all meals, drinks and excursions (except some optional activities payable locally). Flights from London to Johannesburg and return are also included.
Is this an escorted tour or independent travel?
It is a structured package operated by Tailor Made Rail. You travel on the Pride of Africa with a full itinerary of included excursions such as game drives, city tours and cultural visits, plus transfers to and from hotels.
Which train will I be traveling on?
You will travel aboard the Pride of Africa by Rovos Rail from Pretoria to Victoria Falls, in a Pullman Suite cabin.
What type of accommodation is included?
One night in the Southern Sun Hotel (or similar) in Pretoria, 11 nights in a Pullman Suite aboard the Pride of Africa, and two nights at the Victoria Falls Hotel (or similar) in Victoria Falls. All hotel accommodation includes breakfast.
When does this journey run?
Departures run in January, March, April, May, August, September and November across 2026 and 2027.
How much walking is involved?
Multiple full-day excursions involve city walking tours, game drives with disembarkations, heritage site visits and optional activities. Early morning game drives begin at 7am. Walking tour of Victoria Falls village is included.

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