The trip north begins when you board the train in the morning at Pretoria's posh Rovos Rail station. Enjoy a delicious meal in the elegant dining car as you make your way through Johannesburg's gold fields before stepping onto the open-air observation car to take in the scenery as you travel past the Magaliesberg Mountains. After a delicious meal, the train continues on to Mafikeng, where passengers may complete the necessary paperwork to enter Botswana. The Khwai River forms the backdrop for this camp, which is connected by a network of high wooden walkways and surrounded by fig and leadwood trees. Your individual tent has been decorated to evoke the era of Hemingway's swashbuckling safaris. The days will fly by as you explore the area on traditional game drives into Moremi, night drives in search of nocturnal creatures, and visits to the local hamlet to meet the friendly locals. Exciting nature hikes will also be provided by your guide; nothing compares to the sight of a herd of antelope or giraffe calmly grazing in the grass just feet away.

As you enjoy a substantial breakfast and travel throughout the eastern part of Botswana, the capital city of Gaborone will pass you by and the tracks will bring you north. The terrain consists of rolling hills and rocky outcrops as you go through little towns and wide fields. Dinner is provided as you travel through the night towards Plumtree, where you'll pass into Zimbabwe, and a delicious high tea is served in the lounge in the late afternoon, with a selection of tasty treats.

After waking up at Mpopoma, the train's overnight stop, you'll travel north along the park's eastern border to your luxurious suite in Hwange National Park. The length of this straight railway line, at 114 kilometres (or about 71 miles), makes it one of the longest in Africa. After arriving in the afternoon at Kennedy Station, a guide from The Hide will pick you up to take you on a safari. The dry season of Zimbabwe's largest national park, Hwange, is prime time for seeing wildlife because animals congregate around watering holes. Massive populations of elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo herds, and even the highly endangered African wild dog may be found in this region. These predators hunt in packs, and seeing one in pursuit of its preferred medium-sized antelope prey through the woods at rapid speed is an exciting sight. Teak and acacia trees dot the terrain, and you pause to have ice-cold sundowners at a picturesque site by a waterhole to soak in the splendour of the area. You board the train again in the early evening and have another elegant meal as it travels to Thomson Junction, where it will spend the night.

FALLS, VICTORIA, ZIMBABWE Enjoy a leisurely morning meal while taking in the breathtaking scenery on route to Victoria Falls on the train. The Victoria Falls Hotel is conveniently located along the gorge below the falls, so guests can take in the vista and hear the roaring sound of millions of tonnes of water plunging over the edge. Relax in your spacious room and have a leisurely meal on the rooftop patio. Experience the Falls from above on a helicopter ride in the afternoon. The locals call the Falls Mosi-a-Tunya, which means "The Smoke that Thunders," because of the cloud of spray that rises into the air as soon as you lift off. From above, the gorge is a breathtaking sight, especially in contrast to the vast river populated with little islands below.

Close up, Victoria Falls is a breathtaking sight. You can feel the trembling of the earth beneath your feet as you make your way down a series of trails cut into the tropical jungle by the spray. The town serves as a hub for a wide variety of adventures, from the high-octane tiger fishing and white-water river rafting to the relaxing game drives and gorgeous river cruises at sunset. Come back to the big, historic hotel for a relaxing sundowner and a delicious meal after a day of adventure.

CHOBE, BOTSWANA, NATIONAL PARK Leaving Victoria Falls behind you, you make your way to the Botswana border town of Kasane. From here, a chartered plane will take you over the enormous Chobe National Park, which is bounded to the north by the shimmering Chobe River. After touching down at the airfield, your guide will whisk you away to Chobe Under Canvas for a thrilling game drive. Chobe Under Canvas is a private campground within the park that is tucked away in a pleasant grove of trees. Five safari tents in the Meru design are stretched out from a central mess tent, which serves as the living room and eating area. Set up in the shadow of massive trees along the trails regularly used by animals, the tents are more like en suite suites. They are roomy, with plush king or queen mattresses and private bathrooms with toilets that flush and safari-style showers. In the afternoons, unwind on the little verandah while taking in the scenery. Many different kinds of species may thrive here because of the great variety of environments present. The forests that line the Chobe River are dominated by dense groves of ebony and leadwood trees that rise to meet broad grassland floodplains. Here, keep a watch out for hippos, crocodiles, and red lechwe antelope lounging on the banks. Lions frequently lounge in palm and tree thickets, keeping an eye out for prey on the plain below. Mopane woods dominates the scenery further interior, and thickets get thicker as you travel inward. Leopards prowl and elephants graze in this area. The sun ignites a pyrotechnic display of colour across the sky as the day winds down. You leave the park at dusk and drive back to camp with a torch to look for the reflected eyes of nocturnal creatures as they emerge from their hiding places. It's not uncommon to spot a civet, honey badger, or genet, and watching a hyena go off on his nighttime hunt is an exciting experience.

BOTSWANA, SAVUTI You will leave Chobe Under Canvas in the morning and go to Savute. Savute Under Canvas camp, located in the far northern part of Chobe National Park, rotates about occasionally to be close to the herds of plains game and their predators. The prominent feature of the area is the mysterious Savute Channel, a canal whose level inexplicably rises and falls throughout the years. The channel has been dry for about 30 years, but now that it is running again, it is attracting an incredible variety of species. Grazing animals abound in the nearby savannah, which is also home to a sizable concentration of lions. The camp itself is small and private, located in a beautiful natural setting. There is a central salon and eating space hidden under the canopy of trees, and it serves five canvas suites. You'll feel like an early explorer in a pristine wilderness as you relax in the camp's simple, yet cosy, and unquestionably exquisite surroundings.

BOTSWANA; OKAVANGO DELTA You go on one more game drive in Savute, and then have breakfast before heading to the airport. Leaving the Savute Channel and the marsh behind, you take off in your charter jet and fly over a large expanse of mopane woods. You'll be able to see a vast, glistening green field stretching out in front of you. After that, the floor of the Okavango Delta spreads out before you, revealing a beautiful wetland filled with green tree islands, wide grasslands, and towering trees, all of which are connected by a web of canals and lagoons. Your guide will be waiting for you at the airfield, and on the game drive to Sandibe Lodge, you'll immediately note the change in scenery. The grassy floodplains are guarded by tall palm palms rustling in the wind, while thick tree islands cling to the higher elevation. On a game drive, you may see the incredible range of life that exists in this region, from the aquatic creatures to the people who occupy the dry Kalahari forests. Encounters with these majestic cats are the exhilarating climax of every safari, and the area is a big game sanctuary where they are frequently spotted. Stepping into a mokoro, a traditional style dugout canoe, and gently gliding through the maze of canals overhung by ferns and filled with water lilies is a magnificent way to experience the Okavango in all its grandeur. As you silently glide across the water, you can listen to the old melody of the Okavango—the water murmuring past, the birds calling from the reed beds, and the hippos grunting in the distance. The deeper parts of the Delta are accessible by motorised boat, where you can watch hippos pass below you in a stream of bubbles while searching for the elusive and rare sitatunga antelope that lives in the marshes and papyrus beds and, as night falls, be serenaded by the tinkling serenade of reed frogs.

You have one more brunch on the balcony before heading to the airport to catch your flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. The incredible rail ride through the bush, the immense force of the Victoria Falls, the thrilling up-close and personal wildlife experiences of Savute, Chobe, and the Delta... all of this and more will flood your mind as you soar above the pristine waters of the Okavango below.