Capetown to Victoria Falls

I was recently watching an old video (from the BBC Great Train Journeys series) about traveling from Capetown to Victoria Falls. This particular tape was made some time ago (1979) so I wondered whether such a trip is still possible, especially with all the political changes and upheavals in the countries involved. Even when the tape was made, the Guerilla war between the minority government in what was then called Rhodesia and the Patriotic Front made travel somewhat hazardous.

I did find some information on the site seat61.com which states that it is no longer possible to travel by regular train between South Africa and Zimbabwe either directly or via Botswana (although there are occasional cruise trains), but according to this site there is still service between Botswana and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe from where one can connect to a Bulawayo - Victoria Falls train.

I'm curious whether anyone has traveled in this area recently or know someone that has. Not that I am likely to try such a trip anytime soon, especially given the current situation in Zimbabwe and the likelihood of tighter sanctions on the Mugabe led government.

Jon

jonnhrr wrote:I was recently watching an old video (from the BBC Great Train Journeys series) about traveling from Capetown to Victoria Falls. This particular tape was made some time ago (1979) so I wondered whether such a trip is still possible, especially with all the political changes and upheavals in the countries involved. Even when the tape was made, the Guerilla war between the minority government in what was then called Rhodesia and the Patriotic Front made travel somewhat hazardous.

I did find some information on the site seat61.com which states that it is no longer possible to travel by regular train between South Africa and Zimbabwe either directly or via Botswana (although there are occasional cruise trains), but according to this site there is still service between Botswana and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe from where one can connect to a Bulawayo - Victoria Falls train.

I'm curious whether anyone has traveled in this area recently or know someone that has. Not that I am likely to try such a trip anytime soon, especially given the current situation in Zimbabwe and the likelihood of tighter sanctions on the Mugabe led government.

Jon

I used to live in Botswana (1970-71). I used the trains a lot then and they were very good.
Now, the collapse of the economy in Zimbabwe makes it very difficult to travel there, and there are fewer trains even in South Africa.

There may be some specials but I would expect the situation in Zimbabwe to continue to get worse after the recent fraudulent election. Only when Mugabe is gone will there be a chance of improvement, and I wouldn't expect passenger rail to be high on the priorities of a new government trying to rebuild Zimbabwe - if it is possible.

http://www.angelfire.com/mac/egmatthews ... babwe.html

If you've got lots of money you can travel with Rovos Rail. They run regularly from Cape Town to Pretoria and have been from Pretoria to Zimbabwe this year. They are still advertising Victoria Falls on their website. But they are really expensive. They advertise themselves as "the most luxurious train in the world". See http://www.rovos.co.za

The Blue Train was running to Victoria Falls until relatively recently (I did the journey myself in 2000), but I've just checked their website and they don't seem to be offering that trip now. They still run from Cape Town to Pretoria. The Blue Train is expensive, but cheaper than Rovos Rail. See http://www.bluetrain.co.za

The Cape Town to Johannesburg section is easy, using trains run by Shosholoza Meyl, the South African national passenger rail company. There's the twice-weekly luxury Premier Classe train which is extremely good value for money, and the normal Trans-Karoo passenger train. But I don't think there are any regular passenger trains running north to Zimbabwe these days. See http://www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl

Cheers!
John

Not an answer to the OP, but may be of interest. The bit about "no visas are required" is presumably aimed at the South African market.

Railways Africa wrote:TOUR TRAIN TO VIC FALLS
Friday, 25 July 2008

In July, the Victoria Falls Steam Train company commenced scheduled sunset bridge runs on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The excursions are to continue until the end of September. Trains depart from Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls station at 16:00. It stops on the bridge, enabling guests to enjoy spectacular sunset views while drinks and snacks are served. The train then returns to Victoria Falls station.

Passports should be carried but no visas are required as the train does not enter Zambia. As credit cards are no longer accepted in Zimbabwe, passengers are advised to carry cash in United States currency, preferably no larger than $50. The train fare is $66; children under 12, $33.

Enquiries to United Touring Zimbabwe in Johannesburg, [email protected]

Railways Africa