Victoria Falls & Chobe Safari 4 Star Ilala Lodge (4 Days) VFIL3N

With a clank and a hiss of steam, the 1953 14a Class Locomotive, pulls away, leading the beautifully restored, fully air-conditioned carriages behind it. Fully restored to their original beauty the carriages provide the backdrop to your African colonial-era luxury safari train experience.

Journeying by luxury steam train seems like a journey in a time machine to an era marked by elegance and opulence, or into an Agatha Christie novel where everyone dined in diamonds and dinner jackets. While the dress code on the Bushtrack Express is smart casual, there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t dress for the era of luxury steam!

As you travel along the ‘Cape to Cairo’ line built by Cecil John Rhodes, the reason he instructed the engineers to “Build a bridge across the Zambezi, where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls” will be obvious. It is the perfect location.

The Bushtracks Express stops in the middle of the 100-year-old Victoria Falls Bridge right over the deep gorge. This ‘no man’s land’ is the natural border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and here you can disembark to enjoy the spectacular sight of the Victoria Falls, the world’s largest sheet of falling water standing at a combined width of 1708m and 108m high, casting up a spray that can be seen 40kms away. After crashing into the ‘boiling pot’ at the base of the falls, the raging Zambezi River thunders through the gorge on its way to the Indian Ocean. There is no better way to see a spectacular African sunset than through the mist of the Victoria Falls.

Whether you’re in the club car, the dining car or the observation car or even the observation deck at the back of the train, the journey will be a magical one as, with the freedom to move between carriages, life, albeit elegant and opulent life slows to the heartbeat of the train. Outside the train is wild, untamed Africa. And this is where the train takes you as you enjoy a five-course dinner in the Jafuta conservancy of the Zambezi National Park. African elephant, lion, Cape buffalo and leopard make their home here, as do sable antelope, eland, zebra, Southern giraffe, and kudu. You may be lucky enough to catch sight of them as the train travels at a stately and unhurried pace through this unspoiled wilderness. Incredible scenery, bygone-era luxury, dedicated and professional staff, fine wining and dining, could anything be more romantic?

The Bushtracks Express is the perfect way to have an ‘Out of Africa’ experience of your own.

Carving its way between Zambia and Zimbabwe and crashing spectacularly over a deep gorge is one of the most dramatic natural phenomena - Mosi-oa-Tunya - The Smoke that Thunders, Seongo or Chongwe - The Place of the Rainbow, Victoria Falls.

The Victoria Falls is the greatest falling curtain of water on Earth, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Combined with shifting plates of the Earth’s surface, the mighty Zambezi River, on its way to the Indian Ocean, is a powerful force of nature and has carved a unique pattern of gorges through the basalt rock and sandstone for 150kms. Together, these gorges are known as the Bakota Gorge. Today, the Falls are cutting a new gorge at the Devil’s Cataract.

Presently, the Falls are 1708m wide and 125m high. At one time, when the river cascaded over the Songwe Gorge, the Falls was 3.3kms wide and fell over 140m. An amazing thought. Even now, in height and width, the Victoria Falls are rivalled only by the Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil. If you are into adventure, then the Class 5 Rapids the Zambezi River navigates after leaving the boiling pot provide some of the best, and most exciting, white water rafting in the world. During the flood season, the sheer volume of water hides the foot of the falls and its face.

David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer, arguably the first European to see the Falls, was so captivated by the beauty of the Falls in 1855, said, “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." Endangered Taita falcons, Black eagles, Peregrine falcons, and Augur buzzards, delight in the air currents and use the cliffs as breeding grounds.

A body of water of such beauty and immensity would not exist without local legends and stories, and you will be swept up in the aura that surrounds this magnificent natural spectacle when you take a guided tour of Victoria Falls.

A guided walk is indeed the best way to experience the Victoria Falls; its power and beauty arched over with double rainbows, and on occasion the moonbows, the awe-inspiring views, and thunderous rumble is only truly felt when standing on its edge, and the storybook atmosphere of the rain forest. The paths along the cliff are shrouded by the spray from the Falls which can be seen over 40kms away. The rain forest exists only as a result of the spray. It is a narrow, but highly significant ecosystem. Waterberries, figs, mahogany and palms shade Zimbabwe’s national flower – the flame lily, as well as blood lilies, the forest-dwelling orchid, ferns and hibiscus all inhabit this forest. In fact, despite its size, over 70 species of shrub, and 170 other flora, some endemic, exist here.

Finish the tour with a visit to the arts and craft market.

There are many places from which to view the Falls and the spectacular spray that shoots up from the gorge and is visible from 40kms away. You can even see the spray from below in a boat on the Zambezi River further down the gorge. However, only one boat takes you close to the edge of the Falls from up stream.

On your way to the Falls, you can enjoy one of the loveliest cruises you can experience.  Cruise slowly down the vast and legendary Zambezi River between the islands dotted across the river while enjoying premium snacks. You’ll experience the beauty and splendour of the Zambezi River, its unique riverine vegetation, and the incredible wildlife that lives both within the river and along its banks.

The guide will be your host as you cruise quietly between the islands, enjoying the beauty and splendour of the Zambezi river and its unique riverine ecology.

Thanks to the unimpeded views of the river from the decks of Bushtracks boat you can marvel at spectacular sightings of crocodiles and hippos within the waters, and the elephants and buck along the shores. Living in the Mopane scrub and riparian woodland on the banks is a wild and vibrant birdlife. Smaller birds use the reeds and papyrus for nesting material. Trees that look as if they have stepped out of myths and legends, tall, majestic, and strong, include the iconic Sausage trees, and of course the famous baobabs, the trees the devil ripped out in a rage, and shoved back in the earth, but this time upside down.

This area has been inhabited for 3 million years, the amazing geography and it’s shifting and rising has formed this mighty river over time, and everything you see, and experience, will be a special moment in time where memories will be made and cherished forever. But the most incredible experience will be approaching the Falls themselves and watching the sun set through the rainbow-laced spray.

The immensity and power of the massive, sometimes slow and sometimes dangerously fast Zambezi River as well as its beauty and drama is best seen from the air. In 1855, David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer, arguably the first European to see the Falls said, “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." To see the Zambezi from the same viewpoint as those beings is an unforgettable experience. It puts not only the river, but also the huge Victoria Falls, into perspective. Victoria Falls is 1708m wide and 125m high, and in the rainy season, 500 million liters of water crashes over the edge every single minute.

Hovering over the Victoria Falls with the spray, which can be seen 40kms away, billowing around you and you will experience for yourself why the Falls are one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Sweeping through the Bakota gorges the power of the river can be seen through the deep, impressive, basalt gorges carved by the water. From the air, the sunlight glittering on the mighty river looks like thousands of diamonds have been scattered across its surface.

The helicopter flight reveals views across the beautiful national park open out in a way that never happens on a land-based game drive. Soaring high and sweeping up-river you can see clearly how the water has formed the landscape through which it has carved its way towards the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi commands the types of vegetation that grows along its banks and even the land beyond its shores.

Your helicopter flight starts at the Masuwe Helipad, and for a time ranging from 15 to 25 mins (your choice). The Flight of the Angels, and the Victoria Falls themselves are both an experience which you will never forget.

Chobe National Park, situated on the other side of the Zambezi River, one of the watery lifelines of Africa, is a stunning National Park, one of the most beautiful in Southern Africa. It covers a vast 11,700 square kms of the northern Kalahari. To visit, an early start is essential.

To fully enjoy this adventurous day, including the ultimate safari experience and delicious lunch, it’s important to reach the Botswana border early enough to be there when it opens. You’ll need visas and these are for your account. The early start and the visas are well worth the experience that’s waiting in the Chobe.

Most of the drama in the Chobe National Park takes place at the confluence of the Zambezi and the Chobe Rivers. The Chobe River, which begins in the highlands of Angola, is one of the tributaries of the mighty Zambezi River. Both rivers are watery lifelines of Africa. There is so much water between them that much of the water in the Chobe River within the National Park is backwash from the Zambezi River.

Your Chobe day adventure begins at the junction of the Zambezi and the Chobe Rivers. Here is arguably where the greatest concentration of elephants occurs in Africa. The national park is famous for its wildlife and the haunting cry of the iconic fish eagles, kings of the African River Birds, is the soundtrack to the Chobe. Pods of wallowing hippos, primeval crocodiles, elephant and various antelope species can be seen on a leisurely game-viewing cruise on the Chobe River. Prolific antelope herds, and herds of buffalo which are possibly the largest anywhere because of the life-giving powerful rivers, and so are the prides of lions who prey on them. Among the flocks of birds who make the river their home, includes myriads of herons, wading birds and the African skimmer. Witnessing this bird’s amazing fishing skills is an intense delight. After lunch, a 4x4 safari vehicle will take you deep into the heart of the Chobe National park for a land-based, guided game drive to discover the wild animals which prefer to dwell in the scrub and trees of the park away from the river.

Ilala Lodge Hotel is ideally located only 8 minutes away from the spectacular Victoria Falls, making it geographically the closest hotel to the waterfall on the Zimbabwean side. As a family-run hotel, Ilala Lodge has 73 stylish, well-appointed rooms, that offer the ultimate in comfort and luxury. The hotel’s location affords guests unique views of the mist that rises from the mighty waterfall, known as the ‘smoke that thunders

Experience gourmet dining at Ilala Lodge Hotels' top-rated Cassia Restaurant. Centrally located only minutes away from Victoria Falls, the newly-renamed restaurant offers a delicious breakfast buffet, lunch and al fresco evening dining under the starry African sky.

Relive the historical journey embarked by David Livingstone exploring the mighty Zambezi River aboard the Ra-Ikane fleet. Named after his instrumental guide, the boats represent the grace of a bygone era honouring the rich history of Victoria Falls and its explorers, adventurers and heroes. The Ra-Ikane offers a variety of cruises, including birdwatching, breakfast, lunch and sunset, as well as private charters.