Ultimate Dar Es Salaam, Victoria Falls and The Pride of Africa

Our holiday begins with a flight from London Heathrow. Flying via Dubai, we make our way to Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's exhilarating former capital, 'Dar es Salaam' translates to "home of peace" and was once a small fishing village. Now, it's a lively hive of culture and entertainment with the UNESCO-listed Selous Game Reserve on its doorstep.

Landing in Dar es Salaam, we head out to get to know the city. With free time, you could visit a local craft market, enjoying time to peruse the colourful stalls that are filled with enticing traditional goods ranging from carved ornaments to locally made clothes and accessories. We enjoy dinner at our hotel and settle down for the evening before our unique adventure on board the Pride of Africa begins.

Today we begin our journey on the Pride of Africa, starting our epic rail journey across the continent through five unique countries. After settling in on the luxurious train, we speed away from Dar es Salaam and make our way through Tanzania. Our journey takes us across the wild plains of the Selous Game Reserve by rail. The park offers a vision of timeless Africa; there are almost no roads with most visitors flying in. Our trip through the plains by rail is a rare treat as we try to spot elephants, hippos and buffalo from our comfortable carriages.

We head out into the wild landscapes of the Selous Game Reserve on a safari drive. Selous Game Reserve is Africa's largest park and has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status thanks to its incredible indigenous wildlife. On our game drive, we hope to spot some of the diverse wildlife that the park, and Africa as a whole, is famous for. We return to the train and continue through the striking Udzungwa Mountains to Mlimba.

We arrive in Makambako, a traditional Tanzanian town that's overlooked by the country's Southern Highlands. You can explore the town at your own pace; one option is to check out the town's large traditional clothes market. Back on board the Pride of Africa, we cross the vast and stark landscapes of the Rift Valley on the way to the town of Tunduma, nestled on the border between Tanzania and Zambia. 

Continuing our journey, we descend through the striking valleys of the Mbeya Mountains before crossing over into neighbouring Zambia. We disembark at Kasama to visit the stunning Chishimba Falls. Here, the Luombe River tumbles over a succession of rapids cut into the deep valley, offering a beautiful sight, and a great photo opportunity. We re-join the Pride of Africa and settle down for a journey to Mununga.

Enjoy a relaxed day to soak up the luxury of the Pride of Africa as views across Zambia roll by our windows. You could visit the lounge car and listen as our onboard historian gives informative lectures about a fascinating range of subjects. Or simply sit back in the observation car and admire the landscapes as we make our way through the wilderness and across a region of quaint mining towns known as 'the Copperbelt'.

You have another free day on board today, luxuriating in the passing views as we make our way further across Zambia. The train travels through Lusaka, Zambia's tree-lined capital and largest city, and one of the fastest developing cities in southern Africa. Afterwards, we cross the striking Kafue Railway Bridge, a 427-metre-long girder bridge that spans the vast waters of the Kafue River and affords great views.

A highlight of our holiday awaits as we arrive in Livingston. We travel into Zimbabwe, crossing the border bridge that spans a gorge across the incredible Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls' indigenous name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to the beautiful name - 'the smoke that thunders'. The falls are one of the world's finest natural wonders and one of the most stunning waterfalls in the world.

We disembark and transfer to our 5-Star hotel near the banks of the mighty Zambezi. Later, we sail the Zambezi River, just upstream from the falls, on a sunset cruise. Admire the changing hues of the African sunset as we absorb the breathtaking beauty of the river, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the resident crocodiles.

Enjoy a day free to relax at our hotel. You could unwind in the lush gardens or enjoy a refreshing dip in the outdoor swimming pool. Alternatively, you could continue exploring the local area. Our hotel is just a short walk from the crashing waters of Victoria Falls, so heading back to admire the thundering waterfalls is a popular choice. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even admire this stunning sight from the unique vantage point of a helicopter (payable locally).

In the late afternoon, we rejoin the Pride of Africa and enjoy dinner on board before our journey continues.

Relax on board today as we leave Zimbabwe and continue through Botswana. With a very small population, Botswana is a largely rural country, with wide open plains stretching out into the distant desert landscape, dotted with several traditional villages. The train crosses the Tropic of Capricorn on its route to Gaborone, Botswana's compact capital, found just above the South African border close to the Madikwe Game Reserve.

We disembark and transfer to the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa today. With a beautifully diverse landscape, Madikwe is home to a variety of rare and wonderful creatures including leopards, elephants, antelopes, rhinos, and lions. This afternoon we take our first game drive through the wilderness, hoping to spot many of these wonderful creatures in their natural habitats.

We enjoy a full day dedicated to wildlife spotting in Madikwe Game Reserve today, contrasting both early morning and afternoon game drives to increase our chances of spotting the fascinating animals. Madikwe is somewhat of a hidden gem, the fifth largest game reserve in South Africa and one of its lesser-known, creating an air of exclusivity. We make our way through the plains of the savannah, hoping to spot the mighty 'Big Five' amongst the woodlands and rocky outcrops.

We embark upon a final early morning game drive in Madikwe Game Reserve. If we're lucky, we might spot the highly endangered African Wild Dog, with large, bat-like ears and mottled coat in shades of orange, black and white. After hopefully seeing many stunning animals, we return to the Pride of Africa. More glorious scenery awaits as we ride alongside the dramatic Magaliesberg Mountains, a sharp ridge of peaks that tower above the tracks.

We arrive in Pretoria, a place with a rich political history. South Africa officially has three capital cities, and as one of them, Pretoria serves as the country's administrative capital and seat of the government. On arrival, we get to know the city on a guided tour. We then return to Rovos Rail Station where we enjoy lunch ahead of a fascinating tour of locomotive workshops. This afternoon, we reboard the Pride of Africa and continue our journey, making our way towards Kimberley.

Today, we reach Kimberley, the capital of South Africa's Northern Cape Province. Kimberley is a city with a rich and intriguing diamond mining history, and the area holds several 19th-century diamond mines. We visit its most famous, the 'Big Hole', a huge, water-filled man-made pit and diamond mine. We also visit the Kimberley Mine Museum, a recreated townscape and museum of many artefacts from the diamond rush, including jewellery and uncut diamonds.

The Pride of Africa reaches Matjiesfontein today. This village was founded in 1884 and is officially a National Monument, famous for its main street with historic, colonial-era buildings and a timeless atmosphere. With time to discover it at your own pace, you could take a step back in time and head to the old-fashioned Victorian pub for a pint. We return to the train for the final leg of our epic journey, arriving in Cape Town this evening and disembarking the Pride of Africa for the final time. We transfer to our hotel in South Africa's cosmopolitan capital, where we spend the next four nights.

Today, we're introduced to Cape Town as we discover some of the city's best-loved attractions on a guided coach tour. We stop off at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, where we have lunch in a local restaurant - a relaxing and wonderful way to get to know the city. After lunch, we ascend the impressive Table Mountain by cable car, where we can enjoy splendid views across the sprawling city and azure ocean. This evening, we check in to our hotel for three nights, located between the waterfront and the historic centre of Cape Town.

We travel by coach to South Africa's most celebrated vineyards today, visiting Franschhoek and Stellenbosch Valleys - famous as two of the finest wine regions in the world. We soak up incredible views across the verdant sloping vineyards before a chance to sample some of the award-winning wines. Our tasting session of these locally made wines is accompanied by some delicious tapas-style food pairings.

We travel to Cape Point, on the Cape of Good Hope at Africa's southwestern tip, overlooking the crashing waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. Here, we experience a journey aboard the Flying Dutchman funicular railway, winding up to the upper lighthouse above Cape Point, taking in incredible panoramic views. Next, we head to Boulders Beach. The beach is a breathtaking paradise of blue-green waters and white sand. It is also home to its own colony of African penguins. We spend some time in the beautiful surroundings enjoying close-up views of the penguins, before returning to our hotel.

This morning, we embark on a short ferry ride to Robben Island for an insightful guided tour of the UNESCO-listed site. Here, we visit the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years during his 27-year imprisonment before the fall of Apartheid.

On returning to Cape Town, there is free time to unwind or do some last-minute sightseeing before our holiday draws to a close. Making our way to the airport, we bid farewell to Cape Town and southern Africa before boarding our overnight flight to London Heathrow.

We land at London Heathrow today and your holidays ends.