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South Africa/Zimbabwe/Namibia/Botswana

Southern Africa Safari and Train Adventure: From Cape Town to Victoria Falls

Program No. 21423RJ

Journey through iconic countryside by train, and spot an abundance of wildlife while on safari. Plus, enjoy expert lectures on the region’s cultural traditions and natural wonders.

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Protecting the Environment

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16 days

15 nights

37 meals

13B 12L 12D

In Transit to Program

In Flight

Arrive Cape Town, Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Cape Town

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Winelands

Cape Town

Table Mountain, Cape Peninsula, Boulders Beach

Cape Town

City Exploration, Free Time

Cape Town

Pretoria, Rovos Rail Station, Board the Rovos Rail

Rovos Rail (Pretoria-Victoria Falls)

Travel Northern Limpopo Province, Enter Zimbabwe

Rovos Rail (Pretoria-Victoria Falls)

Matobo National Park, Cecil Rhodes' Grave

Rovos Rail (Pretoria-Victoria Falls)

Hwange National Park

Rovos Rail (Pretoria-Victoria Falls)

Arrive in Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls the Waterfall

Victoria Falls

Elephant Encounter, Local Community Visit, Free Time

Victoria Falls

Chobe National Park, Boat Safari

Chobe National Park

Game Drive, Boat Safari

Chobe National Park

Game Drive, Lion Social Structure & Behavior, Boat Safari

Chobe National Park

Program Concludes

In Flight

In Transit From Program

In Flight

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At a Glance

Explore Southern Africa in the romantic style of the past on this safari-and-train adventure. Start your journey by experiencing Cape Town's complex history and dramatic natural beauty. Then board Rovos Rail for an evocative train trek to Victoria Falls, making a stop along the way to search for magnificent wildlife. In Zimbabwe, follow in the footsteps of Dr. Livingstone to marvel at Victoria Falls, then journey to Chobe National Park to witness elephants and Cape buffalo quenching their thirst along the Chobe River.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles daily on uneven terrain. Game drives in open-air safari vehicles can be bumpy and dusty; stamina and flexibility are required. Elevations up to 4,100 feet.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Journey from Pretoria to Victoria Falls on Rovos Rail, a luxurious private train recalling the romance of Victorian era railroad travel.
Encounter African wildlife during boat excursions on the Chobe River and safari game drives in national parks.
Explore Cape Town's colorful and historic sites including District Six, where a local resident speaks about the forced removals experienced during the apartheid era.

General Notes

Due to the special nature of the program, we regret that we are unable to match solo participants with roommates. If you find this program interesting, you may also like new program "Iconic Africa: Journey Across Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia & Kenya" (#24830). Please refer to the “Travel Information” section on the Road Scholar website, the start/end time listed in your first informational packet or contact the provider if you plan on booking your own flights for correct arrival and departure dates. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available. Please note that Rovos Rail has a dress code - days on board the train are smart casual, while dinner attire is more formal.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Helen Malisan

Helen Malisan’s passion for exploration began in high school when she visited Italy, her ancestral country. After completing her final year at school, she immediately joined South African Airways where she worked for 10 years. In 1993, her love for nature and South Africa inspired her to complete the necessary courses to become a wilderness excursion leader, spurring her career as a safari leader in Namibia and Zambia. Helen says her interest in people, nature and animals inspires her work.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Helen Malisan View biography

Lisa Reed View biography

Lisa Reed was born in Zimbabwe, spent her school years in South Africa, and now lives in Botswana. She has worked or visited most Southern and East African safari destinations, and has managed safari camps on her own and with others since being in Botswana. Lisa has a natural affinity with adults and children, and enjoys passing on her years of experience and knowledge to the next generation. She has been leading safaris for Road Scholar for more than 15 years.

Johann Roscher View biography

Johann Röscher was born in South Africa and grew up on State Forestry stations along the coastal belt of the Cape Province. He joined the military and studied at the North West University, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science. After traveling through the Middle East and Eastern Europe, he returned to South Africa to work as a socio-political researcher. Disillusioned with city life, Johann decided to change careers and lead safaris. He’s been taking groups on safaris in Kalahari and Okavango Delta for 17 years, and he’s never been more content with his choice to move to that beautiful and remote region.

Keith Chisnall View biography

A local of northern Zimbabwe, Keith Chisnall relishes in showing the bush culture to travelers from around the world. As a child, Keith learned the medicinal value of bush plants, how to track animals, tribal customs and the indigenous flora and fauna, and his knowledge has only grown since then. He’s worked as an engineer, salesman and detective, but his most meaningful work has been in leading educational adventures. After over 20 years of experience leading groups in “Big Five” territory, you can rely on Keith to explain every aspect and every detail of the wilderness!

Mark Geraghty View biography

Mark Geraghty was born in Ndola, Northern Zambia where his father was stationed in the British Army. He grew up in Zambia, until his family moved to Harare, Zimbabwe. Not only has Mark traveled extensively throughout Southern Africa, but he has also spent time in Kenya and the Congo. His marriage into a prominent Zimbabwean family sparked an interest in Africa’s early history, specifically the “Scramble for Africa.” Mark is a passionate storyteller with a piercing insight and great sense of humor.

Suggested Reading List (11 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

Search for a Title

Southern Africa Safari and Train Adventure: From Cape Town to Victoria Falls

Program Number: 21423

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah

A harrowing look at life in South Africa under apartheid and country's lurching entry into a post-apartheid reality told through the prism of Trevor Noah and his family. Noah is the most successful comedian in Africa and is the current host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent

by Dipo Faloyin

So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. This book offers stories that bring to life Africa’s rich diversity, communities, and histories.

The Last Elephants

by Colin Bell & Don Pinnock

African savanna elephants--among the most magnificent and beloved of our fellow mammals--are an extraordinary, social, and intelligent species. The Last Elephants, an homage to these animals and a clarion call for their preservation, is based upon a shocking finding: savanna elephant populations across Africa are being decimated, with two to three murdered every hour for their ivory. Without action, these elephants soon will vanish from our world. They are a species in imminent danger of extinction, and it is up to us to save them.

The Myth of Wild Africa

by Jonathan Adams, Thomas McShane

A no-holds-barred attack on old-style conservation in Africa, provocative and dead-on. The authors explore the fallacy of an untouched continent where animals roam freely in sanctuaries.

Cape Town, A Lonely Planet City Guide

by John A. Murray

A practical guide to the city and surroundings, featuring suggested walks, excursions and attractions. This surprisingly complete book also includes color photographs and a map.

Southern Africa Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide

by Mike Unwin

A popular, photographic guide to the mammals, birds, reptiles and habitats south of the Zambezi. With 300 color photographs and illuminating text.

Out of Darkness, Shining Light

by Petina Gappah

So begins Petina Gappah's powerful novel of exploration and adventure in nineteenth-century Africa—the captivating story of the loyal men and women who carried explorer and missionary Dr. Livingstone's body, his papers and maps, fifteen hundred miles across the continent of Africa, so his remains could be returned home to England and his work preserved there.

Lonely Planet Southern Africa

by Anthony Ham

This hefty practical guide to the nine nations of southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland (Eswatini), Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho, is ideal for independent travelers on a multi-country tour.

Disgrace

by J.M. Coetzee

Set in Cape Town and on a remote farm in the Eastern Cape, Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel explores the devastating realities of racial politics in post-apartheid South Africa.

Long Walk to Freedom

by Nelson Mandela

An unpretentious tale of an extraordinary life. Mandela recounts the circumstances of his imprisonment and ultimately his successful drive to end Apartheid.

Tomorrow is Another Country, The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change

by Allister Sparks

Essential to understanding South Africa today, this comprehensive account shows the extraordinary developments that led to multiracial democracy in South Africa.

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Southern Africa Safari and Train Adventure: From Cape Town to Victoria Falls

Enroll with Confidence

Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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