Rovos Rail to Dar es Salaam is an epic train journey that travels through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania. This journey is one of the most famous in the world. The sojourn begins in Cape Town. The diamond town of Kimberley, and the capital city of Pretoria for short tours followed by two nights in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Continue through Botswana into Zimbabwe where guests overnight at the Victoria Falls Hotel. After crossing the mighty Zambezi River, the train joins the Tazara line in Zambia and continues to Chisimba Falls where guests enjoy a bush walk.
The train climbs to the Tanzanian border and then descends into the Great Rift Valley negotiating the tunnels, switchbacks, and viaducts of the spectacular escarpment. Climbing again, it traverses the Nyerere National Park (ex-Selous Game Reserve). This is the largest on the continent and a vision of timeless Africa. Before the bustling arrival in Dar es Salaam the following day. Available in reverse.
* Please note that depending upon the railway’s capacity this journey could be routed northwards through Beitbridge and Zimbabwe.
We are also able to offer optional pre and post-Rovos Rail tours so you have one company arranging all your travels making your journey far less stressful. Send us an email so we can customize your luxury African safari holiday to meet your requirements.
Skip to Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam Journey Rates and Departure Dates
Rovos Rail luxury train Cape Town to Dar es Salaam itinerary
Please note dress code for dinner on the Rovos train is formal.
Day 1: Cape Town
8 am – Check in at Rovos Rail Lounge.
9.30 am – Depart from Cape Town Station. Guests may freshen up in their suites before joining fellow travelers in the lounge car and observation car.
1 pm – Lunch is available in the dining cars. The train travels towards the Hex River Valley.
4.30 pm – Tea is in the lounge and observation cars. Disembark at Matjiesfontein before dinner for an opportunity to stroll through the historic village (this is time dependent). Depending on the time of year, this stop could be after sunset.
7.30 pm – Dinner is available in the dining cars.
Day 2: At leisure on board
7 am – Breakfast is available in the dining cars until 10 am.
10 am – The train traverses the Karoo. A vast semi-desert region that was once an enormous inland sea. Over millions of years, the volcanic matter was ground down and deposited as silt upon the seabed to form what geologists call the Karoo system.
1 pm – Lunch is available in the dining cars.
4.30 pm – Tea is in the lounge and observation cars.
7.30 pm – Dinner is in the dining cars. Dress: Formal
Day 3: Kimberley
6 am – Breakfast is available in the dining cars.
Enjoy a tour of Kimberley’s Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Capital of the Northern Cape, Kimberley is well known for the discovery of diamonds that led to its establishment in 1871.
12 pm – Lunch in the dining cars.
4.30 pm – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7.30 pm – Dinner in the dining cars en route to Klerksdorp.
Day 4: Pretoria
7 am – Breakfast is available in the dining cars
8 am – Transfer (±60 min) to Pretoria for a city tour followed by lunch on the Rovos Rail Station platform.
Enjoy a walking tour of the station and locomotive workshops (weather permitting).
7.30 pm – Dinner is available in the dining cars en route to Zeerust.
Day 5: Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve
Please pack a small overnight bag for the stay in Madikwe. Tog bags have been placed in your suite for your convenience. See below for inclusions/exclusions. Spa facilities available (own account). Times of meals and activities confirmed on arrival.
7 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am.
11 am – Transfer (±90 min) to a lodge in Madikwe for a two night stay. On arrival, enjoy lunch.
Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours).
7 pm – Dinner at the lodge. Dress: Casual
Madikwe is a prime malaria-free Big 5 wildlife reserve bordering Botswana. It lies within a transition zone between the North West Province bushveld and Kalahari thornveld. With enormous volcanic intrusions, wide open plains, and the riverine environment along the Marico River. As a result, the region is host to an incredible diversity of species from both ecosystems with a rich assortment of vegetation and more than 300 resident and migrant bird species.
Day 6: Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve
Early morning game drive (approximately 3 hours).
7 am – Breakfast is available at the lodge until 9.30 am.
12.30 pm – Lunch at the lodge.
Afternoon tea and game drive (approximately 3 hours).
7 pm – Dinner at the lodge.
Day 7: Madikwe to Botswana
Early morning game drive (approximately 2 hours).
7 am – Breakfast is until 9.30 am. Please ensure your bags are ready for collection at 10 am and proceed to check out.
10.30 am – Depart the lodge. Transfer to the train at Gaborone in Botswana. Border formalities will take place en route and guests are required to present themselves to the border officials (luggage may be searched).
1 pm – Lunch is available in the dining cars. The train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn and the eastern edge of the Kalahari Basin. Known as ‘Kgalagadi’ in Botswana, the Kalahari (which extends to 900 000km2 and covers much of Botswana, parts of Namibia, and South Africa) is not a true desert as it does experience small amounts of rain, with some areas enjoying up to 250mm. The surrounding basin covers over 2 500 000 km2 extending farther into Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is part desert, part plateau. The only constant river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest forming marshes that are rich in wildlife.
4.30 pm – Tea is in the lounge and observation cars. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the list of activities available in Victoria Falls. Tour of the Falls; helicopter over Victoria Falls; whitewater rafting; bungee jumping; golf etc. You may book these excursions yourself at the hotel OR beforehand on the train with the onboard historian – today between 4.30 pm – 6 pm.
7.30 pm – Dinner is in the dining cars.
Day 8: At leisure on board Rovos Rail
Lectures will take place throughout the journey during the morning and/or afternoon in the lounge car.
7 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am. Border formalities take place.
1 pm – Lunch is available in the dining cars.
4.30 pm – Tea is in the lounge and observation cars. Pass Gwaai and Dete; along one of Africa’s longest stretches of straight railway line – 114 kilometers. And along the eastern edge of the Hwange National Park.
7.30 pm – Dinner is available in the dining cars.
Day 9: Victoria Falls
Please pack a small overnight bag for your stay at Victoria Falls Hotel.
7 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am.
Arrive at the incomparable Victoria Falls. Disembark with an overnight bag and walk across to the hotel. Welcome address on the lawn followed by lunch at Jungle Junction. Luggage will be delivered to the rooms.
Meet in the hotel foyer before departure for the sunset cruise on the Zambezi (time will be advised).
7.30 pm – Dinner at the Livingstone Room, Victoria Falls Hotel. Dress: Smart Casual (strictly no safari wear, shorts, sandals, or sneakers).
Victoria Falls
Plunging over the lip of Victoria Falls is the largest body of falling water on earth. The mighty Zambezi, the fourth longest river in Africa, is about 2km wide above the falls and cascades dramatically over a precipice 1.6km in length and 108m at its deepest, compressing the vast volume of water into a chasm 50m wide. The sound can be deafening, the aspect is magnificent and the memory indelible. In autumn, the spray is so great it inhibits photography while in spring the seasonal flow considerably reduces leaving large slabs of brown basalt exposed on the lip.
The Victoria Falls Hotel was constructed by the British in 1904 when the Cape to Cairo railway line was being built. It certainly has a lot of history and has hosted all sorts of royalty and dignitaries.
Day 10: Victoria Falls
Check-out time is normally at 10 am (to be advised). If you have organized morning activities, please ensure you have checked out. Luggage storage at reception is complimentary until afternoon departure.
6.30 am – Breakfast is at the Jungle Junction Restaurant until 10 am. Morning at leisure in Victoria Falls.
1 pm – Lunch at Jungle Junction.
3 pm – Meet on the station platform for departure to Zambia.
4 pm – Cross the Victoria Falls Bridge. Tea in the lounge and observation cars. Border formalities take place.
7.30 pm – Dinner is available in the dining cars.
Day 11 & 12: On board
Travel to Kapiri Mposhi via the Kafue Bridge (a 477 meter long steel girder truss bridge of 13 spans each at 33 meters supported on concrete piers) and Lusaka in a northeasterly direction. The train travels the TAZARA railway line, an engineering tour de force and one of Africa’s best kept secrets as it passes through the remote territory. Relax on this luxury train at your leisure with optional lectures on board by the historian.
Day 13: Chisimba Falls
6 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until departure.
8 am – Enjoy a visit to Chisimba Falls where guests can take a pleasant walk down to the rock pools at the base of the falls or admire them from various viewpoints.
11.30 am – The train climbs to the border, almost exactly the midpoint between Africa’s two Great Rift Valley lakes.
1 pm – Lunch is in the dining cars.
4.30 pm – Tea is in the lounge and observation cars. Border formalities take place.
7.30 pm – Dinner. The train passes the Baobab forests and descends the Rift Valley towards Mbeya.
PLEASE PUT YOUR WATCHES FORWARD AN HOUR BEFORE RETIRING FOR THE EVENING.
Chisimba Falls:
Chisimba Falls is a series of three waterfalls named Mutumuna, Kaela, and Chishimba (Chisimba). Which are separated over 300m along the Luombe River. According to Bemba tradition, the nature spirit “Chishimba” lives in a cave behind the falls therefore no bad behavior (including fights, insults, and arrogance) is allowed in this area.
Though the Bemba people arrived here in the 17th century, they weren’t the first as the land surrounding the falls is dotted with evidence of Iron Age activities including kilns, smelting pipes, and iron ore deposits.
Day 14: At leisure on board
7 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am. The train traverses the Rift Valley and baobab forests towards Mbeya.
1 pm – Lunch is in the dining cars. The Southern Highlands of Tanzania are covered with grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and forests. Miombo woodland and savanna predominates at lower elevations. The higher mountains are home to Afromontane evergreen forests, grasslands, and shrublands. And part of the Southern Rift montane forest grassland mosaic Eco region, which extends into the nearby mountains of Malawi and Zambia.
4.30 pm – Tea in the lounge and observation cars.
7.30 pm – Dinner in the dining cars.
Day 15: Makambako (optional)
7 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am. Enjoy an optional stroll through Makambako (time permitting) before departure at 9.30 am.
1 pm – Lunch is in the dining cars. The train travels towards the jungled Udzungwa Mountains and negotiates the dramatic switchbacks, viaducts, and tunnels of the escarpment.
4.30 pm – Tea is in the lounge and observation cars.
7.30 pm – Dinner is in the dining cars.
Day 16: Nyerere National Park
6 am – Breakfast in the dining cars.
8 am – Enjoy a game visit and lunch (weather permitting) in the Nyerere National Park (ex-Selous Game Reserve). The largest in Africa at 30 000km2.
5.30 pm – The train traverses the fertile lands of Tanzania towards Gwata.
7.30 pm – Dinner is in the dining cars en route to Gwata. Dress: “1920s” Theme or Smart Casual
Day 17: Dar es Salaam
Please ensure that your luggage is ready for collection and that you have your passport.
7 am – Breakfast is in the dining cars until 10 am. Travel in an easterly direction towards the coast.
11 am – Arrive at the Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam journey’s end at Tazara Station, Tanzania.
Please note: Due to rough track and delays, the train often arrives late in Dar es Salaam. It is best to schedule an overnight in Dar es Salaam before flying out.
This itinerary is reversed for Dar Es Salaam to Cape Town journey.
Accommodation on board Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam Journey
All the suites offer passengers the opportunity to travel in privacy, comfort, and luxury, with fittings and facilities that are of the highest standard. The wood paneled rebuilt sleeper coaches are remodeled and refurbished to mint condition. They offer every modern convenience and comfort. In the en-suite bathrooms, original fittings combine with the modern technology of hot showers, hair dryers, and shaver plugs. All are equipped with a writing surface and a personal safe for valuables. There is also a bar fridge filled with beverages of the passengers’ choice and room service is available 24 hours a day. For more info on the room types, see our Rovos Rail page.
Rovos Rail Cape Town Dar es Salaam (or vice versa) Journey Rates and Departure Dates
2026 Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam |
Cape Town to Dar es Salaam Dates |
Dar es Salaam to Cape Town Dates: |
| 9th – 28th January 2026, 2nd – 18th July 2026, 6th – 22nd October 2026 |
28th January – 13th February 2026, 21st July – 6th August 2026, 6th – 22nd September 2026, 25th October – 10th November 2026 |
|
| Pullman Gold Suite | $ 16 500 (Single: $24 000) | |
| Deluxe Suite | $ 21 800 (Single: $31 500) | |
| Royal Suite | $ 28 600 (Single: On request) | |
2027 Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam |
Cape Town to Dar es Salaam Dates |
Dar es Salaam to Cape Town Dates: |
| 27th February -15th March 2027, 3rd – 19th July 2027, 9th – 25th October 2027 |
22nd July – 7th August 2027, 9th – 25th September 2027, 28th October – 13th November 2027 |
|
| Pullman Gold Suite | $ 18 200 (Single: $ 26 400) | |
| Deluxe Suite | $ 24 000 (Single: $ 34 700) | |
| Royal Suite | $ 31 500 (Single: On request) | |
2028 Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam |
Cape Town to Dar es Salaam Dates |
Dar es Salaam to Cape Town Dates: |
| 10th – 26th January 2028, 28th February – 15th March 2028, 3rd – 19th July 2028, 9th – 25th October 2028 |
22nd July – 7th August 2028, 9th – 25th September 2028, 28th October – 13th November 2028 |
|
| Pullman Gold Suite | $20 020 (Single: $29 029) | |
| Deluxe Suite | $26 400 (Single: $38 280) | |
| Royal Suite | $34 650 (Single: On request) | |
Rovos Rail Dar es Salaam Journey price includes:
Accommodation,
All meals, and beverages on board,
Room service,
Limited laundry,
Guided excursions (where applicable),
Preselected local wines, beers and soft drinks on excursions,
Entrance fees as per itinerary,
Government tax.
Excludes:
All other beverages, international sparkling wine, gratuities, personal expenses, visas, travel insurance, pre- and post-tour transfers, accommodation and flights.
Luxury Africa Train Travel
See our Tanzania safaris, South Africa tours, Zimbabwe tours, Zambia tours or Botswana safaris.
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