ROYAL LIVINGSTONE EXPRESS

A great adventure for guests staying at the Royal Livingstone Hotel and the Zambezi Sun Hotel

Fulfil your romantic fantasy, escape on a late afternoon train journey amidst the untamed natural Zambia bushveld. Sun International is proud to announce the inauguration of the Royal Livingstone Express, a joint venture between Sun International and Bushtracks Africa.

The Royal Livingstone Express is a unique dining experience combining the luxury of Sun International’s Royal Livingstone hotel with the charm of rail travel. The train is an all inclusive luxury rail experience rooted in the nostalgia of a bygone era. Passengers travel leisurely as the sun sets. This is a journey into a timeless world of grace, elegance and romance, where the natural splendour will stir your imagination and the luxurious comfort soothes your soul. This unique luxury rail restoration is an extension of the five-star Royal Livingstone Hotel. The train provides fine wining and dining as you travel through the picturesque Zambezi Valley in Pullman style coaches which have been lovingly restored to their former glory.

The Royal Livingstone Express consists of 5 air-conditioned carriages, 2 dining cars, a club/kitchen car, lounge car, and an observation car and is pulled by either a 10th class No. 156 or a 12th class No. 204 locomotive. One of the dining cars, The Wembley, was built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, and went on display in London at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. It was shipped to the Union of South Africa and entered service on 19th May 1926 and hence acquired the name – The Wembley. The ambiance of the dining carriage offers more than warm elegance. The sash windows allow for panoramic views of the passing parade, while the incandescent lighting adds intimate warmth from individual lamps on each table gently illuminating the beautifully detailed wooden interiors. The silver cutlery, crystal glassware and damask linen provide the ideal backdrop to the exquisite cuisine created by the Royal Livingstone Hotel chefs.

The journey begins when you’re collected from the Royal Livingstone Hotel at 17h00 and transferred to the old Mulobezi Line Offices, where guests board the immaculate vintage first class Lounge carriage. There are two dining cars with a seating capacity for 92 passengers and a fully equipped kitchen car to produce a 6-course gourmet dining experience. From departure the train moves directly onto the old Mulobezi Line, which has also been restored. It was once the largest privately owned railway network in the world and was set up by the Zambezi Sawmills in 1916. The journey commences through Dambwa suburb towards the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, running parallel to the Zambezi River. Guests have the opportunity to catch glimpses of white rhino, buffalo, elephant and other wildlife. From there, the train crosses out of the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park over the Sinde River and comes to pause some 17 kilometres from Livingstone. By this time darkness would have descended on the Zambezi Valley and guests will be invited to dinner by the train manager in the dining cars. The train will then slowly push back to the Sinde ‘run around’ to afford the locomotive driver a good view of any obstacles in his path for the return journey in darkness, including of course elephants! The journey finishes back at the old Mulobezi Siding at approximately 21h30.