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A beginner's guide to...

Train travel in Zimbabwe . . .

How to travel by train between Harare, Bulawayo & Victoria Falls...

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Country information

Train operator in Zimbabwe:

National Railways of Zimbabwe - no official website.

Bulawayo-Botswana trains

Vic Falls-Zambia-Tanzania trains

 

 

Time zone & dialling code:

GMT+2.  Dialling code +263.

Currency:

Zim dollars no longer used, US$ now the general currency.  Currency converter

Tourist information:

www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw    Tripadvisor Zimbabwe page    Health & vaccinations

Visas:

UK citizens now need a visa to visit Zimbabwe, but this can be obtained at the point of entry for about £35 / $55.

Page last updated:

17 January 2012


Train travel to & within Zimbabwe...

On this page...

Bulawayo to Victoria Falls by train

Harare to Bulawayo by train

Other domestic train routes in Zimbabwe

South Africa to Zimbabwe by train

Botswana to Zimbabwe by train

Zambia to Zimbabwe by train

Namibia to Zimbabwe by bus

Things to do & see in Victoria Falls & Bulawayo

 

 

On other pages...

Train travel in South Africa

Train travel in Zambia & Tanzania

Train travel in Botswana

Train travel in Kenya

 

Click for map of train routes


 

The Bulawayo - Victoria Falls train

This classic overnight train is the way to reach Vic Falls from Bulawayo, even though (given Zim's economic situation) it's now getting down-at-heel.  It's an experience in itself, a piece of history with British-built coaches, some with wood-panelled interiors, dating from 1952 & 1958.  The train might just receive new coaches at some point, as it was reported way back in 2006 that 64 new long-distance coaches were due to be delivered from China, but there's no sign of them yet, even in 2011!  If you have any updates about this train, please email me.

 Bulawayo ► Victoria Falls  

 

 Victoria Falls  ► Bulawayo  

472 km, runs every day * 472 km, runs every day *
Bulawayo Depart 19:30 Victoria Falls Depart 19:00
Dete Arr/dep. 01:29 Hwange Arr/dep. 22:22
Hwange Arr/dep. 03:04 Dete Arr/dep. 00:50
Victoria Falls Arrive 09:00 Bulawayo Arrive   07:00**

* This train originally ran daily, was reduced to 5 days a week from 15 May 2009 (Tue, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun from Bulawayo, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun from Vic Falls), but was restored to daily operation from 28 February 2011.  So it now runs daily again.

** Expect an arrival around 09:00.

Fares...

Fares are very cheap, even judged at the very poor official exchange rate.  The one-way 1st class sleeper fare from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls is $12 (£7.50), including bedding.  A 2nd class sleeper is $8 (£5) without bedding.

How to buy tickets...

You can buy tickets at Bulawayo station reservation office or the Victoria Falls reservation window, but only on the day of travel.  The ability to book up to 30 days before has been discontinued.  Reservations are not fully computerised, and can only be made for trains leaving from that station.  Reservations for your return journey must be made when you reach your destination.  Your ticket will not show your coach or berth number, this will be shown on a passenger list posted in a glass case on the platform about an hour before the train departs.  Although the train appears to be well used, it's a long train with plenty of berths available, and there is unlikely to be a problem getting a place even for travel on the same day.

The Bulawayo to Vic Falls train, seen at Victoria falls 1st class coupé (day)

The night train from Bulawayo has arrived at Victoria Falls.  The cars nearest the camera are British-built cars dating from 1958...

1st class coupé (day).

This is one of the later 1958 sleeping-cars.

1st class coupe, night   1952-built sleepers on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls train in Zimbabwe
The same 1st class coupé in night time mode...   The night train from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls, seen at Bulawayo station..  These are the earlier 1952 British-built cars...

What is the train like?

There are three classes on the Bulawayo - Victoria Falls train:

  • 1st class sleepers, which have 2-berth rooms (known as coupés) and 4-berth rooms (known as compartments). These have leatherette bench seats convertible to bunks, and each room has a washbasin with (if it works in your car) cold water.  Full bedding used to be provided, then was stopped for a while, but bedding is reportedly (2011) now provided again in 1st class.  The windows open for clear view of the countryside, and at night, you can use a metal / mesh screen to allow cool air in whilst keeping you secure.  The carriage lights may not work, so a torch is handy!

  • 2nd class sleepers, which are identical to 1st class sleepers except there are 3 berths per coupé and 6 berths per compartment.

  • Economy class seats:  Basic seating, and does not convert to berths  (pictured below right).

In 1st class, 2 passengers travelling together will normally be booked into a 2-berth coupé, whereas a solo traveller will be booked into a 4-berth compartment with passengers of the same sex.  If you pay for two tickets (perfectly affordable, given the fare) you can have sole occupancy of a coupé.  The sleeping-cars are all British-built, the ones with wood-panelled interiors in Gloucester in 1952, the ones with the less attractive formica interiors in Birmingham in 1958.  Although they now carry National Railways of Zimbabwe insignia, they are still painted in the original 'Rhodesia Railways' colours, and windows and mirrors are etched with the 'RR' logo.  The coaches were in OK condition when I travelled myself in 2001, but admittedly have been let go a bit lately and are now fairly decrepit, given Zim's economic circumstances.

Short video taken on the journey.

Bulawayo to Vic Falls train - sleeper compartment   First class sleeper corridor, Bulawayo to Vic Falls train   Monkeys on the roof of Victoria Falls to Bulawayo train
A wood-panelled 1st class coupe, in a 1952-built car...

Photo courtesy of Jesse Karp

  The corridor in a 1952-built 1st class sleeper....

Photo courtesy of Jesse Karp

  Monkeys on the train!

Photo courtesy of Jesse Karp

Travellers' reports...

Traveller Ivor Ines took the train from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls in 2010:  "Various internet posts had warned of the risk of theft at Bulawayo station, and there are even signs on the platforms warning you to keep a close eye on your belongings.  But I felt quite safe personally, and although there was a milling throng around the economy carriages before departure, there were far fewer people around the sleepers. However, I did notice one person walking down the platform, running their hand along the carriage at window height to identify any open windows, and then peering inside – presumably with the intent of stealing any unattended bags. So worth keeping a fairly tight eye (or grip) on your belongings.  We were in a coupé in one of the 1951 British-built wood-panelled carriages, which was a far nicer experience than the ‘new’ carriages on the Harare-Bulawayo train. There were at least 6-8 other Western tourists on the train, all in the same carriage as us. Many (not all!) of the compartment fitments were still intact, and it felt much cleaner.  There was electric light in the carriage and in most compartments, although the light in ours was broken (easily dealt with by hanging a head torch from the ceiling, though), and there was no water in either the washbasins (which are now bolted closed) or the toilets.  Bedding was provided after departure – clean, ironed sheets as well as pillows and blankets. The compartment window and screen worked (opened, closed and locked in position), as did both the main compartment lock and the security chain.  Sadly, there is no longer a restaurant car on this train – I asked at Bulawayo station and told there was not enough custom for the restaurant car on the Victoria Falls train, so it is now used on the weekly train from Bulawayo to the Mozambique border at Chicualacuala.  The train runs through Hwange National Park, but during the night so you don’t get to see much.  However, in the morning it runs through or near a park before reaching Victoria Falls, so we saw (or at least, caught glimpses of) zebras, warthogs, baboons, various deer and a couple of large bucks. The conductor told us when we were half-an-hour away from Victoria Falls, so we could pack our bags.  We got there around 10am, in spite of despite having some freight wagons attached during the night.  As the train approaches Victoria Falls, you can see the mist rising above the falls – definitely the best way to arrive.  Not only were there lots of baboons in Victoria Falls station, but the train had to pause as it entered the station, as there was an elephant loose in the marshalling yard!  If you have a choice of which direction to take this train, I would think Bulawayo-Victoria Falls is better (as it means you run through at least some of the national park areas in the daylight), rather than going Victoria Falls-Bulawayo (as the national park sections will probably be done during the night).  If you’re staying at the Victoria Falls Hotel, it is right by the station and has its own entrance to the platform – although this was locked shut, and I get the impression they only open it for Rovos these days."

Traveller Jesse Karp used this train in May 2009:  "I had a lovely journey in one of the wood panelled coaches. No electricity, no water.  But iron crisp, clean bedding, with pillow and blanket."


Things to do in Victoria Falls...

  Victoria Falls (seen from the Zambian side)

Victoria Falls...

  Matobo, Zimbabwe:  "Here lie the remains of Cecil John Rhodes"

Cecil Rhodes grave, in a breath-taking spot in Matobo, on a rocky outcrop known as 'the view of the world'.

  • Visit the park to see the Falls from the Zimbabwe side.  The park entrance fee is about £15 - take some waterproof clothing!

  • Walk across the frontier into Zambia to see the Zambian part of the Falls.  Between the Zimbabwean and Zambian frontier posts you cross the famous steel bridge carrying the road and railway across the Zambezi between the Zimbabwean and Zambian sides of the river.  Remember to have US$10 on you in US dollars cash, as this is the cost of a Zambian one-day visa.  Sterling is also accepted, but not Zimbabwe dollars or South African Rand.  If you pass any warthogs on the way, give them a wide berth...

  • Arrange a day trip to Chobe game reserve in Botswana.  There are many operators offering similar trips.  A 45-minute minibus transfer takes you from your hotel to the Botswana frontier.  A 3-hour game drive in the Chobe National Park is followed by a 3-hour river trip with lunch.  Animals include lion, impala, antelope, elephant, hippo, warthog, crocodile, mongoose, and even tortoise.

  • Take afternoon tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel, the poshest hotel in town.  Staying there will cost you £150 per night.  Afternoon tea (complete with cucumber sandwiches) will cost you more like £10.  The hotel is right next to the railway station.

  • Go on an afternoon river cruise on the Zambezi.  Many operators offer similar trips for the going rate of about £15, which includes plentiful wine or beer.  You will probably see hippo and crocodile.

  • For those interested, there are a whole range of adventure activities available such as white water rafting down the Zambezi, or for the completely insane, bunji jumping off the Zambezi bridge.

...and in Bulawayo

Bulawayo is a pleasant town, well spread out with wide open streets and relatively little traffic.  There is an excellent railway museum, which features Cecil Rhodes' private railway coach.  You should not miss a day trip to the Matobo National Park, some 25 miles South of Bulawayo, where Cecil Rhodes is buried (see photo, right).  Day tours generally visit the Whovi game reserve in the morning (famous for its rhinos), then the haunting hills of the main park in the afternoon. 

Sponsored links...


The Bulawayo - Harare train...

 Bulawayo ► Harare  

 

 Harare ► Bulawayo  

486 km, runs Mon, Thur, Sat  

486 km, runs Tue, Fri, Sun 

Bulawayo Depart 21:00 Harare Depart 21:00
Harare Arrive 08:00 Bulawayo Arrive 08:00

This train used to run daily, but was reduced to 3 times a week as from 15 May 2009.

How to buy tickets...

The only way to buy tickets is at Bulawayo and Harare station reservation offices, up to 30 days before departure.  Reservations are not fully computerised, and can only be made for trains leaving from that station -  reservations for your return journey will need to be made when you reach your destination.  Your ticket will not show your coach or berth number - this will be shown on a passenger list posted in a glass case on the platform about an hour before the train departs.  Fares are not expensive - in the region of £20/$35 or less one way in Sleeper class.

The Bulawayo-Harare overnight train, Zimbabwe   Sleeper class on the Bulawayo-Harare train
The Bulawayo-Harare night train... 2-berth sleeper class...

What is the Bulawayo-Harare train like?

New coaches have been introduced on the Bulawayo-Harare overnight train.  There are 3 classes of accommodation on this train:

  • Sleeper class:  2-berth rooms (known as coupés) and 4-berth rooms (known as compartments). These have leatherette bench seats convertible to bunks, and each room has a washbasin.  Full bedding is provided, included in the fare.  There is a hot shower available at the end of the sleeping-car corridor.  Although not air-conditioned, the windows open for a superb view of the countryside, and at night, a metal / mesh screen can be used to allow cool air in but keep you safe and secure.

  • Standard class: comfortable airline-style seating (does not convert to sleeping berths).

  • Economy class: basic seating (does not convert to berths).

In sleeper class, two passengers travelling together will normally be booked into a 2-berth coupé, whereas a solo traveller will be booked into a 4-berth compartment with passengers of the same sex.  If you pay for two tickets you can have sole occupancy of a coupé.

Standard class on the Bulawayo-Harare overnight train   Economy class on the Bulawayo-Harare overnight train
Standard class Economy class

Traveller's reports...

Traveller Ivor Ines reports from a Bulawayo-Harare trip in 2010:  "The carriages for this train were introduced in 1998, but they are now much the worse for wear.  Bedding was provided, though the attendant apologised profusely that there were no sheets, only blankets and pillows. Bedding was issued after departure, although as I didn’t realise this, I ran around before departure to check we wouldn’t be left blanket-less throughout a cold night. It seemed that quite a few passengers had brought their own bedding, even first class. The compartment window and screen still worked, in other words, opened, closed and locked in position.  Although the main compartment lock was broken, there was still a security chain which I then padlocked closed, and we felt quite safe and secure during the journey.  In standard class, although the TVs were still there, there was no sign of them working which is probably a positive, in terms of actually being able to sleep... The train had a great, wood panelled buffet car complete with bar area, restaurant area and full kitchen. Unfortunately, it was only serving drinks (sodas and beer, no hot drinks) and a few snacks like biscuits and strange-looking crisps, no substantive food.  The train left Harare punctually at 9pm, but NRZ seem to have given up on any attempt at predicting arrival times. We arrived in Bulawayo around 10am, which I suspect is ‘normal’, although the staff said that sometimes freight wagons are attached to the passenger train, and so it runs even slower."


Other domestic train routes in Zimbabwe...

Harare to Mutare...

 Harare ► Mutare  

 

 Mutare  ► Harare  

Runs Wed, Fri, Sun

Runs Mon, Thur, Sat

Harare Depart 21:30 day 1 Mutare Depart 21:00 day 1
Mutare Arrive 05:25 day 2 Harare Arrive 05:20 day 2

The train has 1st & 2nd class sleepers and Economy seats.  Distance 273km.

Bulawayo to Chiredzi...

 Bulawayo ► Chiredzi  

 

 Chiredzi   ► Bulawayo  

Runs on Sundays

Runs on Mondays

Bulawayo Depart 21:30 day 1 Chiredzi Depart 15:20 day 1
Rutenga Arr/dep 08:43 day 2 Rutenga Depart 20:05 day 1
Chiredzi Arrive 12:30 day 2 Bulawayo Arrive 07:45 day 2

The train has 1st & 2nd class sleepers & Economy seats.  Distance 523km.

Bulawayo to Beitbridge (on the border with South Africa)...

 Bulawayo ► Beitbridge  

 

 Beitbridge ► Bulawayo  

Runs on Thursdays & Sundays

Runs on Mondays & Fridays

Bulawayo Depart 18:00 day 1 Beitbridge Depart 21:00 day 1
Beitbridge Arrive 10:00 day 2 Bulawayo Arrive 08:45 day 2

The train has 1st, 2nd & Economy class.  Distance not known.

You can take local transport across the Beitbridge-Messina border and take the Shosholoza Meyl train daily except Saturdays from Messina to Pretoria & Johannesburg, see the South Africa page.

Bulawayo to Chicualacuala & Maputo (Mozambique)...

 Bulawayo ► Chicualacuala

 

 Chicualacuala ► Bulawayo  

Runs weekly on Wednesdays

Runs weekly on Wednesdays

Bulawayo Depart 12:15 Wednesdays Maputo Depart 13:00 Wednesdays
Chicualacuala

(change trains)

Arrive ??:??   Thursdays Chicualacuala

(change trains)

Arrive 03:42 Thursdays
Depart 13:00 Thursdays Depart ??:??    Thursdays
Maputo Arrive 05:49 Fridays Bulawayo Arrive 03:52  Fridays

The Zimbabwean train has 1st, 2nd & Economy class, with 1st & 2nd being sleeper berths.  The Mozambique train has 2nd & 3rd class.

Bulawayo to Chicualacuala is 500 km.  Chicualacuala to Maputo is 534km.  fares not known, but likely to be very cheap.

Other trains...

There are also twice weekly 'mixed' trains (meaning freight wagons and passenger car) from Harare to Shamva and from Harare to Lion's Den.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

Expect the first class sleeper fare for all these overnight trains to be around US$10.  Reservations cannot be made in advance, only on the day of travel, but outside peak holiday times it's no problem to get a place on the day.


International travel to/from Zimbabwe...

South Africa - Zimbabwe by train or bus...

Whatever you may read in your guidebook, there are now no direct scheduled trains from South Africa to Zimbabwe, and have not been for years.  If your guidebook is some years old, it may mention weekly trains from Johannesburg to Harare and Bulawayo, but for political reasons (in fact, exorbitant haulage charges imposed by the National Railways of Zimbabwe) these were suspended in 1999.  Similarly, the daily train that used to link Mafeking and Bulawayo via Gaborone was first (1999) cut back to run purely within Botswana, and was then (2009) completely withdrawn.  In 2007, National Railways of Zimbabwe allegedly considered re-instating a Harare-Johannesburg train some time before 2010, but there's no sign of this happening.  So there are now several less-than-brilliant choices for overland travel from SA to Zimbabwe:

  • Johannesburg - Messina/Beitbridge - Bulawayo by train+bus or train & trainYou can take the overnight Shosholoza Meyl economy train from Johannesburg or Pretoria to Messina, see train travel in South Africa. This has economy seats but now no sleepers.  Messina is 12km short of the frontier at Beitbridge, from where you can take irregular African buses to both Harare and Bulawayo, or a newly-reintroduced twice weekly train from Beitbridge to Bulawayo, see the section above.

  • Johannesburg - Bulawayo by bus:  Two companies run modern buses overnight direct from Johannesburg/Pretoria to Bulawayo, with departures most nights.  The journey is takes about 13 hours from Pretoria.  Visit www.greyhound.co.za and www.translux.co.za for details.  Although neither as civilised or comfortable as a train, this is probably the simplest overland option.

  • Cruise trains from South Africa to Zimbabwe:  If you have the money, there are several tourist 'cruise' trains.  The Blue Train (www.bluetrain.co.za) operates from Pretoria to Victoria Falls about once a month.  However, you can reckon on a one-way fare exceeding £500.  Rovos Rail (www.rovos.co.za) also operate on this route.  Check that these are still operating - Zimbabwe Railways' high haulage rates have hit these trains, too.

Botswana - Zimbabwe by train...

The daily Mafeking-Gaborone-Francistown-Bulawayo train was cut back to running purely within Botswana in 1999.  However, a new Francistown-Bulawayo train service started in June 2006, running 3 times weekly with modern coaches (complete with TV entertainment!).  See the Train travel in Botswana page for train times and days of running.  However, there are now no trains south of Francistown.

Zambia - Zimbabwe by train...

There are now no scheduled passenger trains across the famous Zambesi bridge from Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) to Livingstone (Zambia).  But you can walk across the bridge from Vic Falls to the Zambian border post and take a taxi the few miles on to Livingstone.  Trains run from Livingstone to Lusaka and Kapiri Mposhi, where you can change trains onto the Tazara line to Dar es Salaam.  See the Train travel in Tanzania & Zambia page for train times, fares & days of running.

Namibia - Zimbabwe by bus...

A bus links Victoria Falls with Windhoek 3 times a week, see the Namibia page or www.intercape.co.za.


Recommended guidebooks

Click to buy onlineTo get the most from a trip to Southern Africa, you'll need a good guidebook - and I think the Lonely Planet guides are about the best ones out there for independent travel.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk...

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

The Southern Africa guidebook is less detailed than the Zimbabwe one, but it covers South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and several other countries in Southern Africa as well as Zimbabwe.


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