* This article first appeared here in YOURLUXURY AFRICA
Although it was only the second morning of the journey, the procedure felt like muscle memory. After a lazy yawn, I’d pick up the telephone beside my bed and order a glass of sparkling wine. Moments later there’d be a knock on the door and the steward would bring over the bubbly. While this might not seem unusual for a five-star hotel, this was somewhat different: I was in a train carriage, traversing the African countryside on a luxury train.
It was my 40th, and my mother was accompanying me on a grand adventure. There was also a deeper meaning to the trip: she was returning to her native South Africa but for the first time without my father. We had tragically lost him over the pandemic, and this mother-and-son sojourn was one of both geography and the heart.
Our starting point was Capital Park, Rovos Rail’s headquarters in Pretoria. For over 35 years the family-run company has offered guests the opportunity to explore Africa by rail, and we were embarking on their hero trip: an incomparable five-day journey to Victoria Falls. Owner Rohan Vos bid us a warm welcome, casting a distinctly stately figure at 6 ft 2 as he began his speech. “It gives my family and I great pleasure to welcome you onboard Rovos Rail…”
Our Deluxe Suite was a remodelled wood-panelled sleeper coach and surprisingly spacious; 10m2 that included a lounge area with a writing desk and an en-suite bathroom. For those with a generous pocket, there are even two impressive Royal suites with an extra 6m2 and Victorian Claw Foot baths.
The train features a lounge car and at the rear, an observation car with a bar and open-air viewing deck. Dining in Rovos is an elegant affair – we had a choice of having our silver service meals in either the 1920s carriage dining carriage with teak pillars, or a slightly more modern 1930s model with large windows. The evening formal dress code gave us the rare opportunity to don a dress and suit daily.
For a cultural leg-stretch, our Rovos journey included two stops. First, an outing to Matobo National Park where our guide Henry introduced us to aspects of early African life, including ancient rock art. The park’s unique granite rock formations punctuate the skyline, and on one of the massive intrusions lies the final resting place for controversial figure Cecil Rhodes – marked by an imposing monument.
Our second outing came two days later, where we exchanged carriage for a game-viewer, to embark on a three-hour safari in Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe’s largest conservation area. Within minutes of our drive – and still in sight of the train – we encountered two hungry lions feeding on a giraffe. A sobering reminder that we were truly traversing a wild African continent.
The allure of train travel is that there’s little one can do. Rather than an action-packed vacation itinerary, there’s the invitation to pause and allow the world to slowly pass by. Nothing is rushed – including the train, which only reaches a maximum of 60km/h, gently exploring the rail lines both intersecting and crisscrossing countries.
This go-slow provided the soul space we needed. Rather than cell signal or Wi-Fi, we were gifted with the present moment. A chance for stories to flow along with the premium wine, while my beloved continent’s landscapes slowly drifted by. rovos.com
VICTORIA FALLS RIVER LODGE
After five days of navigating Northwards, we arrived at the mighty Victoria Falls. What my mother thought was a mere boat ride on the Zambezi, transpired into a little surprise I’d arranged. On our river cruise, passing a small island, she noticed the unexpected treehouses hovering over the water’s edge and exclaimed in delight: “Gracious, look at those”. I simply smiled and as we approached the jetty announced: “Welcome home!” A little disbelief and some tears later, we entered the magical island.
Victoria Falls River Lodge offers a variety of boutique luxury accommodation options hugging the river’s edge, from private villas to small intimate camps, and then the utterly unique Kandahar Island. On this island, the lodge spaces and six treehouses are all connected by elevated walkways, offering safety from the game that roam freely below and also providing an ideal vantage point. Included in the stay are daily sunset boat cruises and terra-firma safaris in Zambezi National Park.
On our first evening, I noticed some movement through the bathroom slots. Calling my mother, we walked quietly out our front door to find hippos grazing directly below – less than a meter’s distance away. Enjoying the exclusivity of the island as much as us, a herd of elephants would almost daily swim across the river to the island to feed: a thrilling safari experience on your doorstep.
Upstream we could often hear the water roar and see the billowing clouds of mist that rose from the falls – sometimes as high as 400m. When seeing the falls for the first time, explorer David Livingstone uttered the now-famous words: “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”
168 years later we traced the angelic flight in our 13-minute ‘Flight of Angels’ helicopter flip over the falls and Zambezi National Park. Our pilot from Wild Horizon gave fascinating insight as he whirled us along an aerial figure of eight high over the falls. And at 1,7 kilometres wide and 108 meters high they are indeed the mightiest in the world.
Retiring to our private island after activities was simply sublime. Two of the treehouses on the island sport star beds – an additional level with an open-air bed for a fully immersive night under the African stars. It was here I drifted off peacefully each evening, lulled to sleep by the soundtrack of the wild. On our final evening, I imagining how much my father would have enjoyed being here. He had introduced me to the wilderness to educate me on sacred things long before I could even put words to them. And when those sacred sights include swimming elephants and majestic falls, it was a sight to behold. victoriafallsriverlodge.com
